Marti Ensign, a missionary to Africa, told of bringing some African pastors to the United States for a big meeting. During their free time, the pastors wanted to go shopping. Even though they were in a small town, Marti knew there was a chance they might have difficulty or get lost. So she gave them her phone number for such an emergency. In less than an hour, the phone rang. One of the pastors said, “I am lost.” Marti said, “Set the phone down, go to the street corner, find out the names of the two streets at the corner, come back and tell me, and I will come and get you.” After...

Someone has said that conflict is when two ideas show up at the same time in the same place. I wasn’t the only one that tuned into The History Channel Memorial Day weekend.  In effect 14 million people watched the “Hatfields & McCoys” on Memorial Day.  This realistic retelling of the greatest family feud in history set an all-time record for basic cable. What is about this story that attracted so many viewers? The historic accuracy of the story? The exceptional writing? Kevin Costner? I think the attraction goes deeper.  The shades of conflict and nuances are fascinating. Judge...

I just acquired a Harley.  As I was reading the manual, I discovered that the shock absorbers are factory set for a standard riding weight.  The setting determines the enjoyment of the ride.   If the shocks are not set correctly, well… the ride is rough.  And if you have a passenger the ride is not enjoyable for them as well. Emotional vitality and spiritual health are like having a good set of shock absorbers for your soul.  It should be true that the more we know Christ we grow in graciousness, not grumpiness.  Jesus calibrates our settings. I am challenged by my own thoughts this...