We Are Strangers in a Strange Land
I grew up in a family that camped. My father was a pastor who got four weeks of vacation. We took all four weeks at once, camping the whole month of July, mostly in wooded forests next to lakes. We …
How to Live with Peril & Prospect
Several years ago I helped a good friend with his pheasant hunt retreat in South Dakota. Each morning and afternoon we would walk through the fields, 26-men wide, with loaded shotguns in hand and …
Never Disqualified from God’s Guidance
Several years ago I took my wife to Sonoma, California for our 30th wedding anniversary to celebrate the beauty of our marriage in the beauty of wine-country. It seemed very fitting since Jesus’ first …
Hearing God in Meditation
“God speaks time and again—in various ways—but nobody notices” (Job 33:14).
Most people I know have an innate desire to hear God; actually, more than a desire, an intense longing. We want to connect …
Fires of Sorrow
Thinking about my own life and recent conversations, I realize that the older we get and the more of our life we can observe, the more regret or sorrow we may experience. For some, this sorrow …
How To Discover Your Cause
There is something we love to offer; some particular, powerful way that we see, hear and/or perceive. When we are aware and clear on what we have to offer (our glory: brilliance, strength, beauty, …
Going in Circles, but Spiraling Upwards
Over the years I have had individuals tell me, with a degree of embarrassment, that they still aren’t sure what their calling is or if they are in the right place. I find that the older a person is, …
9 Ideas That Will Get You Unstuck
Over the years I have met many gifted, aware, devoted people who felt lost, stuck or paralyzed in the pursuit of their calling. Then, of course, I have my own paralysis. Every story and conversation …
Our Opposing Realities
It’s amazing and frustrating how opposing realities can exist simultaneously – and this tension can often create a great deal of confusion. As I have observed and thought about this reality, I …
The Hidden Secrets of Belief
Twenty-five years ago, I worked for a struggling software company. Our architecture was outdated and sales revenue plummeted. Investments in new architecture meant expenses skyrocketed. We were …
You’d Be Surprised
Every once in a while I run across a line that halts me in my tracks (or sometimes my ruts) with a sense of “I’m speaking to you, Gary”. This was one of those thoughts:
You have to …
What’s The Biggest Problem with Legalism? You. And Me.
I once belonged to a prayer group that prized ecumenical unity. We came from a wide variety of Christian traditions. We sang, “We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord.” Then we split down the …