By grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone
It’s probably one of the more memorized verses of the Old Testament. If someone has memorized anything from the book of Jeremiah, this one is probably it: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (29:11). […]
Of course she shouldn’t come. I mean, she is welcome and all. That’s not the point. It is a prayer breakfast sponsored by an evangelical group. I have been to a handful of them. Good food. Fun to run into people you haven’t seen for a while. It’s kind of a who’s who thing. I’ve […]
Things I hope will outlive me: Things I hope I will outlive: What are things you hope will outlive you? What are things you hope you will outlive? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the […]
Pencil and Eraser worked well together, most of the time that is. They needed each other but sometimes they forgot. Pencil was good at communication—filling up a page was no problem. Pencil could say things that would make people laugh. Pencil could say things that could make people cry. Pencil could instruct, motivate, and encourage. […]
Some things I have learned in the past 24 hours… What’s the point of my 24-hour log? Life is a gift from our good God. Some days are easy, and we would like them longer. Other days are hard, and we wish them shorter. But the Preacher commands both days are to be embraced and […]
“Where you been Gabe?” Mike pretty much knew the answer; like himself, his colleague traveled a great deal. Both trekked the world—literally. Gabe gave the courtesy of an answer anyway, “Just got back from the northwest; prior to that I was in the south region for a while.” Having similar positions in the Company, they […]
Last week was the 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Large numbers can make us squint but here’s the tally: 57 million babies slaughtered since 1974. That’s about 3,200 lives every day in our nation since some black robes in D.C. said it’s OK to ignore the Sixth Commandment. Perhaps you don’t like the word […]
She didn’t think she was good at anything. Truth be told, Mary was on the better half of medium on most everything, but she didn’t feel that way. Perception and reality don’t always agree. And in Mary’s case, feelings had painted her a false portrait. She was dutiful. No one could take that from her. […]
Bob was an average guy, that’s how he described himself anyway. Few would disagree. His wife sometimes thought she could have done better, but as her friend reminded her one time, “You could have done much worse, girl.” His son didn’t mind him. It was just that life had passed dad by, like outdated milk […]
Tyson likes car rides. He enjoys sticking his boxer head out the window. Adjacent cars stare at him; he stares back. I’m not sure how he breathes at 35 mph, both nostrils to the wind—but he doesn’t complain. After a while he will look out the back window for a time. Then he will stick […]
In January, a young man slammed into a telephone pole. The car was engulfed in flames, and he died. I didn’t know the young man well, but every once in a while he and his father showed up Tuesday and Thursday mornings to play basketball with us at the “Y”. My observation, the father and […]
The king wrote the law. He gave it to his sons. They were to take it throughout the land. The first went to the people. In each village he proclaimed, “Hear ye, hear ye, I bring you the words of the king. His word is law. You must obey it. You will be held accountable. […]