At our age, Betty and I have said “goodbye” to many friends. But we haven’t really “lost” them. We know where they are. They just moved – one last breath here and the next breath in heaven. We are going to spend eternity together, just as we will with our…
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Since the fall of mankind, we have all needed deliverance. Each person’s individual smallness in a vast universe demands something or someone bigger to step in and take the reins. We need protection from natural disasters, human evil, and the spiritual enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. And…
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I love baking chocolate chip cookies. As a matter of fact, I'm known for my secret recipe. When I went through a season of health challenges, I stopped eating sugar and tried my hand at baking a few healthy, sugar-free things. I love a lot of the recipes we discovered…
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I wonder if you have suffered a loss. Maybe your husband just left you. Maybe one of your children passed away in a tragic drunk-driving accident. Maybe your teenager ran away. Maybe someone you love committed suicide. I want you to read the next few words carefully and slowly. God…
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"You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests," God declared long ago (Exodus 19:6). Originally promised to the Israelites and eventually fulfilled in Christ, the honor then opened up to all Christ followers. Peter wrote to believers "you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation" (1…
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For the follower of Jesus Christ, death is "moving from one place to another" – like moving from the frozen tundra of the arctic circle to the sun-kissed beaches of Hawaii. Paul described a Christian's change of location at death: being "absent from the body" means being "at home with…
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Are there events so horrifying that giving thanks seems foolish or impossible? Consider this scenario. Some friends told me of an extraordinary worship service in Uganda among Ugandan Christians. Though they had been living in the midst of real evil and suffering, including genocide, the worship leader requested everyone to,…
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No one wants to spend Thanksgiving Day in the ICU. Especially not a girl who has long claimed it's her favorite holiday. But last year I did exactly that. After a difficult, daylong surgery to remove two thirds of my tongue and the cancer lurking inside, doctors sent me to…
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Years ago, my wife and I fulfilled a lifelong dream to visit Paris. It was amazing. Long walks along the Seine, Notre Dame, art, shopping, lazy breaks with brie, baguettes, and chardonnay. It was heaven. While we were there, we looked at everything. We noticed every little thing – how…
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A few years ago DawnCheré and I had the opportunity to go to England while I completed a study abroad course. One weekend a group of us went mountain climbing in the Lake District. It was more of a hike, really, but mountain climbing sounds more extreme. There were about…
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