He is world-famous, rich, successful, said by many to be the best ever at the position he played. He continued in his superlative achievements unabated for almost two decades. Still at the top of his class, he finally decided to end his career. One would think that he could make that decision and announce it […]
thoughts
Unmistakable Love
(Read John 13) The whole idea of washing someone else’s feet (or having them wash yours) makes many people cringe. Just the thought of becoming that physically engaged with someone with whom we are not intimate makes us uncomfortable. And maybe that’s the point of Jesus’ actions as recorded in this passage. Some time ago, […]
Dirt, Dust, and Ashes
Ah, Ash Wednesday! What a bittersweet reminder of what we really are… Say what? Human beings began as dirt. It wasn’t the wholesome substance with which we are familiar and in which something might grow. No, according to Scripture, humans were created from dry dust. Genesis 2:7 makes it clear that God started with the […]
Fitting In
Mask or no mask? Sit/stand close or far away? Shake hands or bump elbows? Go inside or wait for delivery? It doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing. There are just too many unknowns any more. It isn’t just the pandemic-related issues, either. What pronoun do I use for this person I’m seeing […]
All We Need
The Beatles once sang a popular song that had the very repetitious line “All you need is love.” There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done. Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung. … There’s nothing you can make that can’t be made. … There’s nothing you can know that isn’t known. Nothing […]
The Tyranny of the Convenient
The forecasts started a week before the “event.” Snow “accumulation” across the southeast of the US – a terrifying prospect for people who normally only see a light snow a couple of times each winter season – was coming in ferocious power. The rumored intensity of the coming storm was matched by the intensity of […]
Hand-Made
My daughter gave me a gift for Christmas of a model steam locomotive. It is of laser-cut plywood, and you build it with only your hands – no tools required. I enjoy working with my hands a lot, so I was excited to begin work on the little train engine. And I REALLY appreciated not […]
Peace from the Storm
There are very few moments quite as peaceful as the morning after a heavy snow, especially if the power goes out. The morning sun glistens on the new snow, the beauty taking one’s breath away as much as the frigid air. The hush seems almost sacred, a moment of truce in the mad bedlam of […]
Not Too Far Forward
I’m looking forward to seeing what God does in this year of our Lord 2022. I’m looking forward expecting good things (see my post about it, here). However, this morning, I was reading a passage from the book of Daniel (Chapter 8), and a couple of things came to mind. The first was a recurring […]
Looking Forward Because We Can
As we approach 2022, there are many things for us to look forward to as well as remember. We might look forward to a healthy, prosperous, hope-filled year! We can look forward to good things, like spending more quality time with our family, maybe losing a few of those unwanted pounds, a secure job (especially […]