I have been asked to speak to a group of middle school kids tomorrow at a local church. What does an old man like me say to middle school students? I actually have a 1996 male model of one of those at home, but I am still at a loss. The speaking context is a basketball tournament, so that put me on a sports track… Do I tell them about my friend who played on the National Championship University of…
Am I willing to even entertain the thought, as fleeting as it might be? Am I actually open to even thinking about forgiving someone who has hurt me deeply? That is the first stage on the forgiveness journey that I identified in the Joseph narrative threaded in the final chapters of Genesis. The second stage involves taking some initiative. Am I Willing to Initiate Forgiveness and Reconciliation? Someone has to take the first step. Someone must call a truce or…
I know I need to forgive him, but I just can’t… I will never forgive her for the things she has done. How many times have I heard such phases? Or more importantly, how many times have I muttered such things to myself? There are a few topics that I deal with in sermons that always seem to be relevant and near to people’s hearts. Forgiveness falls in that category. Relational brokenness unfortunately appears to be the rule instead of…
I confess. I am uncultured. It is true. I just watched Gone with the Wind for the first time last week. That reveals the truth. I am just uncultured. I am in change mode this year in that regard. We are going to watch as many of the movies that were awarded with the Best Picture Oscar as we can this year. Gone with the Wind won the Best Picture award in 1939. I was so impressed with the…
Good intentions are not sufficient. We can have the best of intentions, but if we choose not to play by the rules, it will get us in trouble. I have been following the story of the church group who attempted to transport a number of young earthquake refugees from Haiti across the border into the Dominican Republic. News reports indicate that the group could be charged with human trafficking. I am not there, so I don’t have all of the…
I had the distinct opportunity of attending a seminar this weekend that focused on listening skills. It was very helpful. It was very interactive, so all of us were forced to practice the skills that we were being taught. The most significant things I learned over these past two days are not only related to the goal of critical listening. First of all, I was reminded that good people will do foolish things when they are under enough stress. The…
I never cease to be amazed at the endless connections that exist between people from diverse backgrounds and life circumstances. What could a CEO of a major company possibly have in common with a teenager coming from a broken home? A teenager who is living in a household teetering on poverty…We see that child and dozens of others like him on a weekly basis. Every Wednesday we open the doors of the church and welcome well over 50 high…
I know it seems really late in the game to be reflecting on the events surrounding Christmas of 2009, but I just received Gil Sanchez’s December Report from Casa De La Esperanza yesterday. Casa is a children’s home in Northern Mexico. Casa serves infants all the way to young adults who are 18 years old. It is a great place!I have been fortunate enough to coordinate several medical mission trips to Casa over the past several years. The following…
It turns out that one of my co-workers is quite the detective. Barbara has been the treasurer at church for a number of years. She is very good at dealing with figures and understands the complexities of non-profit organizational finances. I didn’t know about her sleuthing abilities until recently. Barbara was injured in a car accident that took place in a neighboring city a few weeks ago. She was transported to the hospital and missed a few days of…
Pride comes before a fall…That is a well known biblical principle! If it is really true, then I better brace myself for a skinned knee or worse. I have been gloating lately. Several of my male friends have given the bride away recently. I must confess. I grinned to myself as I observed all of the expense and trouble of a nice wedding. I have sons. I will flip a few burgers for the rehearsal dinner and consider my…