I have been a kid and I think I was a funny kid. I am a father with two grown children and my kids had some funny moments that we still laugh about as a family. Each of us have retold the stories from our own perspective and we all laugh again. Now I am a grandfather of five ranging in age from about sixteen months to almost thirteen years old. My grandchildren are especially funny–in a good way. We have lots of fun.
Return the Favor
Do you have a friend who is always telling jokes, but he never laughs at anyone else’s jokes? Once you notice it, it becomes quite annoying. I am not advocating payback to the non-laugher, but for us to be considerate—to return the favor when we have been shown favor.
Journey Update: November 2019
Things have been more than busy—they have been crazy. Along with the normal ministry and family duties, there are certain seasons or periods of time when a bunch of things seem to happen at once.
Don’t Bargain with God
More than likely, we all have lied or committed “false witness” in the recent past. What am I talking about? You know all those “terms of agreement” boxes you have checked and signed-off-on; those thousand-word, small print, legal “gobbly goop” things that no one ever reads yet you confirmed as read and understood by initialing. I have done it too! I am not making a case for reading all of that but to get you think about letting your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’
Making Sense of Rain (and Life)
This morning, I was holding my little one-year old granddaughter on the front porch while it was raining. She was looking so inquisitively at the rain. She was watching the rain, I was watching her, and just thinking, “What is she thinking?” She was trying to figure out all the sights and sounds in her little world and I was her observer.
I still have memories of being a small boy and trying to make sense of the world. A child’s brain runs on overload to keep track and process all the new stimuli it receives. Have you ever wondered why a small child asks so many “Why?” questions?
Continue reading “Making Sense of Rain (and Life)”
Hate is Bloodless Murder
How you ever said with clenched teeth, “Awh, I could just kill him!” Yep, just about ninety-nine percent of us has said something like that. Thankfully, we probably didn’t mean it. There are millions of good, godly people who get angry in the immediate, but get over it in the long run.
Continue reading “Hate is Bloodless Murder”Light of Life
If you follow any news, there is no question that there is an evil darkness in the world. People are frantic about what to do. In the United States we have had two mass killings almost back-to-back. In the political world there has been a rush to win the blame game. All have agreed that evil is at work, but no one wants to really name the true source of evil. Satan is on a rampage to kill, steal, and destroy but to the world elites, this would only be an archaic, outdated, and even unthinkable description of the source of this type of evil.
Persecution from a Christian Perspective
On a typical Sunday morning in the United States, as we ease into our comfortable pews if someone were to ask us, “Are you comfortable?” Our response may be about the pew or the temperature level in the church. While in other places of the world “comfortable” is not a consideration in their Christianity. They may have looked over their shoulder as they turned down the street leading to the gathering of the saints. The cramped quarters or the temperature level is the least of their concerns. Continue reading “Persecution from a Christian Perspective”
Priceless Gift of Peace
The thermostat setting in Heaven is peace.
Five Simple, Spiritual Things in 2019
When I look back at the younger me, I am horrified at my lack of diligence. I am not the poster boy for it now, but I have improved some over the years. My wife has been a great example for me, when she sets her mind to accomplish something, she gets it done.
This time of the year, some folks make New Year’s resolutions that often fall flat by February. (Oh well, I’ll finish this post later… Second thought, I better just do it!) I am not one to set New Year’s resolutions. I just need to do the simple, spiritual things with diligence.
Pathway Journey 