Confidence is More Than Hope You see it everywhere—sports teams, public speakers, bullies, preachers. What is “it”? It is confidence sometimes to the point of arrogance. But what happens when the team loses “a slam dunk” to another team? Or a speaker is booed off the stage? Or a bully tries to push around a humble black belt achiever? Or […]
Finish Strong I got a call yesterday from a friend (I’ll call him JD) in another city. His health is not good. He has major heart problems and has a defibrillator that was implanted some months ago. Shortly after that, we talked and he told me he didn’t know how much longer he has and wanted me to know that […]
Purpose in Pain We live in post-New Testament times. But sometimes, to get a fine-tuned picture of God, we need to visit the Old Testament. My point today is to confirm that God always has purpose in everything He does. Some time ago, I noticed a little word that appears all throughout Scripture. It’s the word “that” or “so that” […]
I Heard the Bells Christmas has come and gone for another year. And with it go the Christmas songs that seem ubiquitous since Thanksgiving. This year, one particular song found me and stopped me in my tracks: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day*. It’s not as popular as some hymns and not heard as often. This was its time. […]
Yesterday Isn’t, Today Is, Tomorrow…Maybe Twenty-four was filled with challenges in many ways for many people. We saw the consequences of hatred and anger in senseless violence as it spread its tentacles across our country and world into places that had been relatively peaceful and calm. Racism and anti-Semitism reared its ugliness across college campuses and other venues here and […]
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions In our last post, we talked about decisions, dreams, and discipline. Today, I want to single out decisions and I’m going to assume that most who are reading this are fellow pilgrims on our way to “a better country” (Heb. 11:16). May I offer congratulations on your decision but also include a friendly reminder? Decision-making doesn’t automatically […]