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 Power of Prayer + Habit
I predict that to a surprising degree, this new year will bring you a response to what you bring to it. You may or may not have made a New Year’s resolution, but they typically rely on willpower. And willpower is like a battery with a limited energy cycle—it needs to be frequently recharged. That’s what makes resolutions so vulnerable to failure. But if we use our willpower to form simple habits that we do every day, the habits pave the way to accomplish what might otherwise elude us. That’s where I encourage you to consider the annual growth commitment….
The Fenced-in Garden
Near my house is a Panera Bread Restaurant that was originally a Millie’s Restaurant. When it changed hands, only two things stayed the same—the roof and a little fenced-in garden in front of the entrance. I’m glad Panera kept the garden. We need it. In the midst of a bustling parking lot, a three-and-a-half-by-five-foot white picket fence protects a garden of roses and lilies. It’s a physical representation of what every person needs: a fenced-in garden in the midst of a busy life. So often our lives are like the parking lot, always active with coming and going. But right…
Praying for Rain
We may pray for something but not be happy when we get an answer. Praying for Rain The sky stretched a deep blue from horizon to horizon. Not a cloud. Just blue sky and the sun. Farm fields don’t do well with only sun. The fields of the Smiths, the Joneses, the Andersons, and the McCoys got more dried, cracked, and dusty every day. One night they all got together. “You know,” Smith said in his oversized bib overalls, “we’re goin’ to lose all our crops.” “We gotta do somethin’,” McCoy muttered, his round face contorting behind a handlebar…
