Vast wealth can open up all kinds of opportunities. I think of Bill and Melinda Gates who are using their $billions to fight disease and illiteracy in dozens of places on the globe. That same wealth can cripple. There is… Continue reading

She is a quiet person of a gentle spirit who also serves faithfully, keeps her commitments, and loves her family. Yet, she wondered … aloud to me, with sadness, “Why doesn’t God use me?”  Her conclusion was mistaken. Somehow she… Continue reading

I had only been the pastor of a church for 3 months when the agent visited my office. There was an outstanding balance due the IRS for unpaid payroll taxes, a substantial sum accumulated before I was called to the… Continue reading

Diane Staudte was quietly respectable; the organist for her church, a registered nurse – and she is a murderer!  First, she killed her husband, then her son, and finally attempted to murder her daughter.  The story is stunning, shocking, evil… Continue reading

We love to tell our stories, don’t we? Stories teach. They warn, encourage, enlighten, and entertain. Our stories reveal who we are and what we love. Stories connect us. When I take the time to listen to a conversation, a… Continue reading

Every time I see the concrete slabs of a sidewalk heaved by the roots of a growing tree, I am amazed.  When I pick up a rock worn smooth by water running over it, it is cause for wonder. Each… Continue reading

The man stepped into the middle of the highway, held up his hand, and the flow of traffic stopped! How could one person have that kind of control?  Why not just drive around him? After all, he could not physically… Continue reading

It is hard for me to ask for help. Perhaps pride is an issue and I think I can handle life on my own. But, an even greater issue is being ‘polite.’  I think to myself, “If I ask them,… Continue reading

Are you intimidated by prayer? Many Christians talk about prayer but far fewer actually pray in any meaningful way.  Could it be that we misunderstand what it means to ‘pray?’ I have seen people do many things, all the while… Continue reading

I was standing in the congregation quietly worshiping with the musicians. We clapped along when they played an old gospel song, praised when we celebrated God’s goodness with “10,000 reasons for my heart to find.” Then, they turned to a… Continue reading