Hope is a fundamental human experience. Hope is central to Christian experience. I hope so. You and your family are deciding where to eat dinner. You have one place in mind, your favorite. The kids have another. One of them says, “Let’s flip a coin.” Will you end up going to the place you like best? You say, “I hope […]
Do you want to see 100% improvement in life? Instead of trying to do one thing 100% better do 100 things 1% better. The math does not work– the approach does. Where do you want to be when you are 80? Too often we only think such a thought in terms of money. What about health? What about family? What about […]
It has been said, “You can’t give away what you don’t have.” I like that. When it comes to sharing Jesus with others, we can’t give away what we don’t have. We cannot give away a solid, mature testimony of the Biblical Jesus if we do not have it. And the surest way to be able to have plenty to […]
Do you have a stack of books you think you should read? Does such a stack cause anxiety and guilt? Do you feel like you are missing out or falling behind others who read more? Me too. That’s why I am glad to come across books whose titles are so clear and succinct that you would not really need to […]
Jesus criticized the Sadducees saying, “You are deceived because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29) Everywhere I go I encourage people to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Scriptures to grow in relationship with Jesus. The Sadducees were “missing” Jesus because they did not know the Scriptures. But neither did they know […]
They’re coming you know, the Holidays. And for all the good that comes with the next two months of celebrations, difficulties adhere. The Holidays often exacerbate strained relationships. Add to that whatever recovery we all need from the recent election cycle which has done little to heal national and often family schisms. Then there are the special interest groups, some […]
My friend’s wife is Jenn*. My friend and I have known each other a long time. I am not sure I have ever met his wife. But I have heard of her. My friend and Jenn are faithful followers of Jesus. They are very active and involved in their local congregation. They are well known in their community. In addition […]
You should have seen it. Perfect. Beautiful. Ridges were just right. Properly proportioned. Warm to the touch. Wiggle-able. Even a little fuzz. An amazing ear. The five-day old ear of our latest granddaughter had me mesmerized as I held her. There was a lot to behold, but it was the ear that caught my eye. The ear wasn’t developing. It […]
There must have been thousands of commencement addresses given across the country in the last few weeks with more coming in early June. I was invited to give one at Concordia University Ann Arbor earlier in May. It was based on some other writing I had done. I share it with you here. Congratulations. This is a big day. A […]
Every school kid knows that the tip of an iceberg represents only 10% of its size. There is more there than meets the eye. Every parent of a school kid knows that when a kid admits to doing something wrong, he is only revealing about 10% of what actually happened. Likewise pastors and others who counsel know that presenting problems […]