Blog
image by The Syrophoenician Woman
Last week’s post explored how our harsh language can damage others and turn people off to God, so let’s flip the coin to see how we might build a positive view of him in our society. No street preaching of “Turn or Burn.” No need for a degree in defending the gospel. No memorized testimonies that may not relate to our listeners. Instead…
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image by cohesionart.com
Two events recently combined to spark this post. A fellow author, let’s call him Max, wrote a thoughtful article about the effectiveness of engaging in Facebook discussions that often have a hostile, demeaning tone. At the same time, another Facebook friend cautioned her friends that if they “badmouthed” those politicians she favored, she would unfriend them. When asked to clarify bad mouthing, she strongly bad mouthed the other side. Yes, she claims Jesus as Savior and Lord, but missed seeing...
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A long time friend, Sue Thornburg Fellows, posted the above pic on FB, and I commented with a simple “Lemonade!” Her husband responded with “????”, and I quoted the cliché, “When life gives you lemons (cancer), make lemonade (ear warmers).” Sue has battled cancer, and decided to make lemonade. Here’s her story, in her words.
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I’m writing a new devotional book about motorcycles, Easy Riding, on the lessons we learn. About of half of the chapters are taken from Unconventional posts, expanded and revised from the typical 400 to 600 words up to 1,000. One chapter, Addictions, started as the shortest at 300 words, and I struggled to increase it. One option—adding more words to each paragraph merely increased words, not content. Another option of adding a new section didn’t fit the flow. All my efforts merely revealed that what worked...
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Cave Campground, Hat Creek
Busyness has invaded our lives. Or, maybe we’ve opened the door, widely, in pursuit of wealth and success and leisure and affirmation of our worth. A news article recently wrote that 70% of all workers average less than 8 hours of sleep each night, and with that, productivity drops. Those of us in Southern California especially deal with this, but the problem touches all of America. I’m no exception—even in retirement I have a multitude of projects on the list. I almost wonder what I’ll do when the list gets completed. That’s part of the reason ...
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image by Red Rocks Baptist Church
I loved my grandkids when they were babies. They cuddled and desperately needed us adults. But they didn't stay in that infant state. Nor did Jesus stay at the stage we celebrate at this time of year. What does that mean for our daily lives?
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image by heavy.com
November 5, 2017, a day that shook us to our core, both individually and nationally. A gunman invaded the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, TX, killing 26 people. Although out of town that Sunday, the pastor, Frank Pomeroy, gave a sermon the week before that gained wide coverage, “You Don’t Need Training Wheels, You Need Christ!” He taught on Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” His Harley parked in front of the pulpit, Pomeroy told how bikers need to...
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Decades back, I learned to not sweat the small stuff. Some problems and irritations just aren’t worth getting stressed over—they merely upset us and nothing changes for the good. At times we should be a duck—let the small stuff roll off our backs like water off a duck. But last week at Sedona Arizona, I learned to ...
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