There’s the story told among the German Baptist Brethren, about a man who resisted the call of God for decades before finally giving his life to Christ. As was the custom, he was baptized on Christmas Day. The minister broke the ice on the surface of the pond, then dunked the man in the frigid […]
Philip Yancey tells the story of a friend of his who went swimming in a large lake at dusk: “As he was paddling at a leisurely pace about a hundred yards offshore, a freak evening fog rolled in across the water. Suddenly he could see nothing: no horizon, no landmarks, no objects or lights on […]
I was listening to an interview with Augustine Fuentes – who is a biologist and also a cultural anthropologist. Really fascinating. He was talking about how the very functioning of our neurobiological systems, our digestive system, the hormones, and enzymes – circulating throughout our bodies are deeply affected by our social interactions with others. In […]
Throughout his garden and around his yard, my friend Hunter has painted pieces of driftwood. On top of the paint are written words such as Gratitude. Hope. Peace. These are simple reminders of where he wants his heart and mind to be at any given moment. It is amazing how well this works. In his […]
My friend Milton Fulton was the business administrator for a church I served in Jacksonville, Florida. His salary was a whopping one dollar a year! After a very successful career in the business world, he decided to use his retirement to serve the Lord by serving his church. So our family of faith benefited tremendously […]
Today, I am deeply grateful to those of you who have supported the Dial Hope Foundation with a financial donation. Hope reaches others because of you. Thank you! Two little neighbor girls about the same age, one Christian and one Jewish were constant companions. After one Easter holiday, the grandfather of the Christian girl asked […]
I was listening to a TED radio podcast not long ago, and I was struck by a New Orleans artist named Candy Chang who has a beautiful TED talk. One day, not far from her home, she noticed an old abandoned building and thought about how she could take that building and make that a […]
Spiritual giant, Martin Luther, once wrote about the heart-wrenching disagreement Paul and Barnabas had in the book of Acts. He wrote: “Such examples are written for our consolation: for it is a great comfort to us to hear that great saints, who have the Spirit of God, also struggle. Those who say that saints do […]
Yesterday, my message touched on Jesus’ baptism, and God’s promising words, “This is my Son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased!” In a recent sermon, Rev. King Duncan spoke about how he wished every child on earth could hear without equivocation from his or her parents: “You are my son, you are my […]
I recently read about a new seminary graduate, who just began his very first call in a congregation. He and his wife went to visit his family one Saturday afternoon for lunch. This pastor’s mother sensed that her daughter-in-law was not all that happy, but not wanting to be nosey, she pretended not to notice. […]
