There was one thing I wanted from God. It was virtuous. It was honorable. It was good. So I prayed. And I asked. And I exhorted. And nothing happened. Maybe He didn’t hear my prayer. Maybe He didn’t care. The prayer was for a miracle for someone else, for a change of heart and direction. I prayed boldly, after all we’re told that with “the faith of a mustard seed,” we can move mountains. I believed. But it didn’t happen. The Prodigal’s... Read more
What if you were faced with a challenge to your faith by the full weight of politics, culture, and popular opinion? What if your entire livelihood came down to one choice between right and wrong? Read more
It was just two years ago that the world was riveted by a the sight of a little boy face down on a beach, one of millions who were rushing to flee terror, bedlam and war in the Middle East. From Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and others they banged on Europe’s door, lining up against the barbed wire fence, braving treacherous seas. Perhaps they read about freedom in a book. Or they saw it in a movie. Or heard it... Read more
Eventually, it comes to everyone. You can’t really plan for it, because it sneaks up in the middle of the night, or it raids your happiest moments in life, or destroys the ending to the perfect story. If you’re human, you will have some sort of trial come your way. It’s a guarantee. You may lose a job, have a spouse walk away from you, or contract a life-threatening disease. There are smaller trials – like an relenting boss, a... Read more
I don’t always like rules of society, at work, or in my faith. But they are there to keep structure and to keep our silly human ways from wandering. Read more
Since the overthrow of the government in 1979, The Islamic Republic of Iran has a number of restrictive laws. Women can go to the gym, but they must stay in their Hijab. They can sit in restaurants and cafes, but they cannot smoke in public. There are more than 100 offenses that carry the death penalty. And executions are often public. A curious restriction concerns live music performances on television. The imagery of instruments being played has been banned. The... Read more
I remember the strange feeling that the key to the front door was in the hands of strangers. Mom died that year. Dad 10 months prior. The little yellow house in the woods kept the reality of their passing at bay. But when the house went away, so did a piece of the memory. But what about the legacy? The house had sold. Soon after that moving boxes would stack outside, ready to be sorted. And the new owners would be thinking... Read more
“I can’t believe you said that!” She looked at me like I had committed the worst of atrocities. I used the word, “Gal” when referring to a female who had just waited on me. It’s an old term. Probably a hold-over from my mother, who used it constantly, an easy, generic name for every woman she didn’t know the name. But now those darting eyes from this gal – I mean woman — told me her opinion of this term.... Read more
My mother used to put okra in the stew. And I hated it. It was slimy and green — two things that most little boys avoid with every fiber of their being. And never should those two ingredients be presented as food. No way was I going to buy it. To a ten-year old, okra isn’t food. I could eat the other parts of the stew, but leaving the okra until the bottom of the bowl only meant that I would have to take... Read more
Elephants are now a thing of the past in the circus. But I remember being fascinated as a boy, watching these lumbering beasts walk in meek compliance. The trainer, if he wanted to keep them in one area, simply tied a weak rope to a pole and walked away. It’s crazy. These massive creatures could break just about anything humans could engineer. Why don’t they just run? This is accomplished through careful training. The trainers first secure them as babies, tying... Read more
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