Fear Not—An Invitation to the Freedom of Dependence
The men in my life are laying out clothes, filling up containers, packing enough for five days of their ten away in two cities where terror has struck again—London and Paris. And they’ll be standing on the beaches where some other mother’s boys landed and turned the waters red at the same ages as our […]
What Happens When the Hurting Seek Help
He comes up to me and leans in close to my ear. Will you pray for me? Of course, I say as I look into his eyes starting to well with tears. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handkerchief, dabs both his eyes, and with trembling voice tells me straight . . […]
To Have and Hold Hope
“How can you sit and listen to people in pain all day long?” People often asked me this question when I worked as a therapist. Truth is, I viewed my job as a privilege to sit face-to-face with people in great inner pain, holding hope for them when they could not hold hope for themselves. […]
Stand Firm and Speak Up
I was 27 years old that perfect July night when I watched my friend run to the end of the pier following others who dove in first. Before his feet left the wood-slatted edge, I thought, “Don’t dive!” I thought it. But I didn’t say it. I watched Dan’s diving body disappear under the water. […]
What To Do When You Feel Like A Freak
Our pastor’s kid hauled these freaks from the back garden and plopped them on the front porch. I thought they looked bad in the patch. Seeing them all together, all their deformities and discolorations on side-by-side display, kind of shocked me, honestly. How in the world did this happen? This is not what I […]
If You Need Some Love To Set You Free
I hired a prisoner yesterday. Well, actually, a former prisoner. Just out of the slammer. Spent two years behind bars and that wasn’t his first stint—in prison, that is. $150 to his name. Rent due September 1. No job yet but he’s hunting hard. Anyone want to hire a prisoner set free? Yeah, he’s made […]
When Darkness Engulfs
I’m not going to get political in this piece. I’m going to get personal. And spiritual. Because the spiritual should affect the personal and the personal should affect the political. What I’ve witnessed these past few days is the reverse order of God’s order and all hell has broken loose. Now, the creeping darkness has […]
Let the Bullets Fly!
Like many, I have been grieving over all the bullets flying. Bullets made with lead. Bullets made with words. Both wounding, maiming, destroying. Seems to be increasing. The murders. The hate. The protests. The terror. What’s one to do? I say, act like a dog . . . Yesterday morning as I lay in bed […]
Truth Never Dies
Today, I’m passing along a poem I found in William J. Bennett’s The Book of Virtues, a marvelous collection of writings from he compiled for children on the subjects of self-discipline, compassion, responsibility, friendship, work, courage, perseverance, honesty, loyalty and faith. These stories and poems are not just for children. They are for all people […]
Character Matters
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 That storm rolled in like a freight train yesterday. Saw the dark, ominous locomotive rumbling fast from the west. Ran to […]
True Independence
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17 Today is Independence Day, 2016. For starters, I reread the Declaration of Independence (click to read) and familiarized myself with the reasons we separated ourself from England in 1776. One word . . . […]
At the End of My Rope and What Came Next
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 I have a love/hate relationship with spiritual growth. Actually, I prefer to do things I love. I prefer to […]