“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.” – Proverbs 18:22 Twenty-seven years ago, I awoke in a Pittsburgh hotel a married man. The previous day was a flurry of activity leading up to our wedding, and after celebrating with family and friends, and making time to visit a few of our relatives who could not come to […]
“If only my situation was different; then I would be able to praise God.” This belief is very common. We often believe that our attitudes about life and even about God are the result of our circumstances. When things are going well, we feel good, we feel close to God and we believe God is active in our lives. When things become more difficult, more […]
It’s nice to share. That is what I was taught when I was younger and what we taught our children when we became parents. Generosity is a virtue that is important to cultivate, but equally important to the need to give is understanding what we should be giving. When we share things that bless others, make them stronger and encourage them to experience all that […]
“I didn’t do it!” oh, how I remember those shouts from my young children when we would ask them about how something got broken, went missing, or used inappropriately. Their immediate response was denial. It seemed, no one in our family did it. We even developed a humorous spirit about these moments, blaming the dogs, mystery visitors, even imaginary animals for the unexplained events. We […]
Everyone wants to be wanted. We all want to know that we have value, that we belong and that our life makes a difference. Lacking that sense of belonging and worth can lead to all sorts of destructive behavior that wounds both the individual and the people surrounding them. Even if things do not go that far, people can be left with an emotional wound […]
“What can I do?” This is the classic question that arises when we face seasons and situations of great need. The recent effects of the hurricane on the east coast of the United States, have raised this question again for many of us. What can we do that will make a difference in the face of great devastation and suffering? It is not just hurricanes […]
Worship is extravagant. When we speak of worship, beyond our Christian conversations, we easily equate the action to deep emotion and value. “I worship the ground she walks on,” we say, and we know that we are sharing how deeply we feel toward that person we love. To say such a thing is an expression of profound love, appreciation and desire. It is the nature […]
Sometimes, what we want to avoid, can produce fruit we always wanted. The past week was a time of recovery for me following some unexpected dental surgery. What I hoped was a simple extraction came with a little more work and pain than I expected, but thankfully, I am in the final stages of the healing process. While my experiences with dental work were always […]
The past two days, my morning devotional readings were on the subject of encouragement. Specifically, they were focused on the value of being and encourager. At first, I found myself walking away from the readings saying to myself, “That’s nice. It is a good idea to encourage others,” but honestly, I was not very moved by what I read. Little did I know, those readings […]
During my time as a student at Houghton College, there was a praise chorus that was very popular. Occasionally, I still hear it sung. The words were simple, yet very profound. After celebrating our unity as believers in Christ, the chorus declares, “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” The words […]