When I hear the word, “behold,” I don’t think of it as something I do on a regular basis. To behold is to look with awe-struck intensity, so much so, that you may even lose yourself in the object of your attention. No, that kind of experience is reserved for extraordinary moments, astonishing sights or […]
Perhaps you have experienced the same thing. The COVID malaise has left me tentative. For example, an opportunity would arise to do something good in the future. I would normally jump at something like that, but now I hesitate. “What if COVID surges again?” “What if my effort is for naught?” “What if nobody does […]
The only earthquakes I’ve ever experienced were mild and uneventful. Even yet, it was rather disconcerting to think that the ground could shift under my feet. We like to think of the ground as firm and unmoving. Ask someone who has endured a major earthquake and you will find a certain mistrust of the very […]
There are moments in our lives that change everything. These are the watershed moments, the events that bring about a new reality, whether we like it or not. For our country, we experienced watershed moments in the Vietnam War, the 9/11 attacks or the financial crisis of 2008. In our personal lives, these watershed moments […]
Life in a pandemic is like a dense fog that comes upon you while driving your car. You continue to drive, but your vision is impaired. Turns in the road appear out of the fog with less warning and must be negotiated with greater agility. In order to react quickly to those unexpected twists and […]
They say it takes about three weeks to make a habit. Once the new behavior is established, you don’t have to force yourself to do it. Eventually, you find yourself snapping to action without a second thought at all. The pandemic has caused us to establish some new habits in order to keep each other […]
Following Jesus is hard. It’s easy to feel paralyzed or rudderless in the midst of our sinful reality. Jesus himself said that the narrow way would be difficult and it would be easy to stray onto the way of destruction. More than that, Jesus wants us to invite people onto that narrow way and to […]
What is your outlook on life? When you look into the future, do you see things getting better or worse? I’m not just asking about the power of positive thinking. The question isn’t whether the glass is half-empty or half-full right now. It’s more about what’s ahead. Is the water level rising or dropping in […]
You can feel the pandemic pain everywhere. So many lives have been lost. A myriad of businesses have been shuttered. The eyes of countless people peer over their masks in weariness and despair. Yet, we have seen God provide through it all. For many people the stimulus checks issued by our government have been a […]
Do you have enough courage to pray? That might sound strange to you. Usually we hear about praying to have courage, not having courage to pray. But I’m serious about the question. Do you have the courage to set aside your own control (or the perception of your own control) and surrender your way to […]
