I have a hymnal in my library that’s organized around themes. I found it interesting as I paged through it the other day that the section on God the Father included 71 hymns and choruses and the section on the person of Jesus had 175 songs. Do you know how many songs were dedicated to [...]
“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.” Proverbs [...]
I’ve always been a lover of books. Growing up in the 1950s, my life in MidAmerica was safe, predictable, and often boring. So I found my escape in books. Walking into a library back in those days was intoxicating. I can still remember the smell that assaulted you the minute you walked through the big, [...]
It’s human nature to resist what’s in our best interest. Kids resist being put to bed, even when they’re exhausted. Adults ignore health guidelines and indulge in harmful junk foods, even as they complain about not being able to fit into their clothes. We binge-watch shows we’ll soon forget the details of; we spend hours [...]
We’re not sure how Jesus was feeling when He said it. Was He sad? Frustrated? Stressed out? Or just lamenting? Whatever the case, it was a heads-up moment for His disciples—a foretaste of what lay ahead for them. In Luke 12:50 Jesus says, “I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under [...]
Most of us long to be significant … to contribute something that’ll make a positive difference in the world. I remember studying psychologist Abraham Maslow’s theory about human motivation when I was in college. His chart—called the hierarchy of needs—was a triangle. The large base was made up of basic physiological needs like breathing, food, [...]
My husband and I celebrate our anniversary this month—58 years together! When we started out, things didn’t look very promising. We were living 200 miles apart, so we only knew each other through letters and sporadic weekend visits. With both of us in university, we had no money saved and our career prospects were dubious. [...]
Picture the scene with me. Jesus has risen from the dead, validating His claim to be God in the flesh. He’s appeared to more than 500 people in the past 40 days (1 Corinthians 15:6) and now He’s gathered together His remaining disciples to give them their new assignment: something we call the Great Commission. [...]
A sense of justice that transcends culture and time is hardwired into all of us. We don’t like inequity. Our blood boils when we see one person oppressing another just because they’ve got more power or prestige. When Tony and I were raising our kids, our middle daughter was acutely tuned into justice—family style. Whenever [...]
The words that resonate with our generation are inclusion, tolerance, and diversity. We don’t like the idea of excluding anyone from anything, so we have a hard time digesting (or even understanding) verses in the Bible like these: “Come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy [...]
Adventuring with God 