A while back, I heard an interview with a Catholic priest who happened to disagree with the Vatican on some major issue. When he was asked why he stayed with his denomination – even though he thoroughly disagreed with this teaching – he said, “When I was growing up, it was expected for us to […]
Presbyterian poet Ann Weems paints a beautiful picture of redemption with her poetry. She writes out of an experience of significant loss in her own life, and her work touches the deep places of heartache, faith, and hope. She draws heavily on the scriptures. I share with you now a few verses from her book, […]
In the book of Isaiah, chapter 43, verse 15, there is this beautiful line where God says, “I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your Sovereign…” Take a minute and let that sink in… Do we trust that Holy One we worship is Sovereign? 2020 has been a year of incredible […]
The Apostle Paul once wrote, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Henri Nouwen claims that gratitude is in many ways a discipline. It involves a conscious choice. He wrote, “I can choose to be grateful even when my emotions […]
In David Dunn’s book entitled “Giving Yourself Away,” he writes about a lesson he once learned from a bus driver. One day while riding a bus, Dunn noticed that the driver seemed to be exceptionally cheerful in every imaginable circumstance. There was a kind and happy word from him for everyone who stepped on the […]
Today I am deeply grateful for the Dial Hope Board of Directors and for all who give so generously of their time behind the scenes to make Dial Hope a reality. In one of his commentaries on the story of Jacob’s ladder, Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggeman – compares the promises Jacob received to the […]
There is a story about a new Sunday School teacher who couldn’t open the combination lock on the supply cabinet. So she went to the pastor for help. The pastor started turning the dial of the combination lock, stopped after the first two numbers, looked up serenely toward heaven, began moving his lips silently, turned […]
Former head of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjold wrote about his journey. He suffered three years of intense darkness in his life – a time of anguish and inner turmoil. And somehow, in some way, God met him in the darkness of night. He wrote, “At some moment I did answer Yes to Someone – […]
There’s a story about a father and son who went to lunch one day together. When the waiter brought the food, the father said, “Son, we’ll just have a silent prayer.” Dad got through praying first and waited for the boy to finish his prayer, but he just sat with his head bowed for an […]
I remember many years ago now, when I was talking to Do In Kim – a Korean pastor about the possibility of his Korean New Church Development nesting with the church where I was serving. And we were talking about all the difficulties and details of how to make that work – two very different […]
