The Usefulness of Un-Usefulness
A few weeks ago, I wearily dragged myself home from a retreat. Exhausted. The retreat was terrific, but I had slept abysmally and felt utterly spent. …
Beliefs of the Heart
My Accidental Smartphone Sabbatical
Four weeks ago, I dropped my Smartphone. The screen cracked, and with it, my heart. For the first time in eighteen years, I walked this earth without …
Overcoming Chronic Sins
My twelve year old self had a violent temper. My fuse was short, and my blasts of anger detonated at insults as unexpectedly as bursts of laughter …
Superhero Burnout
I like hero movies. My grandsons love them. Hollywood adores them. In the last decade, about sixty superhero movies have been released, roughly one …
The Loss of Wonder
I often wonder if the greatest problem facing the modern world is the loss of wonder. When we were kids, every day brought awe and wonder. As …
What Will Embarrass Us in Thirty Years?
The clouds peal with thunder, that the house of God will be established throughout the world; and yet these frogs sit in their marsh and croak, “We …
Making a List of Our Sins
A few weeks ago, I spoke with someone who felt horrible about forgetting a commitment. She felt her accidental negligence caused unnecessary stress …
We Are Strangers in a Strange Land
I grew up in a family that camped. My father was a pastor who got four weeks of vacation. We took all four weeks at once, camping the whole month of …
Playboys And Playmen
Last week I watched a nauseating, repulsive, and daft TV show. No, it wasn’t The Big Bang Theory or The Playboy Channel. (Or Barney.) I watched a …
A Blank Sheet of Paper
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” (Hemingway) When I was a kid, I lacked a basic ingredient needed for …
The Death of Difference
I’ve always loved playing devil’s advocate. Perhaps I’m just contrary (or maybe just the devil). I was delighted to discover that my differing nature …
Should We “Put On Our Own Masks Before Assisting Others”?
You probably don’t want to read today’s article. About twenty years ago, I was having some personal struggles, so I visited a Christian …