Only two remained. I would soon see God in the seasons. As I sat on my old antique porch glider, I watched as two hummingbirds fought over the lone feeder, hanging just outside my den window. Just a few days before, I had cleaned all my feeders but only put one back in the backyard. And just a few weeks before, a dozen hummingbirds had created a war zone in the back and side yards as they vied for nectar … Continue reading →
A hot-tempered person starts fights; a cool-tempered person stops them. ~Proverbs 15:18 NLT “I’d like to take ya’ll to lunch. Would that be okay?” I had no idea I was about to get a lesson in keeping cool. When the email invitation arrived, I felt excitement creep over me. I enjoyed our In-Service day since I needed time to catch up on grading papers and do a few other writing projects. But since we only had a few parent-teacher conferences scheduled, … Continue reading →
Now turn from your sins and turn to God, so you can be cleansed of your sins. ~Acts 3:19 NLT As I turned the corner and squinted at the gate numbers, I knew I wasn’t finished lugging luggage. My wife and I and another couple were on our way to Nova Scotia, Canada, for mission work. With an hour layover in Chicago, we imagined we’d have time to catch our breath before our last leg of the flight. The terminal … Continue reading →
I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. ~Romans 12:1 NLT I tried to tell him Jeremiah wasn’t a bullfrog, but he wouldn’t listen. One of Three Dog Night’s more famous songs—that wasn’t supposed to be—was “Joy to the World.” What made it famous was the opening line: “Jeremiah was a bullfrog.” As a child of the … Continue reading →
I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. ~Philippians 4:11 NKJV Four months and several medications later, my wife finally discovered the art of contentment. A casual walk around a local college’s track with our grandson brought on what she hadn’t been troubled with in quite some time: PVCs (premature ventricular contractions). A visit to the doctor and an EKG revealed numerous PVCs. The doctor issued several options: take medicine, have an ablation, implant a pacemaker, or … Continue reading →
You wanted to build the Temple to honor my name. Your intention is good, but you are not the one to do it. -1 Kings 8:18-19 NLT We almost made it . . . but then had to engineer a different plan. My wife and I and my brother and sister-in-law were headed to Sassafras Mountain—South Carolina’s highest point. My brother and I had visited numerous times as we hiked portions … Continue reading →
Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. ~Ephesians 2:11 NLT Sometimes, we must live without others’ acceptance. We can’t move from outsider to insider. My family and I were always outsiders. Not because we were weird, unsociable, or had bad habits but because we hadn’t been born and raised in the town where my father pastored. Most others in the church were lifelong residents and related. Oh, we were loved and appreciated, but if it came … Continue reading →
I am only a foreigner in the land. Don’t hide your commands from me! Psalm 119:19 NLT I was just passing through; I had no plans to stay forever. As a pastor’s son, I passed through many places. We passed through Hilda, South Carolina, and stayed for three years. Next, we passed through Jackson, Tennessee, where we stopped over for four years. Then we went to Cameron, South Carolina, where we passed through in one year. Finally, we journeyed … Continue reading →
The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. -Deuteronomy 29:29 NLT When we can’t see God’s hand, we can trust His heart. No longer can I see my dad’s physical hand—unless I look at a picture. But I can see his hand in other things. When Dad was in his early forties, he pastored a small church that didn’t require too much of his time, so he took … Continue reading →
Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. -John 13:35 NLT Someone had failed to pass it on. A popular talk-show host called down a seventeen-year-old for a test. She showed her a table on which were a road map—the hard copy kind—a Yellow Book, and a rotary phone. The test: refold the map, look up a number in the phone book, and call the place of business. After … Continue reading →
