“All in favor raise your right hand.” But I was left-handed until the third grade when a teacher thought left-handedness was a sign of a slow learner and switched me. Did that mean I was discriminated against, because we always voted with our right hands? In church we were always implored to greet new members…
The book began with the words, “This book is by the one who thought he’d be further along by now, but he’s not.” It doesn’t matter who wrote the book, for its author is legion. Nor does it matter the title of the book, for the opening line describes the book everyone hoped to write…
The car in front of me had numerous bumper stickers and the light turned green before I could read all of them. The one I remember said, “Life is hard. Get over it.” It reminded me of a quote from Sydney J. Harris, an American journalist, syndicated in many newspapers throughout the United States and…
I never understood spiritual warfare until I got heavily involved in global evangelism and intercessory prayer. Two things that greatly irritate Satan and cause him to attack are the sharing of the Christian faith with intent to convert, and intercessory prayer for the non-believer and the backsliding believer. When Christians do things that lead non-Christians…
Decisions of how to serve God occasionally turn on very small hinges. While my father wanted an athlete for a son, my mother desperately wanted a musician. I’m not sure of the content or length of their discussion on the subject, but in the early days of my athlete career, my mother asked me if…
During my first year in High School I was relegated to the Junior Varsity baseball team. The next year I was determined to make the varsity. When the uniforms were passed out I was given #25, not one of my hoped-for numbers. When I asked the coach why I got #25, he replied, “Because we…
Having been retired from the Seminary classroom for several years, it was a bit awkward recently to find myself back in a substitute role for one of my former students, now teaching the same course he learned from me. One of the things I remembered during the class time was that, when teaching, I always…
I’ve heard it all my life, but when I heard the expression again the other day, I paused to reflect on the exact meaning of, “Lo and behold”! It’s actually an exclamation meant to draw attention to something. It is used especially to announce things that are considered important, thus it is often written with…
Over the years, I’ve had friends who had strong spiritual convictions but low moral standards. The results of such lifestyles have been displayed widely in the media. I fear what has been revealed in the spotlight is only a fraction of what has been practiced in the shadows. More recently I have developed friendships with…
What a joy to share another’s joy! When you enter into the joy of another, their joy overflows back on you, making you joyful as well. Perhaps it’s enjoying a child or grandchild open a present with joyful expressions, or observing someone complete a perfect musical presentation. Maybe it’s tearing-up with the Olympic athlete as…