Tara and I recently returned from an overseas trip. When we left on October 24th, the stores were filled with Halloween candy and decorations. We returned just before Veterans Day, and as we picked up our luggage from the carousel, we were shocked to see the Spokane Airport decked out...
When life throws me off course, I don’t handle it very well. I succumb to my fears and live tense and anxious. Recently our plans took a sharp turn and left me perplexed, frustrated, and even angry. What I thought was going to happen simply vanished. What do I do...
It’s that time of year. Nutmeg and cinnamon are coming out of their cupboards, the last maple and cottonwood leaves are falling, frost is creeping into the shadows, and political ads carpet-bomb every imaginable media platform. Sinister voices prompt us to vote for candidate A or candidate B with promises...
This statement was exuberantly shouted out by our five-year-old granddaughter, Grace when we were discussing a family trip to Disney Land. She suddenly motioned with her arm in the air and asked, “So who’s with me?” I guess she was hoping for a majority vote, or maybe a united front...
Pattern recognition is one of the most enduring and powerful abilities of the human brain. It helps artists sense composition, athletes follow a play, musicians pick out a theme, novelists advance a plot, programmers construct their code, and even conspiracy theorists concoct their theories. I recently heard a scientist studying...
We thought it would never end, the smoke and the heat. The heat was manageable for a time. The smoke was a bother. But together they became a problem, even unhealthy. Poor air quality coupled with high temperatures really made for a long and uncomfortable stretch of summer. It was...
Psalm 91 reveals an incredible truth. Angels are sent by God to watch out for us. A curtain is pulled back to reveal God’s ministering spirits, angels, working on our behalf. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your...
There’s a crack in my driveway. It’s become a bit of a problem because it is causing portions of the driveway to heave, buckle, crumble, and become very uneven. It hasn’t always been this way. In fact, it all started, I’m sure, with a very small crack in the concrete....
In Psalm 143 we see real struggles from a real man of God. David reveals his intense struggles within himself, with his enemy, and yes, even with his God. Who of us has not cried out to God with such despair and urgency? In Psalm 143:1 David says, “Hear my...
Do you remember the first time you read Shakespeare? If you are anything like me, that first exposure, with its odd language, odd cadence, and unfamiliar style, left me a bit underwhelmed. Everyone talked so highly of the Bard and his masterpieces – why did they seem to be so...
It all feels like it was just yesterday. Gathering together to celebrate with our friends. Watching from the balcony as jets buzzed overhead while spraying the three colors of the national flag. Walking down to the main part of town to listen to live music and watch well-orchestrated demonstrations by...
Psalm 96 is truly a worship psalm. The words sing, proclaim, bless, tell, ascribe, worship, say and tremble are all words that require a personal response to God. I am responsible to act on and live these words. I have to chuckle at how I am to sing to the...
Through the small oval window my view is dominated by a slab of aluminum sweeping away from the cylindrical fuselage in which I and several dozen other passengers are suspended in mid-air. This is faith. I am tempted to question how a slender wing can possibly support the weight of...
Growing up in a large extended family, we always joked about Uncle Leo. Uncle Leo was a colorful character. At all the family picnics he always had one beer too many. He would ask the same questions over and over again. “What grade are you in this year?” “Have you...
Is it just me, or am I the only one to whom God teaches the same lessons over and over again? Sometimes I wonder why I seem to forget important truths God has taught me over time. Then, through a passage read, or re-read, or listening to another person share,...
The other day I was out sprinkling weed killer on a garden when a lady walked by. She said, “You know that stuff doesn’t really work well.” I replied, “I know but I have to try.” She responded with, “You’re the only one who can dig them out by hand.”...
America is beautiful. Across its vast lands can be found such spectacles of nature and human industry that would make history itself jealous. Our economic successes are legendary, our global prominence is rarely rivaled, our innovations lead the world in numerous fields, and our natural resources seem nearly inexhaustible. The...
I’ve been in ministry a while now. Over the years I’ve learned a lot. As a young pastor I was pretty idealistic and thought that people would respond to the Bible if it were just accurately taught. I also thought that when there was conflict, that talking things out and...
As we’ve studied the book of John these past few weeks, we saw the disciples as they struggled to understand where Jesus was going and why. We also saw Christ’s love, patience, and encouragement toward them, even in His final hour. He knew what was coming, and still He took...
On March 14th, 2018, a bright light in the intellectual world went out. Stephen Hawking, famed theoretical physicist, passed away at the age of 76. Hawking was a genius with a passion for understanding how physics can inform our understanding of the universe. He was on the cutting edge of...