Fresh heart for the journey
“Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.” Job 14:1 Life brings plenty of adversity. Companies downsize…cars quit running…kids need braces for their teeth…the stock market takes our money and emotions on a roller coaster ride…a windstorm takes shingles off the roof…a son or daughter quits responding to our authority. […]
“Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. I know how bad I’ve been; my sins are staring me down.” Psalm 51:1-3 The Message I was surrounded by people of dubious character. Many of those around me […]
It was April, 1953. I was ten year old. In a few weeks I would celebrate my eleventh birthday traveling by train from Chicago to Los Angeles to spend the summer with my cousin. Those three months, plus a three day/two night train trip by myself held great expectations. I would join my cousin’s […]
“If a thousand people say something foolish, it is still foolish.” John Mason “An Enemy Called Average” Many times standing for truth puts you in the minority. As a matter of fact, it almost always does! Seeking truth by looking for a consensus of public opinion can lead you in the wrong direction. There was […]
We had not seen a good friend for several decades. Recently he was traveling from Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho to Helena, Montana. He had gotten an hour and a half late start to his trip. On the same day Joanie and I were going from Idaho Falls, Idaho on our way north to Kalispell, […]
It was a terrifying situation. Traffic was heavy enough that the car in front of me was mere feet away, and the car following me was less than a car length from my back bumper. Machinery hemmed me in on both sides of the narrow lane. And worse, I could scarcely see through the […]
“Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder.” Romans 12:11,12 The Message Although we’re to ‘endure hardship’ (II Timothy 4:5) we are not to expect it to last the rest of our lives! We are to wait the […]
Let’s admit it. A lot of our ‘being led by the Lord’ involves us getting hopelessly and frustratingly lost and then calling him for directions. For him to lead I must follow. That’s how it’s supposed to work. In practice, however, I usually strike off on my own until I am in the […]
Impasse! None of its dictionary meanings make me smile. (stalemate, standoff, deadlock, gridlock, bottleneck, dead end) Here’s what it sounds like: “I’m not moving until you do, and that’s because I’m right and you’re wrong. And even if you’re not wrong, you certainly aren’t as right as I am.” And so we stand on […]
So, how do you get ready for church? I know the physical logistics of the preparation. You decide what to wear (unless you are a woman and have done it the night before.) Then a little breakfast and in the haste to leave the house, family tensions can mount. Maybe a bit of arguing […]
I am a pastor, teacher, and encourager. I am a happy husband and leader of a family tribe now numbering 13. I am President of Fresh Heart Ministries and consider called of God to help you grow in your spiritual walk … let you know how special you are to God … and have some fun while doing so.