What A Fool I Was!
Shortly after graduating from university, I took a trip with my new boss to a conference. He was about to give an important presentation, but over dinner he remarked that he hadn’t had a haircut for a long time. He wished he looked more presentable. I offered to cut his hair for him. He asked how good I was. I replied, “I’ve never had a complaint.” I had never had a complaint...
Read MoreLiving a 4th Quarter Life
One hundred and twenty-two months ago today, I sat at my desk with no appointments, no tasks to perform, no clients to serve, and no employees to pacify. My desk was empty. So was my mind. I had absolutely no clue what I should do for the next ten minutes of my life. Much less the next ten days or their following ten years. Until that purposeless day, years ago, my entire life had been...
Read MoreFear for a Son
Lisa and I bore fruitless until late in life, Wondering were we physically broken Or spiritually barren? A pastor, son, and grandson of pastors, I felt I was losing faith. In prayer one day, as luck would have it, I heard the voice of God, As clear as crystal and large as Imax, “I am real,” he convicted, “You don’t understand.” When she announced her expectations Most were...
Read MoreSpiritual but Not Religious
Fifteen years ago, I was dining alone in New York City when I overheard a Christian woman ask a friend for dating advice. She had met two men on eHarmony. One said he goes to church and the other said he was “spiritual but not religious.” I thought his line was clever. Clever turns of phrase thrill me. I collect them the way my sister-in-law collects stamps: It’s not the size of the...
Read MoreMission Idolatry
Last summer I met with a pastor who serves a church near a large campus. As the university grew in prestige, it attracted thousands of international students, many of whom had little exposure to Christianity. So the church began to reach out to them with language classes, tutoring, and members who “adopt” students into their homes. The church also changed their Sunday morning worship...
Read MoreWe Buried the Hatchet
Twenty-five years ago, my wife and I moved into a lovely farmhouse in the country. But in our hunt for that house, we made huge blunders in understanding (or misunderstanding) each other, and those communication errors stressed our marriage. Within a few years, those growing tensions contributed to significant marriage difficulties. We saw a Christian counselor, and after an extended time...
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