She was thrilled. Her son was admitted to Harvard. He would be a success. But then, he dropped out. A dropout for a son. Now she was embarrassed. He was a failure. No one hires a dropout. It took many years before Mrs. Gates was able to see that perhaps her attitudes around success and …
“Sound travels slowly. Sometimes the things you say when your kids are teenagers don’t reach them till they’re in their forties.” (Anon) That’s a funny quote but it doesn’t just apply to teenagers. We all have the ability to exercise selective hearing at times. It is easy to tune out the sounds, or sound advice, …
I have encouraged our congregation to read through the Psalms during January and February this year. We are almost done. If you have been tracking along, congratulations. I know it’s been a lot of reading, but I believe God’s word strengthens and supports us in ways we do not always see at the time. …
For most people, whether driving a car or navigating through life, we like to see where we are going. It is helpful to see the road clearly and to be able to anticipate what lies ahead. When we know what is coming next, we can adjust our speed. When we can see the road conditions, …
Reading through the Psalms can present a number of challenges. First, there is the cultural distance between our day and a millennium before the birth of Christ. While human emotions and desires have not changed, many of the references and illustrations in the Psalms don’t naturally resonate with us. Second, is the form of poetry. …
My friend, Peter, works among refugees and asylum seekers in Paris. The City of Light can be a very dark place if you find yourself in need. Despite the public impression, most refugees do not flee their homes by choice. War, famine, economic failure, and government corruption push people to take desperate measures for their …
The movie, Darkest Hour, tells the story of Winston Churchill’s early days as Prime Minister of the UK during World War 2. It seems clear today that Churchill was the right leader for the job but in May 1940 he had little support, especially from his own party. There was great pressure in his war …
2020 was a rough year and 2021 has some challenges ahead. The coronavirus continues to rage, political polarization is dividing people, the economy is fragile, people are tired and frustrated. It’s a bad combination of events. So the beginning of Psalm 46 is one we all need to hear: God is our refuge and strength, …
Abe Donsky from Connecticut is credited with inventing the night light in 1965. Not surprisingly, he was the father of four children. If you have young children at home then one of the must have items in the house is night light. They have been greatly improved over the last 55 years but still serve …
One day, a teacher announced to her class there would be a surprise test. She handed out a sheet of paper face down to each student. The teacher said, “When you turn the paper over, I want you to write about what you see.” When the students turned the paper over there was just a …