Tag: Jesus

  • 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…

  • The Shoes to Put on

    The Shoes to Put on

    A friend of mine, who’s a U.S. Army chaplain, talks about the challenges of ministering to young soldiers. Many of these fledgling “green suits” are sent to him for counsel, after they get in trouble for not abiding by Army values. Regularly the conversation goes something like this: I know it looks bad for me,…

  • Stand In Grandpa

    Stand In Grandpa

    Recently, our elementary school conducted interviews with potential teachers. The head principal, and the other two assistant principals are a generation younger than me. So, as we introduced ourselves (on camera) to a twenty-something-year-old applicant, I quipped, “Obviously, I’m the elder statesman here.” Without missing a beat, my boss interjected, “Yes, David’s our grandpa.” I…

  • Divine Motivation

    Divine Motivation

    Something curious happens just before Jesus begins his longest recorded message in the New Testament—the Sermon on the Mount. And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when he was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them. Matthew 5:1-2 (NIV) Most celebrities, when surrounded by…

  • Above and Beyond

    Above and Beyond

    Every Friday night, before we sing on Saturday, I text the nursing home activities director,“Are we still good for tomorrow?” She usually answers with a thumb’s up emoji, but one week she sent the message,“Please lead the residents in patriotic music, around the flagpole out front, for Armed Forces Day.” My wife and I eagerly…

  • A Little Way Through Small Days

    A Little Way Through Small Days

    Fellow blogger, Deb Farris, had me nodding my head recently with her post, The Little Way Through: One Writer’s Morning. She’d gone out to the front porch swing, accompanied by her loyal Goldendoodle, to reflect and write. But her anticipated time of deep work was repeatedly interrupted by lawn mowers and leaf blowers and workers…