Some of you know that the closest thing I’ve had to a career was the seven years that I spent working for the YMCA in Wichita, Kansas. One of the things that the Y did very well was training, and I completed a battery of core classes that were taught nationwide to young Y professionals, […]
The Proverbs 31 woman is doing me no favors today. While she was up before the sun, preparing breakfast for her family and organizing her day, I was nestled under cozy covers, recovering from another week of seeking that elusive state of being: The Great Efficiency. What exactly is it that tugs at the […]
“The fact of suffering undoubtedly constitutes the single greatest challenge to the Christian faith.” –John Stott It’s been this way since time began. The fact that you are still reading tells me that nothing has changed… SUFFERING a LOSS raises questions and doubts and fears and anger as it CHALLENGES our ability to […]
I know, I know… you’ve heard all of the quotes before: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Reinhold Niebuhr “If you don’t create change, change will create you.” “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” “Change […]
This has been a season of wrapping things up for me – more so than ever before. Every year the school year ends. Every year a class of Confirmation students is welcomed into Church membership. Every year we celebrate our graduates and applaud their achievements. But this year has been different for me. This year […]
My home church has a beautiful tradition of encouraging faith development in our youngsters. At baptism, each child is presented with a meticulously hand-made wooden chest. We call them Faith Chests, and when we give them to our children we explain that they are intended to house the items of faith that they will acquire […]
Jesus was teaching and the crowd of curious and eager listeners was growing. With Him were His traveling companions – the Twelve (His students), and some women whom He had healed from various diseases and evil spirits. Apparently, once healed, these women did not wish to leave His side. So they traveled with Him and […]
The WORD “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:27 (New International Version) “I tell you the truth, some people standing here will see the kingdom of God before they die.” (New Century Version) “Some who have taken their stand […]
‘If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands!’ ‘Shiny, happy people holding hands.’ ‘Don’t worry, be happy.’ Sound familiar? A quick Google search brings up more than 100 songs with the word ‘happy’ in the title, but I have to wonder how many of us would use the word to describe the day […]
I just stepped out of my closet. My head is hanging, because I thought it might be effective to poke fun at myself and my obvious obsession with shoes. I figured that, if I wanted to really make a strong argument for the case of the damage done by our excesses, I should begin at […]