Older and Closer
The late spiritual writer Henri Nouwen asked a question of himself, “Did getting older bring me closer to Jesus?” I ask myself a lot of questions as I get older. What am I doing with my life? Am I fulfilling what I was created for? Why have I not achieved what I thought I would? If a believer—a follower of Jesus, not just a religiously inclined person—does not get closer to Jesus as he or she gets older, isn’t it likely that something is probably wrong, or at least improvable? If a married couple doesn’t get closer as they age,…
God’s Deterrent Force
I’m standing on the airfield of Barksdale Air Force Base, three miles from my house, and home of the Air Force Global Strike Command. It’s their annual air show, and the big B-52 bombers are lined up in both directions far into the distance. In front of them are jet fighters, old and new, and gigantic transport planes, inside of any of which you could fit a house—unbelievable that such behemoths could ever rise into the sky. But they do. And the bombs on display… I ask about them and learn how even the smaller ones pack such shock waves…
The Poison Ivy Tree
The top photograph is a tree in our yard that was infested with poison ivy. The tangled brown mass and most of the branches you see are dead poison ivy after I sprayed several times and went to the doctors’ to treat poison ivy rash eruptions all over my body. The tree was planted with care by people who came long before us. The poison ivy would have sprouted all by itself at the base of the tree soon after. And it was neglected and allowed to grow and infest and take over the tree—so much that half the trunk’s…
Beyond Physical Pain
What is the most stressed you’ve ever been? Did your whole body get tense? Did you scream? Did you eventually get sick? All human reactions to stress. Here’s one more: Did you sweat blood? As we are in the Easter season and the joy of the resurrection, we first think of Jesus’ pain on Good Friday. But it’s worth knowing that his greatest pain was not physical. And there were only two points when he lost his composure. The first was in the Garden of Gethsemane immediately prior to his arrest and crucifixion, where Jesus prayed intensely. So what…
Usher for the Kingdom
I started out living in Africa, then Minnesota, then Japan, then California, now Louisiana. And I have often asked myself, “Why am I here?” The answer that has consistently come is, “The same reason you’re anywhere on earth.” Jesus says in what we call the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven….” This is about praying down the reign and activity of God on earth. And God invites us to participate. More than anything else in life, I want to be part of God’s reign and activity that blesses people’s…
