At the height of the Korean War minister Everett Swanson flew there to speak to the troops.  Shortly after arriving, a street urchin stole his coat.  It was a cold winter day and so Everett gave chase.  As he came around a corner expecting to catch the boy instead the child had disappeared and his coat was piled on the ground.  He stopped and picked up the coat to be surprised to see that a s...

      Today we live in a culture of outrage and offense.  So many are building their lives on resentment.  In contrast, Christians are called to be people who offer forgiveness.  We do not always walk this calling out well.  Most of us have a person in our life where our teeth clench when their name comes up.   We must address these issues so that these understandable angry feelings do not take up...

     According to author Arianna Huffington “one American falls asleep at the wheel every second” (The Sleep Revolution, 112).  This leads to about 6,400 deaths a year killed by drowsy drivers (The Sleep Revolution, 32).  This is just one symptom of the frenzied, messy lives most of us struggle with.  Often this frantic pace is driven by people pleasing.  Our default is to say yes when we really s...

      With words and a microphone a comedian can make us laugh. With words a teacher can open and stretch a mind.  With words a parent can give a child a strong belief that they are loved.  And yet:  with words a parent can convince a child that they are worthless.  With words a bully can crush a spirit.  We all have experienced the power of words.  King Solomon acknowledges the impact of words wh...

     Years ago I saw a commercial for a pair of glasses for the color blind.  The glasses allow them to see color for the first time.  It moves grown men to tears to see the world they have been missing.  One older man was so excited he started clapping like a small child.  Imagine life without color.  Something is missing.  Can you live without color?  Yes, but it’s incredibly sad to be in a blac...