I couldn’t sleep. Maybe it was adrenaline. Maybe it was nerves. Maybe it was God, trying to get through my thick skull. Mile after mile of nothing but water and an inky sky out my window, with only the moonlight separating the two dark bodies. The lights had been dimmed in the cabin with only a few glowing at floor level to guide the occasional person to the cramped bathroom. I looked around, heads by the hundreds were nodded off... Read more
And so it begins. Today is the start of a very long day — to New York, then to Amman, Jordan. I start at 7 this morning and will land at 3 PM Friday. I have no idea how long the trip is. There are about 11 of us who part of the the Jordan Tourism Board-sponsored Journalist/Writer trip There are plenty of thoughts running through my head. The last two weeks have been a whirlwind as God has placed amazing... Read more
Well friends, I have some great news to share. Later this week, I’ll leave on a long flight to the country of Jordan. I’m going at the request and a guest of the nation’s Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. As part of a group of 12 writers, we are encouraged to reflect on the country’s claim to be the other Holy Land. They want us to write on not just the landscape, but the people and the culture. In... Read more
I'm not always looking for a way out. I'm fully awake for worship. How could I possibly miss that joy and energy? I'm never asleep for the awards ceremony, when others dish out praise for my deeds or my words. And when the soldiers rush the garden, I'm up and awake for a good fight. But most of the time, I just check out. Read more
Now, five decades later, I’m pretty certain I’ve heard just about every kind of sermon on tithing. I can recite the Scripture verses, retell the illustrations, and rehearse the main points. I know that it’s a Christian imperative, something necessary for the growth of the church. It’s good for my soul. And yes, I need to be a cheerful giver. Read more
In a world of lies, it’s easy to take the cynics path, to trust no one. And there, on the edge of the rubble of deceit, stands a Savior. “I am the truth, the way, and the life,” he beckons. "Let your 'yes' be 'yes,' and your 'no' be 'no.'" A noble truth. A magnficient path. A different way to live. Read more
I want to add you to my bucket list to spend just one more day, have one more conversation, make one more memory. But my desire is selfish. I’m keeping you from the last item on your list -- an audience with the creator. Read more
Today it’s supposed to be 56. Yesterday it was snowing. Why is this time of year so undecided? “Will it be the winter of despair or the spring of hope?” asked Charles Dickens in a question that transcends the weather. In a thousand different ways in a thousand different times I’ve heard the same cry of the heart. How many times have I asked, “am I going to make it?’ Punxsutawney Phil, the erstwhile groundhog in Punxsutawney, PA, saw his shadow... Read more
I grabbed my backpack, took an apple from the bowl on the table, pocketed two of my favorite Hot Wheels and marched out the house. I wasn’t going to take it anymore! I was eight and I was a childhood runaway.I made it all the way to the Dutra’s house where they had a secret hide-out in the back yard. I sat down and rested. It was a quick stop, a layover, a resting point before I made my final dash... Read more
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