A long time ago the teacher’s advice during a gym class baseball game made an impression on me. Never an athlete, I wanted desperately to make a hit. I gripped the bat in grim determination, stared at the pitcher, and… Continue reading

Sean, my son, is planning a trip through Montana and Wyoming this Summer with his family.  He sent me this note -“We are talking about grizzly and moose encounters  … Landon (just finished 1st grade) slaps his face and says,… Continue reading

Today I’ll once again stand in the presence of Death and grief, something I have done almost weekly this year. Grim, you ask? It could be except for the promise and hope I know. Reading in the mind-blowing, strange, and… Continue reading

Eugene Peterson, in his memoirs, The Pastor, tells of the year of no Christmas tree, 1939, when he was 7 years old. His mom, a Christian who pursued a holy life, read an obscure passage in Jeremiah that warned of… Continue reading

In America, where many families live at a distance, loneliness among the aged is an epidemic. Some adult children ‘outgrow’ their parents, move away, and in spite of the many ways to stay connected, become so taken up with their… Continue reading

My 67th trip around the sun started yesterday.  A pandemic and all the accompanying restrictions was part of the last one, making it memorable mostly in an awful way. This year promises more change as I will step away from… Continue reading

Several years ago I attended a seminar for pastors led by an ‘expert’ in stewardship who said that his methods would increase giving at the church by at least 30%. Some of the principles were sound. He told us to… Continue reading

I like me and I’m quite sure you like you! The natural human way is to “Watch out for #1.”  Somebody gave me a paper that bears the heading “Dying to Self.”  A magnet holds it in place on the… Continue reading

Consumer debt is a tricky thing. Credit cards allow us to buy things we want today using tomorrow’s money; which not a great idea generally! Often the interest rate is high. Too many people get themselves buried in debt when… Continue reading

Think about your life and the people who have helped to make you who you are. Some taught you formal lessons as your teachers. Perhaps it was someone you never knew except through the pages of a book or a… Continue reading