Live As If
Judges 6–7 tells the story of Gideon. This guy was a wimp. He was in the smallest clan in the smallest Israelite tribe, which lived in defeat and fear of the enemy. Gideon was so fearful of being seen that he winnowed wheat (something people in the wind on a hilltop) in a winepress (dug low in the ground out of sight). But God was looking for someone to lead his people. He seemed particularly interested in finding a wimp to turn into a warrior. So he sent an angel to Gideon and said, “Greetings, mighty warrior!” Gideon probably looked…
A Tale of 3 Cities, #2a: Jefferson Revisited
I previously wrote about Jefferson, Texas, as a town of people who thought riverboats would always keep them prosperous. They could not see the world changing, and they got left behind. Yet their story deserves a Part Two—and so might yours. When the 150-mile-long log jam, “The Great Raft,” was cleared downstream, the Red River water levels upstream, where Jefferson was, fell too low for riverboats to navigate. Finally they saw the need to adapt to the new development of railroads. But it was too late; they had previously turned down the offer of being a railroad center, and…
Meeting O.J.
Kim and I don’t normally sit next to famous people on airplanes, but there we were next to the one and only O.J. Simpson. No, we didn’t ask for his autograph. And we only took the photograph because Kim wanted to, and as I’m writing this post, I’m glad she did. We elected not to make judgments or treat him like a celebrity. Mr. Simpson said that through his years of trials, he had a genuine encounter with God. He spoke like a true believer. We told him about ourselves, and he answered my question about how Fantasy Football worked….
A Different Christmas Verse
Those who live well in the face of eternity are keenly and joyfully aware this Christmas season that the eternal One came to earth so that we could spend eternity with him. Here’s a Christmas verse from the One whose birthday we celebrate: “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Considering that we are celebrating not our birthday but the one of he who identified with the poor and oppressed, how would a person follow what he says? AdventConspiracy.org encourages us…
Redemption in the Void
My mother passed away on August 1, 2018. In her decrepit state she was ready to go. That alone is a blessing when considering how many die a violent or untimely death. Yet even when death comes as an accepted release, everyone who’s experienced the death of a loved one knows how discomfiting it is when a person’s soul disappears from the face of the earth. For those of us left behind, loved ones continue to die in stages—the funeral and burial or cremation, dealing with their clothes, personal items, and furniture in their room, replaying memories, and finalizing business. We…
