Audra and I then got into a mild dispute about a mistake I made in driving. She was right, but I was reluctant to admit it and soon changed the direction of the conversation. We got into a playful banter about passing on the right, exchanging quick statements back and forth. Henry soon called out from the back, "Stop fighting!"
Henry has more energy than a nuclear reactor; I have to work hard to keep up with him. He is creative and silly and affectionate, and he adores his little brother Toby. I'm thankful that I have gotten to make many beautiful memories with him over the past three years.
Perhaps our homes, schools, and communities should spend more time and energy and money encouraging a desire to pursue life-long education, a willingness to make realistic plans for the future, and a commitment to personal integrity and civic responsibility.
Is God offended when people ask him hard questions? I'm convinced that God wants us come to him with our doubt and disappointment. One of the hard questions is why he doesn't give us clear and simple answers to our hard questions. But for some reason that is part of the journey we must walk.
I'm not sure why Donald Trump feels the need to make inflammatory remarks about immigrants. I guess it gets him a lot of attention; I'm giving him more attention right now. But I do find it ironic since his mother was an immigrant from Scotland, and his father's parents came to the U.S. from Germany.
If Jesus were walking on earth today, who would he be mad at? Anyone?
Grieving is hard by itself. But it also makes harder other things in our lives, everything from getting out of bed in the morning to maintaining healthy relationships. When two people are going through grief together (e.g., a married couple mourning the loss of a child), things are even more complicated because each person is different. We have different memories, different dreams that are dashed, and different expectations for what should happen next and when.
If someone is hurting other people, we should not be afraid to speak strongly against him and intervene to protect his victims. (For example, the people who push sex-change therapy and surgery, especially for children, are on dangerous ground.) But if someone is herself hurting, misguided, marginalized, isolated, or otherwise distressed, we should not to make the problem worse by ganging up on her with mockery, insult, and criticism.
Grief touches all of us--famous and forgotten, rich and poor, old and young. Nothing exempts us from the possibility of facing grief, and nothing can make grief go away when tragedy strikes.
"But it isn't unsavory," argued Bok. "That is just it. We have made it so by making it mysterious, by surrounding it with silence, by making it a forbidden topic. It is the most beautiful story in life."
Jesus did not pressure anyone to follow him. He invited and he welcomed, but he did not demand or cajole. I see the early disciples following his example.
World War II happened because a few political and military leaders decided that their personal interests were more important than the lives of millions of fellow human beings.
Deciding to walk by faith puts in great company. All of the people listed in Hebrews 11 and all the other saints throughout history are a great cloud of witnesses cheering us in. We can't depend solely on the faith of others to get us through, but we should lean on and learn from others when our faith is weak.
Helping the poor is one of the most Christ-honoring things we can do. Compassion International is one way that we can make a real difference and show the world what following Jesus is really about.
I attended the opening night showing of Beyond the Mask, and I am glad I did. Burns Family Studios put a talented cast in a beautiful setting to tell an intriguing story.
I'm naturally pretty selfish. I like to think about me and what I want. Thinking about others is hard. Going beyond thinking to actually doing something for another person is even harder.
So last week I forced myself to do a little something for a few someone elses. On Sunday I addressed and stamped seven envelopes. Then each day, I handwrote a short note to one person or couple in my stack. I picked a variety of people I've known in different places and contexts over the years, none of whom I have seen recently.
Besides wanting to make myself do something nice for a fellow human being, I also wanted to offer encouragement or express gratitude for encouragement given to me. Spending a few minutes reflecting on good times in my past and communicating that quickly became something I looked forward to each day.
I'm still pretty selfish. But maybe activities like this will make me a little less so.
Six years ago today I embarked on an adventure that has continued to get better.
Samaritan is health care sharing ministry. It is not health insurance; it is better. After visiting their headquarters, I am even more impressed with the organization.
Despite the fact that hardship and suffering are so common in this world, they still often seem to take us by surprise. We all struggle with disappointment in various ways and to various degrees. We anticipate one thing happening, and we end up with something different, maybe completely different.
Dear friends in Ohio shared with us their daily practice of expressing gratitude. Each family member mentions one specific thing for which he or she is thankful that day, and the list is written down. Audra and I have made this a habit for our family, and we are going on four years of doing it almost every day.