Today there are so many messages that tell us “What’s wrong with America.” Maybe, it is time to also remember, “What is right with America.” American country music artist Rodney Atkins tells why he loves America in...
Today’s wisdom is from Army Staff Sargent Christopher Walker-- but first my little story: On October 11, I was in Washington DC on my way to dinner when I fell and broke my pinky finger. My wound and its wrappings...
Looking for ways to make our world a bit brighter and healthier? See these ideas, which were gleaned from a list on the website One Kind Act . There are 55 small acts of kindness listed there! Say, "I love you." to the...
I have regrets. I wish that I would have communicated with my brother more during his last years of struggling with Parkinson’s disease. I regret that I didn’t visit my step father more frequently after my mother died. I procrastinated too long and too often and now it is too late. So today, I am listening to the wisdom of Ralph Waldo Emerson who says, “You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”
During my early years as a pastor, I had a hard time balancing the demands of my job with the needs of my wife and family. Putting in long hours, struggling to get organized, and trying to figure out if I was up to this, I considered leaving the ministry. Eventually, the stress contributed to a divorce from my first wife.
During the difficult time when I was going through my divorce there was only one person from the church who called me daily, took me out for coffee to listen to me, and invited me to dinner. He did not lecture, did not pry, and did not try to get my wife and me back together. He was simply, steadfastly there for me. I will never forget the strength that man gave me.
Don’t overlook the major caregiver. He or she needs some uplifting too! The most difficult time for my wife (Jean) and me was dealing with the two-and-a-half-year losing battle with cancer waged by our nineteen -year-old son, Paul. Within days of the diagnosis, his left leg was amputated two-thirds above the knee, and after metastasis he endured a series of six lung surgeries. My response was to personally appropriate the stories of Jesus’ encounters with heartbroken parents: Mark 5:23 became, “My son is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on him, so that he may be made well, and live.”
Gifts were originally given shortly after Christ’s birth by the wise men. They each had significance and were no doubt used to finance Joseph and Mary’s flight into Egypt. Today we follow this tradition but sadly,...
There are few words that strike terror in the heart like the word cancer. It is such a silent, insidious disease. A survivor usually wonders when and where it will strike next. At age 53, I was diagnosed with colon...
