Before we launch into some creative and meaningful ideas for grandparents, let me (John) share with you something I remember vividly about my grandfather. We called it the Great Parakeet Fiasco, and it became a legend in our home. I was in second grade. Our parakeet had escaped from its cage while we were at…
Acts of the Almighty: Unity Matters
1 Corinthians 1:10-17 Paul spent eighteen months in Corinth, establishing and enlarging a church there. After he met and befriended two of the Christians whom Claudius Caesar had driven out of Rome, Aquila and his wife, Priscilla, Paul left Corinth and sailed to Ephesus, where, as always, he proclaimed the name of Jesus as the…
Roles We Never Imagined
You’ve got roles you were born into. You’ve got your position in your family of birth. You’ve got the role your parents put on you, your role in the family dynamics — the dutiful daughter, the rebel, the comedian of the family, whatever that is for you. You’ve got the roles you’ve sought for yourself.…
Walkaway Jesus
Since Jesus came from Heaven to walk among us, Christians tend to think that walking away from anyone, or letting anyone walk away from the truth, is a failure on our part. But Jesus walked away or let others walk away… a lot. I reread the gospels and counted every occurrence where Jesus deliberately parted…
It’s Not about “Fair,” but about How We Respond
We are called to live by faith — not fairness. — Habbakuk 2:4 Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. — Psalm 35:1 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. — Exodus 14:14 Do not be afraid of them; the Lord…
Christlike Character
Nate Roman of Marlborough, Massachusetts, came home from work one spring afternoon to discover someone had broken into his house. But this was no routine burglary, because nothing was missing. Instead, the intruder had cleaned Roman’s house top to bottom, spic and span. The rugs were vacuumed, the beds made, and the bathrooms scrubbed. Even…
He Cares About Every Single Detail
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that You care for them? — Psalm 8: 3-4 We have a fire pit in our backyard and one of our favorite things…
Change Always Happens
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. — James 1:17 NIV Everything you have, from your health to your friendships to a roof over your head to the food in your belly, is a gift from God. And…
Dangerous Prayers: John Wesley
John Wesley (1703–1791) John Wesley was born into the devout Anglican home of Samuel and Susanna Wesley. Wesley’s father was a priest, and his mother taught religion to John and eighteen siblings. When Wesley grew up, he attended Oxford, where he proved himself a competent scholar and was soon ordained as an Anglican minister. Later,…
Revelation Is About Relationship
It is in the context of our relationship with God and others that we experience love. Not only that, but love gains its power when it is shared. Out of love God created man and woman for each other. He proclaimed, It is not good for the man to be alone. — Genesis 2:18 In…