Years ago, in a far-away land . . .. Actually, it was years ago, when we had four small children and were at our first pastorate in metropolitan Atlanta. Finances were tight so we worked hard to stretch our pennies as well as our dollars. Occasional gifts of garden produce and such were greatly appreciated…
continue reading »When you hear someone slander or speak evil of another, how do you react? Does it draw you to them? Encourage you to believe them? Trust them? Support them? The election rhetoric is a good opportunity to observe the fruit of evil-for-evil rhetoric. What is your internal reaction to candidates striving to tear each other down?…
continue reading »There is much turmoil in the world today, but we do not have to be part of it. We can find rest in the midst of the storm. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy, not slander and chaos. We can run in to Him for the peace that our soul longs for.…
continue reading »“It’s not fair!” I fumed, trapped in a room with two small kids, while Robert enjoyed fellowship and worship with others. It seemed I was always left to care for the children while he had all the fun. It was 1974, and we were at a six-week orientation for new missionaries. But that evening, I didn’t…
continue reading »Once Robert and I noticed each other, we couldn’t find enough hours in a day to share life. We ate all our meals together in the college cafeteria, studied together at the library, and held hands as we walked around the campus. When 10:00 curfew confined us to separate dorms, I sat in the tiny…
continue reading »“It takes a pot to call a kettle black.” As a child, I puzzled through it to understand that a pot calls a kettle black because he’s quick to see the black, because he is also black. The color could just as well be yellow, blue, red, or purple, because it isn’t talking about…
continue reading »“Looking back gives you regrets. Looking ahead gives you opportunities.” At least that’s what a Facebook quote says, and it’s hard to argue. Indeed, how often do we miss opportunities of the moment because we’re focused on regrets of the past? Someone else said, “You can’t move forward in life if you’re always looking back.”…
continue reading »“Nobody should have control of another person the way that man took control over my life.” The conviction in Alex’s voice left no doubt that she was right. Alex Otte was talking about the man that ran into her on July 2, 2007, when she was 13 years old. It was the end of a celebration day…
continue reading »I’d like to hear the rest of the story, please. I need to hear more to know whether to be angry, amused, or alarmed when I read cryptic social media posts. In those cases, I’ll survive without detail, but other posts really trouble me. Comments that follow concern me even more. For example, this week something on…
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