Even though we have stepped into winter, I can’t help reflecting on how much I enjoyed last spring’s weather after the horrendous cold and snow of 2013-14. On several occasions we awoke to minus zero conditions outside and chilly temperatures inside. Our beleaguered heat pump simply couldn’t keep the house warm enough. To add insult…
Read more
Since the boxes were inspected, packaged and sent on their way right after Thanksgiving, it is much too late to participate in Operation Christmas Child. Yet for those who believe in looking ahead, I heartily recommend getting planning to get involved in this effort next year. I had written a couple stories in the past…
Read more
The connections between Pastor Rick Warren and me are thin as a reed. We have never met and—considering his schedule—aren’t likely to in the future. Yet a few links exist, starting with me writing a couple stories for the Purpose Driven web site, back when his mega-bestseller had created a mini-publishing boom at Saddleback Church.…
Read more
Among the many reasons I will be pleased to visit my wife’s sister on Thanksgiving is the common bond we share of having walked the road to Emmaus. The Walk to Emmaus® is often described as a spiritual retreat, yet is so much more. It is a worldwide movement aimed at strengthening the local church…
Read more
Snap judgments. We’re all guilty of making them. In my case, that includes consigning aromatherapy and essential oils to the fringes of some weird, mystical, New Age land. Yet I knew nothing about them. Experience changed my mind. It started while I was editing a book this past summer about natural ways to fight colds…
Read more
I first heard the term “spiritual markers” when my wife and I went through Experiencing God. Henry Blackaby’s bestselling Bible study has sold more than six million copies, been translated into 35-plus languages, and spawned many other books and studies. Blackaby calls these markers a time of “transition, decision or direction” when he knows that…
Read more
More than five years ago, at an extended family member’s wedding, I encountered a guest who spoke of her plans to take early retirement the following spring. Nothing earth-shattering—except for the fact that she planned to do so at the ripe old age of 52. Discussing her plans to play with her grandchildren (who, I…
Read more
Soon after becoming a follower of Christ, I heard the phrase “divine appointments.” Namely, that God arranges opportunities to touch another person’s life with the gospel or a word of hope. For someone who makes a living taking notes, you might think I would have kept better track of such encounters. Sadly, I haven’t. Still,…
Read more
Sometimes the most significant events take place in relative anonymity, outside of TV cameras, cell phone videos, or news reporters chronicling it as “something important.” Such was the case at a recent city-wide prayer meeting at the Huntington High School auditorium. The gathering of several hundred individuals followed the Sept. 7 “One Prayer” observance sparked…
Read more
Until the recent Ohio River Festival of Books, I knew little of author Marc Brown or his phenomenal “Arthur” children’s books, which have sold more than 65 million copies. I knew they had been made into an Emmy Award-winning (six of them) series on PBS, but my primary reason for attending his keynote address was…
Read more
