Building on the truth discussed last week, that God has packed my suitcase as a believer with everything I need, how should I approach a new day? I get the chance to decide the second I wake up in the morning. Am I going to live it as a believer (which means putting faith in …
We just got back from a trip last night. Not really a vacation; more like, “Well that was a trip!” We had planned fun days touring and hiking national parks in southern New Mexico and Texas. In spite of recent snow, bitter cold and iffy roads, we completed our journey’s first leg to Albuquerque. We …
I like to be liked. It’s more enjoyable than not being liked, or worse, hated. And if I’m totally honest, I probably do things on occasion just to score likability points. A bad motivation, I know. But such insecurity is just one more reason I needed a Savior! Speaking of Whom, Jesus was quite the …
Over many years I became used to my lovely wife turning to me after having thought about matters for a long time, saying, “Two things.” Then she would enlighten me with her insightful thoughts or frighten me with her crazy ideas. It got to where I would put up two fingers when she said it. …
I recently read Acts 18:9-10 about Paul’s trip to Corinth. And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have …
Years ago we picked up a Thanksgiving tradition at a church we attended that our family observed for years. We’d set two containers on the table—an empty cylindrical glass vase, and a bowlful of dry corn. Family members took turns announcing something they were grateful for as they dropped a kernel of corn into the …
I had the unexpected surprise when I awoke this past Sunday of finding the time had changed and we’d gained an hour. As I looked out the window, I saw further evidence of the change in season. Some trees had dropped their leaves, while the one in our back yard, always about a month behind …
A few years ago, Carrie bought me a rain barrel. She figured, “We water plants in the back yard all summer, so why not collect some of the rainfall and save a little on the water bill?” We’ve enjoyed many free gallons of water from that rain barrel. But in our semi-arid climate, it doesn’t …
When I was fifteen years old, I did a science fair project called The Third Line of Defense, referring to the invader-specific antibodies of the immune system. I found immunology fascinating, and reading medical textbooks as a teenager, thought I would later become a doctor like my oldest sister. She had dedicated herself to the …
Some days I’m acutely aware that I’m not twenty-something anymore. The last time I helped someone move (and I do mean the last time, God willing!) I was the self-appointed packer, doing the Tetris thing, filling a U-Haul truck from floor to ceiling. I’d stood far too long precariously perched atop stacked possessions, awkwardly twisting …
