Trusting Doubt
My friend was recently fired from a job when his boss blamed him for a mistake the boss had made. He said to me, “All is good.” The next week his wife …
Our Future Is Our Past
Ten years ago I read a study asking people to list their earliest memories of world news. The survey intrigued me, but I wanted to see for myself. So …
Is Sunday School Destroying Our Kids?
Several years ago I met with a woman distraught over her son’s rejection of Christianity. She said, “I did everything I could to raise him right. I …
Does Prayer Work?
Someone recently asked me to write an endorsement for his upcoming book on intercessory prayer. He read my book on Hearing God in Conversation and …
Easter and the Death of a Son
Twenty-three years ago, my sister Becky lost her son in an accident as he walked home from school. Is there any greater sadness for any parent than …
Do We Know What We Worship?
In 1930, legendary economist John Maynard Keynes wrote an essay about our future lifestyle in the twenty-first century. He predicted that industrial …
When You Lie …
My sister Sarah went to a small college where real professors taught the classes. Her history advisor was Professor Petrovich. He was born in …
Torches of Freedom
Four score and eleven years ago—in 1928—George Washington Hill had a problem: he wanted more women to smoke cigarettes. But smoking was scorned as a …
Your Lovers Will Despise You
During its first fifteen years, my software company only worked with domestic clients. In the late nineties, we landed Oxford University Press (a …
Rewiring My Fears
After four years of trying to sell our old house, we finally moving into our new house last August. To prepare it for retreats, I’ve been immersed in …
Indispensable or Invited?
Last week I visited my oldest son to celebrate a few birthdays. He showed me a picture of a time he helped me fix a drive shaft on my old pickup. He …
Hearing God for Guidance
Let’s admit that most of us want to hear God for one simple reason: we want God to tell us what to do. We’re looking for a clear answer—writing on the …