This Thanksgiving, I will pause before carving that turkey and give thanks for the bad things that didn’t happen. I try to thank God for those adverse events that could have happened but didn’t. One morning, I greeted my wife, waving my arms as if we’d just won the lottery, “Guess what, Lori, you won’t …
My wife and I passed by the casket, having shaken hands with my deceased friend’s surviving siblings and mother. Then came the hardest part, the real reason we had come: we embraced his wife. “You came!” she exclaimed, encircling us in her arms. Mandy was tired but strong and steady. Most of all, she was …
I stepped outside. The news was too disturbing: Israel responding to Hamas’ atrocities; Iran and others threatening to widen the war; incidents of antisemitism and islamophobia reported around the world. But outside, it was quiet. The orange glow of the sun signaled its wake-up call to nature. Two birds were having a vibrant conversation just …
Words, spoken at the right moment, can change a life, for good or bad. Even when we don’t acknowledge or are aware of their impact, the effect of our words can be profound. Maybe it’s because I was a pastor for 37 years that I tend to see underlying messages in seemingly common things. Like …
“Give me some hope,” my friend pleaded with me. We had been discussing the turmoil in the Middle East. I paused before answering, wanting to avoid quoting Scripture torn out of context like I was cracking open a fortune cookie. “God is still in control,” I said, the words rolling out before I could mentally …