There are certain writers whose writings I am drawn to: Philip Yancey, Elisabeth Elliot and Joni Eareckson Tada seem always to speak to my inner me. As I write these words, I have hundreds of books within my reach but the ones that I reread are written by those authors. They share a common message; the author has gone through difficult times. They have wrestled with the pain caused by those trials. They have wrestled with the promises of God—and...
Read MoreI write about grief often; it is what seems to be in the ink of my pen as it touches paper. I begin to write with some other theme in mind…and before too long I am writing about grief, and heartache, and loss. But in writing about the trials of life, I must also write about the faithfulness of God who always keeps His promises to care for His children. Just as I believe that this life may be full of...
Read MoreA while back I felt compelled to study the Sermon on the Mount again. I thought I should start in chapter 4 of Matthew to get a run up to the sermon, to have some context. I was immediately struck by the words “Jesus was led up…to be tempted by the devil.” Who thinks it is a good idea to tempt God? Just exactly what does one tempt God with? The One who has spoken all things into existence and holds...
Read MoreI, like many young children, used to scour the house for unwrapped Christmas presents, longing to know what I was going to receive for Christmas that year. Sometimes I would find something that I knew was to be mine in only a few more days. There was something about the search, and the finding, which made the threat of being caught worth it. My folks always purchased nice gifts for me and there was great pleasure in finding them and,...
Read MoreMy verse, my only verse, in the depths of my black years was Deuteronomy 33:27 “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” I know that is not the whole verse, but I always tell people, half jokingly, that I wasn’t strong enough to handle a whole verse, a half of a verse was my limit. My prayer to the Lord at that time was that even if I could not feel those arms that He would...
Read MoreEvery so often, my wife and I will get word that a grandchild and their spouse are expecting a new addition to their home. Each time, we will look at each other and say, “I would hate to be bringing another child into the perversion of this world.” They are probably similar words to what my parents said when my wife and I announced the pending birth of our children. Each generation believes that raising children in their day was...
Read More"I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son." Genesis 18:14 "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." Jeremiah 32:17 If I were in front of a room of 32 Christians and asked each...
Read MoreI would write about the difficulty of writing, but I have tried, it is too difficult. I have long thought that the most difficult job in the world would be to have to write a daily, or even a weekly, column for a newspaper or periodical. How would I write something that is “me” when the “me” I am looking for is nowhere to be found? My writing is an extension of the me that few people see until my...
Read MoreThe Church, the Body of Christ, evokes widely divergent responses depending on your latest experiences in church. Some have warm feelings of a loving body of believers who seem to exist solely to draw each other closer together in Christian unity. Some others may be feeling the pain, the grief, of a church split, a messy divorce as brothers and sisters in the Lord wage war on each other. There are a thousand variations of the above two choices. How does...
Read MoreOne of my worst nightmares (seriously) growing up was being caught in quicksand. It was not something I should have been too concerned about because I have lived my entire life in Northern Michigan on pretty high ground where I hardly ever read in the local newspaper about some hunter or mushroom picker being swallowed by quicksand. We didn’t have television when I was young, but every so often we would visit a favorite uncle who did have a black and...
Read MoreAnyone who has watched three or more Hallmark movies, now knows the plot for every Hallmark movie that follows. A young woman leaves her high-pressure, big city career to travel back to her small hometown. On the way, her car breaks down and the man who operates the only wrecker service comes to help her. The tension between them is immediate and palpable. Their dislike for each other cuts through the air. At this point, there is one thing you...
Read MoreI decided that I wanted to get in better physical condition before my next birthday. I enjoy walking in the woods so thought that would be the place to start. My favorite place to walk is at the Wildwood Cross Country Ski Trails. I have explored that area with my father and other family members since I was 12 years old, so it has many warm memories as well as a place for me to enjoy the out of doors. At...
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