The holidays are done and a new year awaits. What are your goals for the year ahead? What do you expect or hope for? Even more importantly, what does God have in store for you? A new year brings another opportunity to start over—a chance to hit the restart button. Some try out a new diet or resolve to end a bad habit or commit to more exercise. Lifestyle changes are good, but the best choice is...
A guy I know told me the story of his recent annual physical. He thought he was in pretty decent shape, but while being examined, the doc told him to lose weight, get more exercise and cut out some of his favorite foods. Apparently, his blood pressure was starting to sneak up on him and he didn’t even realize it. Sometimes a checkup is surprising. We feel okay and we think our lifestyle is...
“The church exists to set up in the world a new sign which is radically dissimilar to the world’s own manner and which contradicts it in a way which is full of promise.” – Karl Barth[1] Tucked into the green Burundian hills of the equatorial African highlands, in a side room of a hospital building that was never meant to stand as long as it has, my team is gathered around...
“Hurry up, Sarah, run upstairs, take your soccer uniform off and get your dress on! We’re going to be late for the Christmas concert!” “I still need to bake the cookies for tomorrow’s Christmas party, and the house is still a mess!” “Jerome, if I have to repeat myself one more time, you will lose all privileges for the rest of this week… You need to clean your room before your cousins arrive for...
Standing in line for coffee, sitting in traffic, watching for the elevator, or listening for your boarding zone to be called. As much as we resist the idea, waiting is an everyday part of life. Sometimes there is joy in waiting, like the anticipation of the birth of a child, planning a family vacation, or listening for the punchline of a joke your three-year-old is trying to tell. Sometimes the...
