Three years ago I unloaded my 1956 Chevy. As the buyer loaded it up on the trailer, the groans from the old girl were loud. I watched it go down the road on the trailer like a regal queen, sitting high above the traffic. It was my first car, brimming with memories. Part of the family for more than 40 years, it wasn’t easy to send it away. But the truth was that I would never be able to accumulate... Read more
This Thanksgiving season, it seems that I’m praying a lot. I’m giving thanks for a job, for friends, for family. I’m actually giving thanks for the 20 extra pounds I’m carrying, a sign that I live in the land of plenty. I’m giving thanks for blessings seen and unseen. And I’m also praying for others. I have family members who are far away from God, hanging all my desires on a peg named hope. I am praying for my employer,... Read more
The election is over. Finally, the popups, the stuffed mailboxes and nonstop advertisements can disappear and we can get back to living life. A little less than 0ne-half of our nation is suffering disappointment, and another large percentage is completely thrilled. Another large percentage is uneasy with the results. Let me speak to all sides. As a follower of Christ, I offer prayers of blessing upon our new government and our new leaders. Paul exhorted us to submit to our authorities and... Read more
The Syrian crisis continues to be a humanitarian issue that should rivet the world. The renewed assault on Aleppo, by a variety of forces, is creating unfathomable pain. Political leaders, thinkers, religious figures and aid workers should come together and figure how to end the dismantling of a once prosperous and free country. But God isn’t waiting for any those things before He acts. Last year I spent time in Jordan listening and observing, to see how God is at... Read more
When I was young, I wasn’t jaded by the news or by history or by fellow human beings. I really thought the world was on the edge of greatness and that maybe I was the one to tip it. Some called me idealistic, but that didn’t stop me. Some of those ideals have propelled me through life, and I’m grateful for them. And as a nation we owe a debt to brave young men and women who are willing to take... Read more
I’ve been thinking about the influence of Words. No I’m not about to talk about campaigns or political ads. Instead, I’m talking about movements that the world, and they all began with words. Independence Day marks the beginning of US freedom. But it started with words – really a short document, a Declaration that named the source of true freedom. The War started with words, not battles. Fast forward 225 words to Ronald Reagan, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” We had spent billions... Read more
I’ve been thinking divisions lately, since they seem to be so prominently highlighted in conversations, media, and politics. The discussion last week in this space about “intolerance” is still raging. My online friends are now neatly divided into political camps with heated exchanges on Facebook. Even in this forum, it seems as if every article I write someone tries to goad the division, to drive a wedge deeper. Us Versus Them The world has devolved into two basic groups — “Us” and “Them.” That’s... Read more
In the public square of opinion, just about anything goes these days. We no longer simply recognize diversity, we celebrate it. We don’t just acknowledge our differences, we embrace them. What was once fringe is mainstream. As a Christian White Male, I’m told quite clearly that I “must tolerate” everyone and everything. However, I am finding that I am no longer tolerable by others. Some of it is a rebound from hundreds of years of single-race, single-religion rule in a... Read more
I was too young to remember the 60’s. As a toddler I only cared about nap time, snacks and my Tonka trucks. I was innocent while the world around me exploded with violence, riots, racial tension and war. I remember my father later telling me about the times, what he felt when Kennedy was assassinated and then Martin Luther King. It wasn’t black. It wasn’t white. It was just wrong and he felt it. That’s how I feel today. With... Read more
There was a point in my life when a question mark hung over my head. You see, I didn’t know the future, and it scared me. I couldn’t figure out tomorrow, next year or the future. I was paralyzed by the thought of just not knowing. Uncertainty led to stupidity as I tried to order the future around my pride. I eventually found a relationship with God, a place to turn the question mark into a period. But the story wasn’t over.... Read more
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