DEALING WITH ANGER      Anger.  A powerful word.  Just saying it probably brings a scene to your mind.  Possibly, your father screaming at your mother when you were a child.  Maybe a moment where you saw two people literally come to blows.  Or maybe it's more subtle, like a caustic email you received from a co-worker.  Anger is everywhere.  There is no escape.  Like a raging emotional pandemic all...  Read More

LEARN TO LISTEN       I had never thought much about the power of listening until I worked for a crisis line.  My job mostly consisted of deescalating people who were threatening to commit suicide.  One lesson that I learned quickly was to talk less and listen more.  Offering people in crisis a listening ear is a precious gift.  To be honest, offering anyone a listening ear is a valuable gift.  In...  Read More

HOW DOES GOD GUIDE US?     I admit that I am a directionally challenged person.  One time when visiting my parents in Indianapolis, IN.  I drove over an hour following the GPS directions, attempting to get to Warren, Indiana, but was actually heading to Warren, Illinois.  Oops! We have to make so many decisions in life.  Columbia researcher Sheen Lyengar has found that the average person makes abo...  Read More

HOW DO I START OVER WHEN I'VE BLOWN IT?There are many faces of failure.   Some are our fault. Some are just an unfortunate life incident.  President George H.W. Bush was once at a state dinner in Tokyo.  Many Japanese and American business leaders were there, seated around a table covered in white silk, and using gold utensils.  Representatives from the world's media were there with open microphon...  Read More

As mother's day approaches I thought I would share a few traits I have learned from two remarkable mothers in my life--my mom and my wife (mother of our five children).It's my hope to "honor moms" as God commands (Exodus 20:12). First, both of these women believe Jesus is most important. My mom stayed home with my sister and I full time. She made sure...   Read More

THE POWER OF THE PAUSE      When we watch Netflix or a DVD we have this remarkable feature we can use any time.  We can pause the movie.  It allows us to greet someone who has just arrived home, run to the bathroom or go make some popcorn.  Pause gives us a few minutes to regroup.  Today as a country, because the Coronavirus, it's like God has hit a massive pause button.  I want to return to norma...  Read More

WHAT IS GOOD ABOUT GOOD FRIDAY?      On this somber, yet beautiful holiday we call Good Friday, let's investigate what's good about it.  On its face, we are remembering the only perfect man to ever lived being killed by Roman conquerors at the request of jealous religious leaders.  Another example of the deep flaws of a human justice system.  What is there to celebrate?  What is good about Good Fr...  Read More

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONNECTION     Last night I was supposed to participate in an online class through a Zoom meeting.  After about 15 minutes of trying I gave up and skipped the class.  I just couldn’t get a good connection.  Today with the challenges of COVID-19 many are struggling to connect.  Social distancing has basically shut down much of the human contact we normally get.  But in this diffic...  Read More

DEALING WITH WORRY          Worry and Anxiety are huge issues in the U.S.  In a given year nearly 50 million Americans will feel the effects of a panic attack, phobias or other anxiety disorders.  Anxiety is the number one mental health problem among women and second only to alcohol and drug abuse among men  (Anxious For Nothing, Max Lucado, 5). Even followers of Christ are struggling with worry a...  Read More

DEFEATING FEAR       I was driving down the road listening to K-Love on the radio recently and I heard the announcer say: Fear says “What if” faith says, “Even if”. Today many of us have minds filled with fear. The "what ifs” are intimidating. What if I get the coronavirus? What if my aging parents get it? Maybe you're a restaurant owner or entrepreneur, weeks or months of little or zero income co...  Read More

Hebrews 12:1-2“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the thr...  Read More

Newsminer Article--Good News      Our world is full of bad news isn’t it?  U.S. Political conflict and the epidemic in China just to name a few.  In 2014, there was a virulent outbreak of the Ebola virus in several countries in Africa.  Ebola is almost always deadly and has claimed many lives.  A few courageous doctors and medical personal traveled to the epicenter of the outbreak and tried to hel...  Read More