I remember the first time my son said he hated me. Our family went shopping at a large superstore. My wife and daughters were looking for clothes, and our son was not interested. I suggested we wander through the sporting goods section. As we looked around, I realized he was standing transfixed, staring into the display case. “Daddy,” he said, “I found a knife I […]
I thought a little poetic reflection was in order for the weekend. May you find peace in what truly matters. I once thought happiness came in packages with dollar signs attached. Quantity mattered more than quality, unless a name gave you status. I wanted more because peace had a shelf life. Some, new thing was always ready to be my source of joy and self-worth. […]
“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 […]
What does it take to be happy? Do we find happiness in our circumstances and the things we possess? Is happiness merely the result of our feelings, or is there something unwavering which produces happiness within us? Recently, I sat with another pastor who I just met. We were sharing ministry stories, especially discussing our favorite authors and resources. The conversation moved to our sources […]
Yesterday, our family celebrated with some good friends as they stood before the Lord and said, “Yes,” to each other. It was a wonderful wedding on a beautiful day and we were so thankful to be included with other family and friends to witness and bless their act of holy covenant. While nearly every wedding is special and beautiful, when the couple clearly loves God […]
I am amazed how disconnected I feel when I forget my cell phone. Take away my iPad, my computer and my other means of communication and a serious sense of isolation begins to take hold of me, and from the conversations I have, I am not alone. It is not that I cannot live without my technology, though I do have a bit of withdrawal […]
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 […]
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 […]
Jesus had a way of asking difficult questions. They were not difficult in the way an exam question might be, nor were they challenging in the way a hard trivia question is. Jesus’ questions were rarely looking only for information, rather he was probing for understanding. Jesus did not just ask, “what do you know?” He asked, “how is what you know becoming revelation to […]
In the digital would we live in, it is easy to appear lost should you decide to unplug for a while. We are accustomed to speedy responses and easy accessibility leaving a myriad of open-ended questions if we fail to respond as expected. Take too long responding to a friend request on Facebook and someone’s feelings are hurt. Take some time away from the computer […]