It’s Not My Fault
Read: 1 Samuel 15:13-31 I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me . . . But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen. (vv. 20-21) A series of dams, privately built in the 1920s, were designed to create a series of lakes for homeowners and recreationists in Mid-Michigan. Over the years, ownership […]
Who Am I? Enough
Read: 1 Peter 1:3-25 He . . . was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you. (v. 20) In 2003, the worship band Casting Crowns released a song entitled “Who Am I” in which the writer humbly compares himself to a “flower quickly fading” and a “wave tossed in the ocean.” He laments that […]
When the Dams Burst
Read: Psalm 57 In the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. (v. 1) When David wrote these heartfelt words, he was in distress and despair. He was hiding in a cave, fearing for his life. Not long before, he had played music for the king of Israel, […]
House and Home
Read: Psalm 23 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. (vv. 2-3) How would you describe the difference between a “house” and a “home”? One is physical and temporary, made with boards, nails, and concrete. The other is emotive and elusive, harder to describe. Unlike […]
Going Home
Read: Philippians 3:20-21 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (v. 20) I was recently visiting with a patient who had endured a long battle with debility, also known as “failure to thrive.” She was living in her daughter’s house and receiving excellent care from her […]
Young Leadership in Uganda
Recently, one of our Ugandan language producers received a phone call from a listener who told him that, while she had been born into a Christian family, her father had left them at an early age. When her mother remarried, the new husband was a Muslim who turned the family toward the Islamic faith. One […]
Weakness and Loss of Control
Read: 2 Corinthians 13:5-10 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. (v. 9) I am amazed at the courage of so many people that I serve. Not too long ago I did an initial assessment with a woman who had just been diagnosed with […]
A Real-Time God
Read: Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (v. 1) The goal of hospice is to provide physical and spiritual comfort to people who are dealing with the end of life. Sometimes a combination of family dynamics and physical factors leads to pain that is difficult to alleviate. While […]
Worrying About Those Left Behind
Read: Philippians 4:4-9 The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (vv. 5-6) It was a very emotional scene. A terminally ill father was listening to his daughter give him permission to let go. She reassured […]