Eugene Peterson, best known for his work in bringing us the paraphrase of the Bible called The Message, was a pastor of a small church in Maryland for 3 decades. He observed, “The people who give me the most distress… Continue reading

Ed and I were talking about his choices. “There are two ways to look at your behavior,” I said. “You can make me act like a policeman to monitor you, or you can choose wisely for yourself, for the sake… Continue reading

Slimed! Up until last week, much of the ground beef sold in these United States included an ingredient called, “finely textured lean beef.” It is made from the trimmings leftover after the more readily accessible cuts are removed. A nutritionist… Continue reading

Burger King’s philosophy – have it your way! People, including me, love to do things ‘our way.‘  Americans are consumers who like personalized service. All of this comes at a cost to cooperation, which leads to the destruction of our… Continue reading

Jeremiah had a problem. God gave him a message for His people, which he was taking faithfully to them. Those people werehearing it, but not the way they needed to listen. “As for you, son of man, your countrymen are… Continue reading

The man said, “I really do believe in God and Jesus, but I hate church.” The irony underlying the conversation hit me hard. How could I, a man who has spent his entire adult life working for a church, speak… Continue reading

Cowards and Confrontation “What do I say to my friend who is wandering spiritually?” Answers are much easier in the abstract than to practice in reality. What do you say to that fellow Christian who starts missing church every other… Continue reading

A wild swing, a bloody mess If you corner a animal it is likely to respond with hostility, bared teeth, claws, or fangs. Sam, my Irish setter, is the most docile creature you could imagine, but her hair will rise… Continue reading

It’s just karma, isn’t it? A man recently was comparing his life to mine.  He bemoaned his circumstances and pointed out my blessings. With more than a little envy, he side-stepped his responsibility for his situation: “It’s just karma, isn’t… Continue reading

Do you ever wonder what you really care about? It’s not hard to tell if you ask yourself: what has the greatest potential for heartbreak?   ·    Love your stuff? You will be heartbroken when it is taken away by… Continue reading