Half-hearted. Unsure. Doubtful. Apathetic. Lukewarm. If you saw those words on someone’s resume, would you give a double thumbs up, saying, “YES! That’s exactly the profile for people I want on my team”? No! And similarly, God is looking for people who are “all in.” For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro …
A neighbor up the street added a new puppy–a cockapoo–to their family. She trained their pup to ring a bell when it needed to go to the bathroom. At first they positioned its paw or its nose to help it ring the bell at the door whenever it needed to go out. Eventually it learned …
A memorable movie line spoken by the character Yoda in “The Empire Strikes Back” exhorts, “Try not! Do or do not, there is no try.” The apparent point was the statement—”I’ll try”—which conveys a lack of confidence and commitment, basically assuming failure before even making an attempt. In contrast, one of my dad’s many aphorisms …
What have you been thinking about so far today? We seldom consider the path our minds take on a given day; we just get up and go. We’re often thinking about what’s ahead, and far too frequently those thoughts are laced with anxiety. How can we meet this need? How should we handle that challenging …
My wife is a woman of vision. She has amazing spiritual insights, but she also carries a practical and aesthetic vision for rooms in our home. One place that’s been in development lately is our basement gym. Recent enhancements include two strong resistance bands, equipped with handles and ankle straps, that we clip onto wall-mounted …
A month ago, Carrie and I drove to a neighboring state to witness a natural occurrence of global renown. Every spring, a particular bird species descends in droves upon a small stretch of the Platte River in America’s midwest as they migrate north. Tour tickets in hand, we drove most of the day to get …
Our state is known for unpredictable weather, perhaps because we live so close to the Rocky Mountains. The most recent weather adventure has been high winds, affecting utilities. Our lawn furniture was blown about and some branches fell. But the biggest surprise this blustery weekend was a church service without electricity. That meant no lights, …
Testifying to King Agrippa about his conversion to Christianity, the apostle Paul included an interesting phrase Jesus had spoken to him on the road to Damascus. Formerly known as Saul, this Jew was known for his zeal for the law and his intense hatred of Christians. We first hear of Saul watching the stoning of …
On a recent work trip to California, we visited the world-famous San Diego Zoo. With over 4,000 animals gracing its hundred-acre grounds, it’s the most visited zoo in the country. Its huge, open exhibits mimic the animals’ natural habitat— and comprise the largest and most remarkable living spaces we have seen at any zoo. Yet …
The first time I heard someone say it at work, I didn’t get it. It struck me as strange then and still does. Someone was talking in front of a group and my coworker called out, “Word!” I figured out by context he was voicing approval or agreement with what the speaker had expressed. Years …
