Close to the end of the film Galaxy Quest, the ship captain made a desperate decision to activate the mysterious Omega 13 device after a disastrous strike destroyed almost his entire crew. Nobody knew exactly what the Omega 13 would do. Some asserted it would collapse the universe in 13 seconds. Others theorized it would …
I recently finished tossing files related to an art business I owned years ago. My oldest son sometimes assisted me back then. I recall a time he and I were returning very late at night from an art show deep in the Rocky Mountains. Exhausted from selling all weekend (then hours of tear-down and packing …
“How do You know me?” Nathanael had good reason to be perplexed; he’d never seen this guy before! Yet Jesus’s unexpected greeting indicated He not only knew Nathanael’s name, but also his character. When Jesus replied to his question with a supernatural word of knowledge, Nathanael responded in awe, “You are the Son of God!” …
Driving somewhere unfamiliar recently, we decided to use GPS on my phone. We followed the verbal directions, making necessary lane changes just as instructed, but suddenly heard an unexpected change in our guide’s vocal infection. At a key intersection, the voice said, “Turn right?” as if she were suddenly unsure! How much confidence would you …
Have you ever wanted to feel closer to God? Ultimately that’s what everyone seeks, even if we obliviously look to something else to fill that void. People need love, and God is love. People need hope, and God is called the God of hope. Many don’t know that the peace they seek is a Person. …
I was thinking recently about friendship—the most basic underpinning of which is trust. Have you ever had someone you were close to—someone you’d been through a lot with–doubt you? If so, you probably found it hurtful. After all, friends don’t lie to each other—they’re people you can depend on. The thought occurred to me that …
I’d just stepped out of the shuttle upon arrival at Logan airport in Boston, my breath visible in the chill air and my mind still spinning after a stressful semester of college. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a distressed lady talking to a seasoned skycap as he tossed luggage onto a …
Recently I had this thought in the shower, “Fear kills productivity.” I recognized a fruitful life forsakes fear and all activity motivated by it. Fear doesn’t add a thing to our experience. In Matthew 6 Jesus noted anxiety never lengthens life. Neither does it contribute to quality of life. Fear is never a happy place; …
Sometimes we enjoy ending a busy work week with a relaxed dinner while streaming a movie. Recently I picked an apocalyptic film featuring a well-known actor (the only human in the cast) who scrapes by in the hostile aftermath of a solar flare that compromised earth’s atmospheric protection and destroyed all vegetation. He lived alone …
I love John’s post-resurrection account where Peter and his buddies fished all night without success. At dawn, there stood Jesus on the beach. Perhaps He was just too far away to see clearly at that hour, but they didn’t know it was Jesus (despite seeing Him twice since He arose). Since neither Mary nor the …
