Some people enjoy meandering through cemeteries, especially old ones, and ponder the tombstones. A few have made a hobby of gravestone rubbing, which I understand is a bit controversial—some states have made the practice illegal. I certainly can’t claim that visiting cemeteries is one of my pastime pleasures. I don’t…
The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. A single key play could make one partnership a ton of money, but certainly lead to the bankruptcy of another. Or if the second partnership got the play, the first’s control would be broken. I’m…
How well would you do trying to put your foot through a ¾ inch board? Personally, I think I’d end up with a bruised heel rather than a split board! Nevertheless, that was the challenge confronting our almost-six-year-old grandson at his recent Tae Kwon Do belt test as he attempted…
I am finally getting to the stage of life where my better half and I have begun talking about the “R” word—you know, “retirement.” Frankly, it’s not on the near horizon, but by squinting a bit we can see it off in the distance. It’s autumn—not only on the calendar,…
For many of us in the upper Midwest, making the annual autumn pilgrimage to an apple orchard has become a favorite family outing. Orchards have caught on to the trend and added quite an array of activities to attract guests—mostly those with young children. I can appreciate that. It’s good…
A couple thousand years ago, the Apostle Paul certainly had no idea that such a monolithic beast as the internet would exist, so he couldn’t see specifically how his prophetic statement would play out in the “net” era. Nevertheless, he predicted that “evil people and imposters will go on from…
It’s been two and a half months since my father died, following a three-year decline inflicted by Parkinson’s Disease. The journey was difficult in many ways, as one might imagine. But with the passing of time, it seems the farther I move away from the finality of it all, the…
Think about the last book you read. How did you feel at the end of a chapter as you turned the page to begin the next? No doubt, it depends on the book. I’ve been reading Andrew Bonar: His Diary and Life, and the “chapters” are based on huge chunks…
As of this year, I’ve been in pastoral ministry of one form or another for 39 years. I’ve been blessed through those years to have known a few of God’s people whom I would call “encouragers.” Unfortunately, the ratio of encouragers to discouragers is, well, discouraging. Nevertheless, one good, faithful…
How many times has this happened to you? I sat down at my desk, opened some books, readied pen and paper (yes, “old school,” I know) preparing to get into a good session of study, when all of a sudden, “ding”! My phone let me know that someone just sent…
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