When I turned 13, my dad asked if I would like to take care of Mr. VanMeter’s yard. I had helped my dad take care of this yard since I could remember. It was 2 acres with landscaping around the house & a large hill with ground cover that needed to be weeded on a [...]
My high school geometry teacher walked up & down the aisles formed by the student’s desks in the classroom. He was returning the test we had taken two days previously with editorial comments to some as he handed them their graded test. Comments like, “Good job!” “Excellent!” “See me after class.” “What have you been [...]
For three solid years from 1986-1989, I was reminded of the price of freedom every day. This is when I was stationed at Subic Bay Naval Base as a physician. The US government leased the base from the Philippine government. That meant that even though this was a US Naval Base, the US flag was [...]
Pam & I were 19 & 20 when we committed our lives to one another in a marriage ceremony conducted in a flower-laden park in the heart of Kenosha, Wisconsin. We didn’t know much about marriage & relationships. We had a simple view of the whole thing. We loved each other & we wanted to [...]
During my recovery from surgery, I have focused on one thing: balance. In the early days after surgery, I would stand up & get dizzy. This actually was a problem for the first 3-4 weeks. I learned to stand up slowly, wait for the room to stop spinning, & then take a step. Even then, [...]
My father retired as a firefighter & house painter to take a full time job as a custodian for the public school district in Anderson, Indiana. He worked 10 more years before his health made it necessary for him to retire from this job as well. My parents then moved to Florida for the usual [...]
Everyone has abilities. We use our abilities in school, the workplace, & the home every day. We develop these abilities and often don’t even think about we obtained them. But we all have abilities and we all use them in some way every day. What role do abilities have in God’s Church? The apostle Paul [...]
I asked a young person what she understood by the term stewardship. She had no idea. She looked it up in a dictionary & told me a steward is someone who oversees a parade or major event. This is when I realized that the biblical concept of stewardship had been lost. In fact, the word [...]
As I prepare for Dr. Diehl’s visit this week, it never ceases to amaze me the amount of interest in “health.” I have just reviewed his schedule of speaking events for September 9-12 and have counted 19! This includes large venues and small groups and a radio show. But 19 in just 4 days?! And [...]
This whole issue of giving seems so fundamental that I feel compelled to continue the conversation from my previous blog. As I have listened to God’s voice this week, He has opened to me new horizons on the meaning of giving. I have continued to ask myself what motivates me to give. I am sobered [...]
