Travel back in time to 1861. You are a dinner guest of President Abraham Lincoln. After the main course, President Lincoln asks you to describe how people communicate in the future. You decide to tell him about email, but how? He has never seen a computer, clicked a mouse, or opened a web browser. Email …
Category Archives: General
The Impossible Calling of Love
Remember when the lawyer asked Jesus what was the most important law? After declaring “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” Jesus declares the second part of the Great Commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). The implication …
Upon Me?
In Luke 4, Jesus visits the synagogue. According to tradition, a man in the congregation would read scripture and then explain it. So it came as no surprise when Jesus took out a scroll and read from Isaiah 61. The surprise came after he read. Luke 4:17-21 records it this way: 17 And the scroll …
Peace in the Difficult Times
I was recently speaking wth a friend about some stressful situations I had encountered through my work over the past years. It was refreshing to speak of the stress in the past tense, rather than present. Looking back, I’m greatful for the stressful experiences. However, at the time, it felt like more than I could …
Good Vibrations
Hit any key on a piano and more than one string vibrates. For instance, if you hit middle c, all of the other c’s on the piano vibrate slightly because they are all tuned to c. The vibrations of one stir up the vibrations of all the others. David points out a similar idea in …
No Training Manual Required
The responsibilities of parenting are enormous. Children need to learn how to tie their shoes, say “please” and “thank you,” listen to others, read, write, articulate themselves, ride a bike, drive a car, respect their elders… you get the picture. When you stop to think about everything a child needs to learn, the task for …
Where Does Your Stone Lie?
Looking back, I have felt sorry for the trouble we caused James Holliman. He was our Jr. Boys Sunday school teacher. My friends and I were typical rowdy kids who couldn’t sit still. We were loud, obnoxious, disobedient, and disruptive every Sunday. Yet, Mr. Holliman never lost his cool with us. He would calmly stop …
Out of the Recliner
In Psalm 51:11, David prays, “Cast me not away from your presence…” Does that strike you as odd? After all, didn’t David also write in Psalm 139:7-10, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed …
She Still Sings to Me
My wife had a beautiful alto voice with a slight rasp and warm Texas accent. One of my favorite memories of marriage is her singing to me. February 5, 2015 would have marked fifteen years of marriage for Jill and me. I struggle to express my heart on this wedding anniversary, so I have decided to …
John the Baptist: Disciple-Maker
A great example of how human discipleship should work is provided in the story of John the Baptist. Several of the apostles were first disciples of John, who, in the words of Isaiah, came as a forerunner to Jesus, the voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord” (John …