My heart was profoundly moved when I met Jim at a men's retreat not long ago. He had a ready smile and seemed about my age. He was never without his baseball cap for a reason I found out later. During the course of the retreat I had several conversations with Jim. He...
Feeling inspired or expired? Which word best describes how you feel about your midlife and beyond years? We're used to everything having an expiration date these days. Even a sealed bottle of pure water has a date when it expires! A close friend told me recently his...
Did you know that the longest tennis match in history lasted more than eleven hours and scored a combined total of nine hundred and eighty points? It took place over three days in 2010 at Wimbledon, England between John Isner of the United States and Nicolas Mahut...
There is a fascinating story behind the sculpting of the Statue of David by Michelangelo. Did you know that the Statue of David was made out of a flawed piece of marble? An earlier artist had begun work on it 25 years before, but soon quit stating the the marble was...
Did you know that you are the conductor of a major symphony? However, the notes of the score won't be played by strings, wind or brass instruments. Rather, the orchestration will be played with relationships, circumstances and influence that create beautiful melodies...
Comparisons can be helpful. I heard an interesting one recently. The pastor was talking about the difficult trials we experience on our life's journey. The Bible refers to them as "momentary light afflictions" (2 Cor. 4:17). He said that while the trials seem huge to...
Think of the vastness of the universe with its trillions of galaxies, stars, planets, black holes and exploding energy. Then micro-size it down to this tiny planet called Earth. Even here, it's packed with billions of people, nations, governments, wars, and more...
What do you see in your future? This question implies that you are looking forward into your future, not in the past through the rear view mirror. That's an important distinction. The rear view mirror often distorts what took place. Regrets and disappointments can...
What kind of a path does Jesus describe when He said "the way is narrow that leads to life?" (Matt. 7:14) It's narrow, but is it sometimes invisible? There are many promises from God about the path He will lay out for our earthly journey. Here are a few: I am the Lord...
How often have you thought that your life or family situation is unusually hard...unique...unlike anyone else's? That somehow your problems are different from most people who have it easier? While it's natural to think that way, you'd be making a mistake. What's...