Focus on What Matters

Last Wednesday I had lunch with a friend named Tom. Tom has been a Christian longer than me. He is older, old enough to be my father. He has gray hair and he certainly has more life experience.

As Tom and I ate lunch, I told him about all the things that are happening in my life. Let me share a few of these things with you: I’m talking with a few churches about serving as their pastor. I hope to devote more time to One Message. I have a business idea that could be very successful. Read the rest of this entry »

Truth on the Via Delorosa

The Via Delorosa is a narrow street in the Old City of Jerusalem. This street follows what is traditionally thought to be the route Jesus followed on the way to his death. The “way of suffering” begins inside the Lions’ Gate in what is now the Muslim quarter of the Old City. The route ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is thought to mark Golgotha, the Hill of Calvary, the place where Jesus was crucified.

The Via Delorosa has become a major tourist attraction. Today thousands of Christians walk the route, stopping at 14 stations along the way. The first station marks the place where Read the rest of this entry »

Uncertainty

Last Sunday I was sporting what I thought were very nice gray woolen pants recently purchased in Kansas City. I walk past another pastor in the hall and he says, “You look churchy.” He said it twice: churchy. He was blasting my fashion. Later in the morning I added a nice quality red tie. I met friends in the hall who were visiting from out-of-town. A few minutes of chit-chat and the lady politely asks, “Can I be honest?” I was like, “O’ boy, here we go.” She said, “It’s the tie. It’s not working. You need to ditch the tie.” I was like, “This is a nice quality red tie. The gray stripe matches my gray woolen pants.” I started thinking about it and remembered buying that tie in 1996. OK, maybe it is time to ditch the tie, but its still nice quality. Besides, there is no way of being certain that its replacement will be any better. Read the rest of this entry »

If You Love Jesus

Belle Weaver knew exactly what to do in a time of crisis. She was there to intercede on Kevin Weaver’s behalf. Kevin was desperate for a miracle. Kevin needed Belle’s help.

Kevin was a diabetic. One morning Belle sensed that Kevin was in trouble. Belle licked Kevin’s nostrils to smell his breath. Belle used her sharp sense of smell to recognize that Kevin’s ketone levels were out-of-whack. She started scratching Kevin’s leg to tell him he needed to adjust his sugar levels, else he could experience a seizure. Read the rest of this entry »

Wild Dog or Child of God?

One of my good friends as a child had a major wild streak. When he was good, he was good. But when he was bad, he was bad.

Yogi and I would play for hours. The sticks, worn baseballs, torn tennis balls and the meandering creek held our friendship together. Yogi was a good friend, but there were times when his wild streak would surface. He would snap, turning from the loyal Chesapeake Bay Retriever I loved into a wild, ravenous wolf. Without any notice, the curly brown hair on Yogi’s back would stand up, his head would tilt, his ears would cock back like a wild stallion, and he’d bolt toward his prey like a hawk toward an innocent field mouse. In a matter of seconds Read the rest of this entry »

Good Friday

Daniel’s childhood story is one to remember. You can participate in Daniel’s story by visiting the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. As you walk through this first floor exhibit you will be flanked by scores of elementary and middle school children. Together, you become friends with Daniel. You meet his father, his mother and his sister Erika. You visit Daniel’s house in Germany. You walk through the kitchen, see the brown cookies with “Erika” written on them in pink icing. You see the storage bin labeled “Daniel’s stuff.” You see Daniel’s little jackets hanging in the closet. You see the medal Daniel’s father earned for bravery in the first World War that he gave to Daniel.

You walk with Daniel as his life changes at age 11. You hear the radio announcement from Munich Germany, Sep 29, 1938, Read the rest of this entry »