My first experience with fishing wasn’t exactly positive. My father took me and my best friend when I was about 8 years old. We went to a small lake (more like a big pond) to fish from the shore. I had my dad put the worm on my hook as I was afraid to touch [...]
How do you invite someone to follow Jesus? What does that look like in everyday life? This is an issue Christians have thought about since Jesus walked on this earth. Jesus was filled with compassion for people as he walked from village to village. There are multiple stories of how he healed, cast out demons, [...]
How do we win the confidence of other people? What does that look like? In the past several months I’ve had the opportunity to visit such diverse places as Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle. I have found one experience common to every one of these cities. In each city a man comes up [...]
Parents of small children know how annoying questions can be. On a 45 minute car trip, a parent may have to endure 60 “Are we there yet?” questions! But for too many of us, we learn that questions are bad some where along the journey of life. In my experience, questions seem to take a [...]
As an obstetrician/gynecologist for many years, my first job was to listen to my patients. After listening to them describe their problem, I would examine them, make a diagnosis, and recommend treatment. Without hearing their story and listening to their concerns, I would not know what to look for during my physical examination. The problem [...]
Who is your enemy? We could all say that “terrorists” are our #1 enemy. But what about in your daily life? Does anyone fit into that category. What about the person who talks behind your back at work? Or the relative who always makes fun of you? Or how about your boss who is constantly [...]
While in Peru for two weeks, I had the opportunity to visit with people in their homes. Once I was able to look past the physical condition of the house (dirt floors, no running water, leaking roofs, minimal furniture), I found the same needs as those we have in this country. They needed compassion, a [...]
Theologian and preacher, William Barclay, said this about witnessing for Jesus: “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” As I think about what it means to preach for Jesus, I am humbled by the power of my witness. It’s so humbling because my witness is always there, for better or for worse! [...]
As I think about our discussion last week and the “10 Commandments” of evangelism found in Matthew 10 (see my prior blog), I think there is a major aspect of teaching others about God’s love that we still need to consider. And that is the topic of “witness.” What does it mean to witness? What [...]
I’ve started reading the Bible through again this year – I love this activity because it helps me keep the “big picture” in mind as I deal with the “little picture” of my life. I read from the Old & New Testaments daily (I can get you the plan I use if you like), & today [...]
