Pressing On
The psalmist kept things simple: “There is none upon earth that I desire besides You” (Psalm 73:25). All progress in the spiritual life is marked by our movement toward that conclusion, the conviction that only one thing is necessary: God Himself.
I.O.N.U.
Sometimes the Christian life boils down to the uncommon expression of common virtues. For example, you would expect that people indwelt by the Spirit of love would be friendly. What a difference practicing that virtue would make in society!
Whom Shall I Send?
As a young pastor, I served a fledgling new congregation that included my parents. My father was very active in the church’s “people ministries”—evangelism, hospital and nursing-home visitation, bus ministry, relief for the poor, and more. Although he had never been formally trained in ministry, Dad had a natural ability to connect with people who were in the midst of hard times. That was his passion—the downtrodden people who are often overlooked. In fact, on the day he died, my last conversation with him was about someone he had promised to call on. He was concerned that his promise be kept.
Seize The Opportunity
Heavy rain was falling outside as Marcia, the director of the Jamaican Christian School for the Deaf, spoke to our group. Thirty-four teenagers and several adults were visiting the school. But one of our students was not distracted by the rain or the children running around the room.
Family Therapy
Dr. Paul Brand, a medical missionary in India, observed an unusual phenomenon with several of his patients. When they were recovering from surgery in his hospital, some family members would bring hot meals to them. At night a relative would sleep on the floor under the bed of the recovering patient. When patients awoke in pain, their loved ones would gently massage them until they went back to sleep.
Dartboard Or Pipeline?
One day during my devotional time, this thought came to my mind: “Don’t let life happen to you. Let life happen through you.”
Love Never Fails
Poet Archibald MacLeish says that “love, like light, grows dearer towards the dark.” This is what he calls the “late, last wisdom of the afternoon.” The same is true of our love for one another; it can indeed grow dearer as we age. I have seen it myself in two elderly friends.
A Congress On Hospitality
Let me be the first to summon the church to a National Congress on Hospitality. We could hold it in Minneapolis near the Betty Crocker Kitchens, and perhaps we could borrow the Pillsbury Doughboy as our symbol. After all, there’s some truth to the slogan, “Nothin’ says lovin’ like somethin’ from the oven.”
Winds Of Love
A farmer had a weather vane on his barn, on which was written "God is love." When friends asked why, the farmer said, "This is to remind me that no matter which way the wind blows, God is love."
