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 …
The other night we watched a movie in which someone challenged the main character to “Prove it!” This skeptical attitude can pop up not only in our interactions with other people, but also with God. The Bible teaches that God loves us and wants to be with us, yet something inside us says, “Prove it!” …
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. …
This morning I took a large drinking glass from our kitchen cabinet. It holds almost a quart and I try to drink at least three glassfuls of water a day to stay hydrated. Thirsty after my morning workout, I turned on the faucet…but my glass wasn’t getting full. I suddenly realized that a stream of …
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 …
After having been a “household executive” for over three decades, I started looking for a job. Entering this new season required new information, and that meant research. I found various online assessments to help narrow down the type of job I might find most suitable. One test began with this question: Are you a thing …
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 …
Around the time our third son joined the family, a dear church friend started a preschool for a small group of children, including our oldest son. Debbie used all sorts of creative tools and techniques to challenge these bright youngsters. One day she showed them a photograph of a recent earthquake, asking what they thought …
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 …
