Hope for Survival

Originally, American settlers built their homes in the center of their acreage. Later on, many of them moved to the inside corners to be nearer their neighbors. Understand, I wasn’t living back then, but from what I read, that’s actually what happened. It occurred when “Go west, young man!” was the challenge of America . […]

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My Advice This Christmas

If I may borrow from Charles Dickens’s famous opening line, Christmas can be “the best of times, and the worst of times.” We have them both, don’t we? Who hasn’t cringed in early-October as stores drag out the artificial Christmas trees and put them on display? Who doesn’t dread the extra traffic and the gaggle […]

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Giving the Unexpected

There are various ways to describe it: turning the other cheek . . . going the extra mile . . . doing good to those who hate us . . . loving our enemies . . . pouring coals of fire on another’s head. We may say it different ways, but the action amounts to […]

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Be Careful This Christmas

Dr. Seuss wasn’t thinking of me when he wrote How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Charles Dickens would not have asked me to play Scrooge in his story. In spite of what you may read later . . . remember that! I’m not anti-Christmas, nor do I brandish the overused bumper sticker, “Put Christ Back into […]

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God Had a Plan (and Still Does)

For the longest time, I didn’t understand the new-car industry. I had always thought when a person wanted an automobile, he or she dropped by the local dealership, kicked a few tyres, and placed the order with the salesperson. I figured that when headquarters got the specs, they’d scurry around the shop to find the […]

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A Gift Too Wonderful for Words

Long ago in a quiet, crude place where animals sleep, Mary gave birth and felt the soft, human skin of her firstborn. The humanity of this scene appropriately pulls us in for a closer look. We can identify with Joseph’s confusion, with Mary’s wonder, and with the shepherds’ amazement about the Son of God’s quiet […]

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Act Medium

The children worked long and hard on their little cardboard shack. It was to be a special spot—a clubhouse, where they could meet together, play, and have fun. Because a clubhouse has to have rules, they came up with three: Nobody act big. Nobody act small. Everybody act medium. Not bad theology! In different words, […]

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A Battle for Integrity

I must tell you that I have been troubled regarding the face of things in our country and within the family of God. My major battle has had to do with one word, one concept. My battle has to do with integrity. In our nation—and in the church—there has been a falling away, a breakdown, […]

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A Season for Humble Gratitude

It’s baaaack! The age-old yuletide season is about to slip in the door once again. Better not shout, better not pout, for the shopping precinct will be playing “Jingle Bells” several thousand times between now and 25th December. If you’re not careful, the crowds and commercialism will weigh you down like that fourth helping of […]

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