Looking for a Place of Prayer

The new year is upon us. Perhaps you are reviewing this past year. Maybe you are resolving yourself to the next. In all of the flurry of our daily lives, make time for quiet time. When you feel crushed by compounding and increasingly urgent priorities, push back and...

Jesus Wept

Sometimes the significant figures of history seem distant with little humanity. George Washington is a monolith on the National Mall. Abraham Lincoln sits in a big chair, staring off into the distance. They existed, but don’t feel real. But Grandpa, I could relate to...

Blasphemy

If you ever find yourself in front of a court, look very carefully at the American flag. If it has a yellow fringe, that means the court is declaring itself an admiralty court, and they have no jurisdiction over you. (Note: This is NOT legal advice! Don’t do this!)....

Those Among You Who Fear God

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.” Without Google, I could not tell you that Shakespeare wrote that in his play, Julius Caesar. I must have read it at some point, probably in high school, and the phrase stuck with me. Why? It uses vocative language to...

No Vacancies

Have you ever noticed the unlit “NO” before the “VACANCIES” sign at a roadside motel? It is a clever way to send one of two messages, “We have room, stop here!” or “We have no room, keep going.” Finding “NO VACANCIES” on a trip is frustrating, but living your life...

Fickle Fate

A long time ago, an English teacher taught her class rare words we would never use again. One of those words was “capricious.” When we couldn’t guess the meaning, she defined it for us. What strikes me about “capricious” is that “fickle” can replace it in most...

“So I Prayed to the God of Heaven”

Nehemiah was sad, and that was an occupational hazard. He was the scribe of the king, a king who could kill on whim. Anyone in service of the king was well advised to appear loyal, devoted, and sublimely joyful before the king — but Nehemiah was sad. Nehemiah must...

He Goes to Church?!

You don’t expect to see some people in the church building. Maybe they are notorious in town, perhaps they were the school bully, or maybe they stole your date for prom. Think about that person. Now imagine them going to church. What does it tell you if that person is...

If Not Now, Then When?

When is the best time to plant a tree? Several years ago. When is the next best time? Right now. If you keep putting off planting a tree, it will never grow. So if you are thinking about planting a tree, now is better than never. In Acts 8:36, the Ethiopian eunuch...

Why Won’t They Listen?

We all want to be heard. Sometimes we speak with a ballot, other times by standing up in front of a group of people. Even giving someone the silent treatment is a way to say something. But why won’t some people listen? It could be that our reputation does not match...

New Testament

God Has a Better Plan

God Has a Better Plan

Two thousand years ago, Elizabeth wanted children. In her culture, children were her priority. She didn’t have any, therefore others looked down on her. Her society wrote her off as too old to be a successful Jewish woman. She was too old to have children. She was...

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Greek Yogurt Is Terrible

Greek Yogurt Is Terrible

Johnny stood, mouth open in disgust. “It gets stuck between your teeth, is too tough to chew, and tastes like day-old Dr. Pepper. Greek yogurt is yucky!” He wrinkled his nose even thinking about it. Jen paused her spoon an inch from her open mouth. “Have you ever...

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Come and See!

Come and See!

Nurses just know. They’ve been there, done that. They say, “Just slap a bandaid on it and stop complainin’!” But that same gruff nurse who blows off our ouches and owies as an annoyance will soften like butter in the warm, Texas sun when confronted with a patient who...

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Old Testament

Change Is Tough

Change Is Tough

The Air Force provides a lot of training, very little of it on a volunteer basis. One of the trainings I took was in “Change Management.” It may have had a different, more military sounding name, something like “Non-linear Progression of Leadership Requirements” but I...

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The A-Team

The A-Team

When the Air Force stationed my dad overseas, the only real disadvantage of living “on the economy” was a lack of US TV programs. If you lived close enough to base, you could watch the Armed Forces Network, but we lived too far away. Somehow, one of the American...

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