Ambushed by Grief

It sneaks up on you. Unsuspecting. Then . . . out of no where . . . wham! You get hit by a wave of loss that leaves you reeling, wondering what just happened. Could it be true? Is this real? You scramble to get your bearings. Wham! You’re hit from a different direction. Your once stable world has been thrown into turmoil. Your thoughts are confused. Your emotions are all over the map. There’s nothing firm beneath your feet. It’s as if the bottom has fallen out of your life. It has.

That’s the experience of being ambushed by grief.

We witnessed... Read More

Sanctity of Life

The purpose of Sanctity of Life Sundays is to celebrate the precious gift of life God has given us.

On that Sunday, and on any given day of worship, I want to hear about hope and restoration; you know, how God reaches into our stinky, dirty lives and lifts us up, cleans us up, and wraps us in His love and forgiveness, and gives us new hearts and lives. I want to talk about how we can go from distrust to one of trusting in our heavenly Father.  I want to see church leaders put themselves in the same camp as the rest of us, sinners in need of God’s grace. And I want to see Christians... Read More

Filling empty spaces . . .

Ever feel like you’ve got an empty space inside that you just can’t seem to fill? I mean, if I stopped you right now and asked you,  “How are you doing?” More than likely you’d respond, “I’m just  fine.” Fine? Hmmm? Really?

I remember watching Aron Ralston’s interview on the TODAY show on December 8th. Do you remember him? He was the young daredevil solo climber who 6 years ago fell into a crevasse while climbing in the Utah mountains. He dislodged an 800-pound bolder in the process that crushed his right... Read More

Infidelity . . .

Infidelity. It sounds like such a benign word, doesn’t it? It just seems to harmlessly roll off the tongue. Sadly, we’ve almost come to expect it with the media’s regurgitation of every lurid detail of yet another celebrity scandal–from political figures and pop icons, to sports heroes and yes, unfortunately, even religious leaders.  It seems that we’ve become so accustomed to hearing about infidelity that we’re rarely even shocked by it any more, as though it’s become the new normal.

However, as was seen most recently in the Tiger Woods... Read More

The worst in us

My January 29th post, I saw God today, highlighted how the tragic events of the Haiti earthquake not only revealed  the horrific devastation to that tiny island nation already ravaged by poverty, but also celebrated the heroes of compassion and healing that emerged against the backdrop of human suffering.

But, sadly to say, tragedy not only brings out the best in us; it also unearths the worst in us as well. I was reminded by a reader that heroes are only one part of the story. There are villains too.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mark_ovaska/4310705180/sizes/m/in/set-72157623117387161/Read More

Hand in hand

A good friend of mine knows she is most likely spending the last few days she has with her mother here on earth. Her mother is in her late eighties and very sick.  She lives with her husband of 60 plus years and they’ve taken care of each other in the same home they raised their 7 children.

I think this elderly couple exemplifies what it means to truly love. They’ve poured out their lives for each other, as well as for their children. In these last few years, they’ve tended to each other, and compensated for the other’s weaknesses. Her husband is legally... Read More

I saw God today

Okay. I confess that I’m a fan of country music. I like a lot of different genres of music, but one of the things I like about country music are the stories told in the lyrics. There’s something powerful about a story.

So, why am I telling you this?

Well, George Strait sings one song, “I Saw God Today” that captures the idea that I wanted to write about. The lyrics of the chorus are:

I’ve been to church
I’ve read the book
I know He’s here, but I don’t look
near as often as I shouldRead More