Have you ever checked out something you chose not to do in life? Doing so can be meaningful. When I was eighteen, I seriously considered applying to the United States Coast Guard Academy to pursue a career as an officer. Almost a lifetime later when I was on a trip nearby the place, I had to visit and check it out. I wanted closure as to why I never went there. wasn’t supposed to be allowed on campus, but after hearing my story, the guard kindly got permission to let me in. Between what I saw and learned in the museum, by observing the…
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As we enter 2025, what are your hopes, goals, plans, or growth commitments? Without direction—and commitment to that direction—you’ll go in circles. Busy and active but in circles. Clear intentions—with daily habits—will take you far. This is most effectively grounded in set-apart time with God each morning, as Psalm 5:3 says, “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice . . . and [I] wait in expectation.” What will you do with God’s gift of this year in your life?Then consider that good plans can meet trouble and hardship. Or disaster may strike. Be prepared for that too.If you are a true…
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The eternal Word of God was incarnated and born as a human being into a world reeling in political and military turmoil, economic stress, and religious oppression. That sounds a lot like many parts of the world today, especially the Middle East—same place, similar issues. The fall of the Assad dictatorship in Syria is a historic watershed event that has brought freedom to Syrians. Internationally, it thankfully devastates Iran’s and Russia’s influence in the area. It’s shrinking the door for Syrian migrants and asylum seekers in Europe. Israel has taken unprecedented opportunity in destroying military assets so as not to…
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I visited Plymouth, Massachusetts, and saw a replica of the Pilgrim’s (or more accurately the Separatists’) ship, the Mayflower. And I visited a replica of their original settlement. They came partly to escape grinding poverty and take a big chance at starting a new life in the New World. But they came primarily for religious independence from the oppressive and corrupt state church in England. They had bought a ship and were to sail on two ships, but their ship leaked, and after many weeks they couldn’t fix it, so they all piled onto the rented cargo ship called The…
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I visited Northampton, Massachusetts, to see what physically remained of the ministry of Jonathan Edwards, who lived in the early 1700s and was the leader of the First Great Awakening and is still considered one America’s greatest theologians. All that remains is the semi-circular stone step of Edwards’ third meeting house, which was placed at the entrance to the present brownstone church building. That’s it. An informational sign placed by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities succinctly tells an essential part of his history: “Edwards’ preaching had been marvelously effective, but he had made serious enemies in the community. There…
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