Susan Gifford, the host of the children’s TV program Romper Room, would gaze into the magic mirror through which she could see all the children watching at home. “I see Suzy and Larry and Margaret and John, and there are Richard and Loretta.” I do not...
We have wrestled with the willingness to forgive. We have attempted to distinguish lingering pain from a lack of forgiveness. Clarification between forgiveness and trust has been highlighted. Now, what about those experiences from which pain will not depart, and trust...
“I thought you forgave me! Why don’t you _(fill in the blank)_?” There is a big difference between forgiving someone and trusting someone. If you have had to forgive, then you have most likely encountered trust forfeiting behavior. When a person has proven...
As I was getting out of the truck at the job site, I spotted him. Immediately tension began to narrow my focus, and I kept my distance. My coworker wanted to invite him to ride in the cab with us. My response was, for me, a surprisingly strong opposition. I heard myself...
“Every time I think about that person, I get a knot in the pit of my stomach. Why can’t I forgive?” With slight variations, I have heard this question at least 100 times over the years. If anxiety arises when you see or think of a person, is that an...
It was my first sermon. For approximately 20 minutes, I droned away before a group of about 50 men at the Union Gospel Mission in Dallas, Texas. Some made no effort to resist, merely laying their head on their neighbor’s shoulder and snoozing away. I do...
The summers in Moses Lake are hot! To compensate, I purchased a large window unit air conditioner with enough capacity to cool most of the parsonage. I was in my late 20’s and indestructible, or so I thought. I was smart enough not to attempt to lift the AC unit by...
We all have gifts. I think one of my gifts is forgetting grammar. That is not a good gift to have when you do a lot of public speaking. I suppose that I get by with English grammar. Still, as Pastor of Preaching and Teaching, I am constantly reminded of how much grammar...
It is not clear to me how old I was, but I was just tall enough to see over the counter in the toy section at the neighborhood variety store. I recall looking at a toy cap gun, and although I do not remember thinking about taking something, I took a bullet from the gun. A...
Uncertainty often leaves us starring at threats like a deer in the headlights. On the many occasions that we find ourselves confronted by an unanticipated and unfamiliar setting, freezing up is common. Why do we stare blankly at choices? I contend that the most frequent...
