If there is one overriding image everyone would have about their retirement, it would be “peaceful.” The specifics will vary widely based upon individual preferences. The area in which some envision spending their senior years may be rural and pastoral. For others it would be a bit more urban, but it still inspires dreams of days without pressure.
None of us has created a mental picture of a […]
Some people are optimists. Like the quote from Walt Disney, noted in the image accompanying this post, we look at life focusing upon the possibilities ahead that will produce better outcomes. On the other hand, some are pessimists. Some people seem to have more than their share of unfortunate situations befall them. Some are naturally pessimistic due to their melancholic personality type.
When difficulties arise, some of us […]
If you are over the age of 40, I would venture a guess that this question has been asked by one spouse, or both, during a vacation. While on a leisurely bike ride along a coastline, relaxing at a shaded sidewalk café along a tree lined street with a cloudless sky above, or recounting the activities of the day on a balcony beneath a canopy of stars, […]
Does the future seem cloudy? Do you find yourself worrying about the future of your children and grandchildren? You are not alone, but you know that. If the uncertainty of the future is a burden, this post is for you.
Worry about the future has plagued mankind since creation. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told thousands that worry was a worthless enterprise. “Who of you by […]
As a teenager in the 1960’s, one musical theme was young love with all its thrills, excitement, and struggles. Ray Charles sang Georgia On My Mind about a long ago love that haunted relationships of today. The Beatles recorded Michelle and Yesterday about the feelings of a young man in love. First, a young man wondered if he would ever be able to make a young lady […]
Peter Greer (co-author of the 2014 book Mission Drift) writes on his website, “Too often, as Christian organizations grow, the Gospel often becomes cursory, expendable, or even forgotten. Again and again, leaders have watched their ministries, businesses, and nonprofits professionalize, expand, and lose sight of their original goals. Even churches can stray from their calling.”
While the study of mission drift has become popular since the release […]
Forty-eight years ago, my new bride and I moved onto a college campus outside Knoxville, Tennessee. Set among the hills along the banks of the French Broad River, the beauty of the area and the clarity of the blue sky easily awakened the mind and excited the senses. It was a seemingly ideal location to study and prepare for a life of Christian ministry. Nearly thirty years […]
We can hear the voices of concern, “Confidently charge into the future? With all this uncertainty? How can anyone be confident about the future when France, Germany, and London have all entered month long lockdowns, and COVID infection numbers are on the rise in the USA? How can anyone charge into the future confidently when the supporters of Presidential candidates attack one another with ferocity unremembered from […]
One of the famous segments of the 1987 play and 1989 movie Driving Miss Daisy is the trip to Mobile to celebrate Miss Daisy’s brother’s birthday. Holding firmly to the map in the back seat, Miss Daisy became confused, told Hoke to make a wrong turn, and they found themselves far off the planned route. Even now, with GPS units built into a phone or automobile, we […]
Does MY life matter? This question is obviously on the minds of many across the USA and around the world. We can, without equivocation say, “Yes, YOUR life matters to God…and subsequently to many others.” Still, that is getting ahead of ourselves just a bit.
As the Passover celebration in Jerusalem drew closer during the Biblical era, Hebrew people from across the Levante would gather for the celebration. […]