I Wish I'd Said That! Many years ago, I began collecting a list of quotes that I would come across either in my reading, sitting in church, listening to the radio, etc. I often go back and reread these to see if any of them hit me differently since I first heard them.  In hopes that one of them will strike you like they did me, I plan to post one every week or so. Let me know if any of them strike a nerve. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "The difference between wishing and hoping: A wish is a want thrown into the wind, but a hope is a desire rooted firmly in the promises of God. So this Christmas I do not wish upon shooting stars , but rather I hope in the Maker of the stars . I do not cast my lucky pennies in a wishing well , but I come and drink from His eternal well . I do not cross my fingers and wish for the best . Instead, I put my hope in the One who bore the cross with my sins on his chest ....

  At last!!  I've been writing a novel for the past three years and finally completed it in January. As I seek a publisher, I plan to post excerpts here. If you take the time to read it, I am grateful. If you tell a friend, I am real grateful!

Does God Still Whisper? I've begun following the channel of a conservative evangelical called PoliteLeader . His stated purpose is to "critique many contemporary movements and leaders in Christendom [and] to point Christians to solid Bible teachers they can learn sound theology from." He is well-researched and respectful, but he pulls no punches. I find myself in agreement with him on most of his articles but recently, he has challenged the idea that God still speaks to His people today in that still, small voice spoken of in scripture (see  Beth Moore | I Hear Voices In My Head ). Below is my rebuttal to his post. Let me begin, Alan, by saying how much I appreciate your 'polite' treatment of these controversial topics. It's a welcome change from the normal cadence of social media. Your well-delivered posts warrant a thoughtful response. My father used to tell a very corny joke, but I think it's relevant. He spoke of a man who claimed unequivocally that ...

2020 is a year that we will tell our grandkids about just like earlier generations would recall the Kennedy assassination or 9/11. Twenty years from now, how will you remember 2020?  With the presidential outcome still in limbo and everyone experiencing emotional fatigue from COVID and the election, not to mention more tangible burdens like critical family illnesses, job losses, racial injustice, and even toilet paper shortages, I'm trying to think a little outside the box.  John  Piper preached a memorable sermon in Feb, '09 called What is the Recession For? that reflected on the financial meltdown of '08. In it, he cited five different ways that God was using this hardship to His purposes.  One of those ways I can't forget is that God was using the crisis to expose sin, whether personal, national, societal, or otherwise. It seems that in this election season more than ever before, we are apt to vilify those who are supporting the other candidate. Lying, soc...

J ohn  Piper  recently published an article entitled  Policies, Persons, and Paths to Ruin PONDERING THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE 2020 ELECTION .  It's very thought-provoking, especially for Christians who are seeking to vote with Godly integrity. I am obliged to respond but I must preface by saying that I have long held Dr.  Piper  in the highest regard, and I certainly still do.    What I understand  Piper  to be challenging in his article is the tendency of many Christians to make a false delineation between "blatant, unrepentant sins of character (e.g. sexual immorality, boastfulness, vulgarity, factiousness)" and "policies that endorse baby-killing, sex-switching, freedom-limiting, and socialistic overreach." While he respectfully declines to call out candidates or parties, the implications are apparent.    Piper  is baffled that some people find  character  sins to be "only toxic for our nation" while...

  This is my fourth trip to Uganda and my fourth time to experience Harriet's gourmet delights.  She has been a full-service chef to Herb & Ellen Cook and their continuous stream of visiting missions teams for many years.  For a multitude of reasons, this single-mom is the portait of Proverbs 31.  She still cooks today but is also beginning to raise a new generation of Prov 31 women.  

I once thought that parenthood was a season of life that began with the conception of my first kid and concluded with the last kid rolling off the payroll.  Throughout their childhoods, their troubles and triumphs were my troubles and triumphs and I expected all of that to quickly fade from view as they flew the coop to establish their own lives.  Turns out I was way, way off.   Throughout college and into their 20's, my kids' troubles continued to be my troubles.  (I guess I should say  our  troubles since I am, after all, only half of this parenting team- Michele did occasionally help along the way).  Not only did we continue to carry their troubles, we could no longer swoop in and try to save the day.  What a helpless and humbling feeling that was... if it took faith in God to raise them from birth to graduation, I soon realized it was going to take a lot more faith to sit back and watch them stumble into adulthood without my bri...