“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is an English nursery rhyme dating back to 1862. We all said this when some bully, or some insensitive friend, made remarks to us or about us. Even though we said it, we knew it wasn’t true. Words do hurt, sometimes more…
When I teach on prayer I usually include the role of angels as one means through which God responds to our requests. I occasionally have a challenger in the group that questions my comments. I simply reply that 34 of the 66 books in the Bible mention angels, including Hebrews 1:14, which refers to angels…
Spring Training is underway. Opening Day is only a few days away. Baseball season is here again. Hope springs eternal. I’m not quite the fanatic as Rogers Hornsby who said, “People ask me what I do in the winter when there is no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window…
Everything you need to live an abundant life comes from the Lord. At least that’s what Jesus said – “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). So how then, can you have an abundant life without continual communication with the Lord? The answer is,…
Being upgraded is not always what it’s projected to be. I am enough of a frequent flyer with a certain airline that I get automatic upgrades when available. Recently I received a text message informing me that in my upcoming flight I had been upgraded to first class. My brash, uppity, excitement upon arriving at…
Fear is a major part of life. It is both bad and good, sometimes crippling us, other times protecting us. Not even the bravest among us is exempt from fear. We fear everything from what others do to us, to what we might do to ourselves. We fear words, feelings, impressions, reactions, the unknown, the…
“Two out of three ain’t bad,” in regard to a baseball batting average, when a player gets two hits for every three times at bat, but not so good if you’re talking about biopsy reports. My six-month skin cancer check-up this past week resulted in three biopsies. While the lab report showed one to be…
The sign in my Optometrist’s office said, “The reason your eyesight declines as you age is so you won’t go into shock when you pass the mirror.” I laughed as I remembered the comment of a friend whom I was about to see for the first time in many years, “You may not recognize me,…
The sign attracted my attention. It was so simple, yet so profound. It bypassed theory and landed on reality. “You know it’s cold outside” the sign read, “when you go outside, and it’s cold.” It reminded me of a weather forecast I heard on a Brownwood, Texas radio station during my college days, “The low…
I coordinate a group of friends who read a Bible chapter each day and comment on a private Facebook group. Last week, as we were reading through the Psalms, the subject of awakening with a song came up again. I’ve written on this before, but it attracted my attention again as I thought about this…