I cannot imagine anything more boring and less desirable than being poured into the mold of predictability as I grow older. Few things interest me less than the routine, the norm, the expected, the status quo. Call it the rebel in me, but I simply cannot bear plain vanilla when life offers so many other colorful and stimulating flavors. A fresh run at life by an untried route will get my vote every time—in spite of the risk. Stay open-minded for a moment and I’ll try to show you why.
Read MoreTag Archives: Joshua
Failures
Snake River Canyon coiled up, rattled its tail, and sank its fangs into its would-be captor. On a sultry Sunday afternoon its l,700-foot jaws yawned wide as it swallowed a strange-tasting capsule prescribed for it by Dr. Robert C. Truax, the scientist-designer of Sky Cycle X-2. Starring in the show was a guy some people tagged Captain Marvel, who looked more like Billy Batson unable to remember the magic word. But before we label him a showman or a show-off . . . I suggest we consider the outcome of this showdown.
Read MoreSurprises
The feelings are familiar. Mouth open. Eyes like saucers. Chill up the spine. Heart pounding in the throat. Momentary disbelief. We frown and attempt to piece the story together without a script or narrator. Sometimes alone, occasionally with others . . . then boom! “The flash of a mighty surprise” boggles the mind, leaving us somewhere between stunned and dumb with wonder. “Am I dreaming or is a miracle happening?” So it is with surprises.
Read MoreFinding a Refuge
The law of supply-and-demand is something we face every day. Because there are those who need, there must also be those who provide. There are employers and employees. There are counselors and counselees. There are teachers and teachees (I couldn’t resist).
Read MoreAfter the Storm . . . Rebuild!
During the last few months, natural disasters have battered North America. Wildfires have ravaged Northern and Southern California and the Pacific Northwest. Death and destruction piled high as the ground shook in Mexico. Hurricane after hurricane tore through South Texas and other parts of North America, including all of Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin […]
Read MoreGod Doesn’t Waste Our Suffering
Suffering comes in all sorts of packages—physical, emotional, relational. No one is immune to the trials of life. With suffering come questions: How will this change my life? What happened to God’s plan for me? Can He still use me? When I was 15 months old, my body was continually covered with bruises. Doctors diagnosed […]
Read MoreRahab: Demonstrating Courageous Faith
She had a reputation no woman would ever want: she was a harlot, a prostitute. But she was also a woman whose courage and faith in God would transcend her reputation and place her in the lineage of the Messiah. Rahab owned a house, built on the outer walls of Jericho. When two Israelite spies […]
Read MoreSurviving “Survival Mode”
The book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst is a humorous children’s story about a boy named Alexander who has “one of those days.” Nothing, I mean nothing, goes right for him. From the time he pops out of bed in the morning until he crawls back into […]
Read MoreInquiring Minds Want to Know
Some churches set aside a little time for children in their services. I have always found it to be a fine opportunity to set out clear, simple ideas about God. Over the years I have had to field some great off-the-cuff questions from curious little children. Jack wanted to know why God doesn’t just turn […]
Read MoreCreating a Legacy: Preparing the Stones
“Papa, papa,” the boy pointed to a stack of twelve stones as he yanked on his grandfather’s tunic. “What do these stones mean?” “Oh Jacob, let me tell you a story about our Lord’s hand of deliverance. . . .” After forty years of pitching tents and digging graves, the children of Israel finally crossed […]
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