Tag: grace

  • Finding Strength in the Joy of the Lord

    Finding Strength in the Joy of the Lord

    I’d left the ministry and moved three states away, with a marriage unraveling.  It was my second job in four months. Being the consummate over-explainer, I shared my troubles with my new boss. When I showed up for work the next morning, I was no longer on the schedule. It was like someone pressed the…

  • The Power of Love

    The Power of Love

    The sobbing student had to be carried into my office, refusing to come in under their own power. This is a sure sign of a serious problem for a principal. Normally, there are two types of criers: sad or mad. And this one seemed furious. The five-year-old stood across from my desk with clenched fists.…

  • Relationships: A Survivalist’s Guide

    Relationships: A Survivalist’s Guide

    I once heard a cautionary tale about a Christian missionary who sailed the ocean alone to reach the heathen. He ended up stranded (still alone) on a small island in the middle of the Pacific. A few years later, a passing fishing boat saw the smoke from his campfire and rescued him. His liberators were…

  • Reflections on Aging and Faith

    Reflections on Aging and Faith

    I heard it as soon as I walked in from the garage: “chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp.” Thinking it was time to replace a smoke alarm battery, or something similar, I walked around the house, listening. Every minute or so the sound returned, “chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp.” Where was it coming from?! Finally, I found the culprit—a carbon monoxide alarm in the…

  • Sweet Counsel to the Soul

    Sweet Counsel to the Soul

    Oil and perfume make the heart glad, so a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend. Proverbs 27:9 NASB The email came, just before the first weekend of October. Rainer Bantau, a fellow Christian blogger, was coming to Oklahoma City for a conference. Would I like to get together for coffee? “The Devotional Guy wants…

  • Who’s Short-changing Who?

    Who’s Short-changing Who?

    I walked in the door with a pocket full of change. Clinking the coins down on the kitchen table, I began to count…one dollar and ninety-nine cents. “There’s got to be another penny somewhere,” I thought. Riffling through my pockets, I prayed with a wink: “I’m one cent short, God. Where are you?” I received…