Some time back, I wrote the following to two loved ones whose marriage was failing. I offer it here on the chance that there are others that might find their way to it, take it to heart, and experience the beauty of restoration and a new life together. + + + There may be nothing more painful in life than…
The shortest distance between two points – is not God’s plan.
It’s New Year’s Eve and I have no intention of making any resolutions. Not that I am opposed to the idea, but maybe it just seems too artificial. Or too hopeless. Or maybe it is because I feel that I have learned that it is dangerous to equate the accomplishment of goals with success. It goes back to a core…
Lincoln is Risen! (Christianity as Insanity)
Joy Behar, one of the hosts of ABC’s daytime TV talk show “The View,” made quite a stir with a recent statement about the faith of Vice President Mike Pence: “It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s another thing when Jesus talks to you,” Behar said. “That’s called mental illness, if I’m not correct. Hearing voices.” Behar subsequently called…
Haiti 4.0
I returned home last night after spending a week in Haiti – mind reeling, heart overflowing, and with a hopeful vision pulsing somewhere in between. For lack of a better term, and clearly because of my technical/analytical bent, I am referring to the vision as Haiti 4.0. Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, victim of a perfect…
Of rust and hurricanes
As I write this, Hurricane Harvey has just finished his work, washing away the property and livelihoods of millions in Texas, and Hurricane Irma is just beginning hers, stirring panic in Florida that its residents will soon suffer a similar fate. Among my dear friends, there are some that are so tender-hearted that they are almost overcome with grief and…
…as we forgive those who tax us.
I recently heard a message preached on the need to choose forgiveness over fairness. The congregation was asked to take a moment to reflect on whether we had anyone in our lives that we needed to forgive. I was feeling pretty good about my exceptional magnanimity, since no names were coming to mind. As I probed a bit more deeply,…
Make the Kingdom of God Great Again
When it comes to politics, many believe that the right thing to do is to take sides, be vocal and seek to persuade others. Ten years ago, I strongly agreed, but during the American presidential campaign of 2008, I began to experience a change of heart. This was not an easy reversal for me, since I really do enjoy politics…
What if this is as good as it gets?
Melvin knows life – somehow. The contradiction is that Melvin (played by Jack Nicholson in the 1997 film, As Good as It Gets) is a successful author whose novels have an emotional appeal to female readers, but who repulses any human contact or genuine relationship. An ill-tempered, obsessive-compulsive misanthrope, he is accurately judged by another character to be an “absolute…
Unbroken peace and freedom from fear
“A born-again person ought to possess unspeakable peace in the spirit,” writes influential speaker and author Watchman Nee in his book, The Spiritual Man – and I can find no fault with it. What are the keys, then, to transforming our thinking in order to make this our daily experience? Jesus warned His followers that they could expect suffering in…