Is it worth it? The teenage boys in my household are learning about managing resources. Their weekly allowance is finite, their desire for things seemingly infinite. If they spend their entire allowance on day out at the paintball field, they… Continue reading

Bill Hybels, pastor and author, in his book, Holy Discontent, talks about having a Popeye moment.  Seeing people sit through church unengaged, unmoved, he finally said to himself, “That’s all I can stands I can’t stands no more!”  He calls… Continue reading

He sees… straight into my heart When I was a teenager and my mother was challenging something I had done, I did what kids do – argue and offer up the usual excuses to avoid dealing with the truth. Mom’s… Continue reading

I can’t hear You My dog, Samantha, is an Irish Setter.  Her breed, I am told, is a stubborn one,  a trait borne out by her occasion refusal to respond to my call.  I know she hears me, but the… Continue reading

Throughout the Bible, there are references to a spiritual discipline that we largely ignore: fasting. Many Christians have no real idea what a ‘fast’ is. A fast is a voluntary abstention from something we enjoy, most often, food. There are… Continue reading

We are a few days into the season that many Christians call, “Lent.”  One of the oldest traditions of Christianity, Lent is the name for a fast, extending for 40 days prior to the celebration of Easter, that is intended… Continue reading

Yes, You are Lord! Five years ago as my Dad wrestled with the cancer diagnosis, his soul was restless, his faith tested. Repeatedly, during long nights, we would talk and he would wonder aloud why he was not healed, why… Continue reading

The Least Among You It’s just an hour each month, but it’s an important one to me.  Several of us from our church gather at a home for the aged on the second Sunday of the month to worship with… Continue reading

Afraid of Being Alone? Our networked era keeps us ‘in touch’ almost constantly. Twitter tweets, Facebook updates, and text messages follow us 24/7!  Many work in small cubicles, not private offices. Our churches press us to form relationships and get… Continue reading

Every year I speak at many funerals.   Some are emotional, with many tears, grief laying on those gathered like a thick fog.Some are functional- the prevailing mood being  “let’s just get through this and get on with life.”  Some are celebratory… Continue reading