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...
As a kid, I grew up in Southern California. One of the things I looked forward to was taking a trip to my grandparent’s cabin located in the San Bernardino Mountains about three hours outside of Los Angeles. One trip in particular is seared in my memory. I was sitting...
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...
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...
In a conversation recently, a friend made an insightful comment about life from a musical perspective. He said that a "pause" in music is just as important as the notes. It contributes to the the flow of the overall score. I thought that was especially profound...
Do you ever feel like you are scanning the horizon for an answer from God? I sure do! We live with so many uncertainties today that getting an answer from heaven is at a premium. What about my health problems...unemployment...financial worries...marriage...
Ever thought of your life as a story? Maybe a love story? A drama? A mystery? A thriller? A work of science fiction? A battlefield? A story of triumph and tragedy? A strong case can be made that it's "all of the above!" You are in the midst of living out an epic novel...