I went into a store after work to pick up a few groceries. It was late, and I was in the usual rush. The young checkout girl cracked her gum, scanned the groceries and punched in numbers on items that repeatedly wouldn’t scan. Only once she glanced at me, seemed to sense she should say something and said “You look tired.” Suddenly I felt incredibly old–especially compared to this teenager–and much more tired than I had been a moment before. {Read More}
My Mother-in-Law’s Legacy
May 10, 2013 By 1 Comment
“The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.” That statement was in the flyleaf of my mother-in-law’s Bible. Many years ago I read it as I sat by her hospital bed in her den where Mom, at the age of 85, was dying. It was evident by numerous signs that the end was near. It was also the end of an era. Mom had been matriarch of the family, keeping track of {Read More}
Worried Sick
April 29, 2013 By Leave a Comment
While traveling through the Appalachian Mountains, a couple stopped at a rustic country store. While the man sampled the hoop cheese and dill pickles, his wife talked with an elderly woman in a faded sunbonnet. In a few minutes the wife came over to her husband and whispered, “Do you know that they don’t get newspapers up here? And that little woman doesn’t even own a TV or radio. She doesn’t know anything that is going on in the world.” {Read More}
Good Friday: The Deafening Silence of God
March 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Have you ever heard the expression “bad things come in threes”? Once when I’d had one of those down times that came on the heels of three (or more) bad things happening, a friend tried to help. The pep talk could have been condensed to: there’s a silver lining in every dark cloud, the sun will shine again, and the rainbow will once again be seen in the sky. Although my friend meant well, hearing someone spout platitudes when you {Read More}
A Mother’s Love
February 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment
In his book No Wonder They Call Him Savior (Multnomah Press, 1986), Max Lucado told the story of a mother and daughter who lived in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of a Brazilian village. Their small house was much like any other on the street. But Maria and her daughter Christina had tried to make the gray walls and dirt floor of the one large room less drab. There was no money for anything better. Maria had been widowed {Read More}
Worlds of Joy
January 31, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Many years ago a New York couple entertained a foreign visitor by taking him through Coney Island. At the end of what they considered a perfect day, they asked him what he thought. He looked at the noisy, brightly-lit park and said quietly, “What a sad people you Americans must be.” I thought of that story when deciding that, after years of being dragged through amusement parks, I’m retiring. Never again will I have to explain why I refuse to {Read More}
A Matter of Convenience
January 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment
The following letter from the future, composed by an unknown author, is dated January 22, 2023 the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion. “Dear Mom, Can you believe it’s 2023 already? I’m still writing 22 on nearly everything. Seems like yesterday I was sitting in first grade celebrating the century change! I know we haven’t really chatted since Christmas. Sorry. Anyway, I have some difficult news and I really didn’t want to call and talk {Read More}
Waiting for Sunrise
December 3, 2012 By 3 Comments
After working many hours at the polls and then watching election results on TV, I had to remind myself of what James Montgomery Boice, late pastor of Tenth Presbyterian in Philadelphia, said, “The kingdom of God does not arrive on Air Force One.” I know that. Really. A new president wouldn’t have solved all our national problems. But many of us had hoped for a president who governed with biblical values, and late on November 6th those hopes were dashed. {Read More}
A Love that Heals
September 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Almost every week we hear stories of families breaking up, with bitter custody battles and animosity on all sides. Many years ago newspaper columnist Bob Considine told a different kind of story of a family breakup. It’s one that bears retelling. Edith and Karl Taylor had been married for 23 years. They had a marriage that seemed to overflow with love. Whenever Karl was out of town on business, he wrote daily letters and sent small gifts to Edith. In {Read More}
Until the Disaster Has Passed
September 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). No one is certain what causes mental disorders. A few are connected to physical imbalances. Some may be tied to genetic makeup. Others grow (or become ingrown) from attitudes such as low self-esteem, perfectionism, or the failure to give or receive forgiveness. In all these areas, Christians are not exempt. In times of crisis, we {Read More}
