BLOG––Encouraged by Faith

Do you remember when reading was what you did when you were bored? Radio or television became early substitutes for reading. Now there is the internet, the world-wide web of technology to ensnare every free thought and moment. Boredom now almost seems a rare luxury. Research into the opinions...

Did you ever know someone who made you feel like a rock star every time you saw them? Until his death last spring, our family friend Bob Hittner was that for me.Bob always seemed as though he might die from the sheer joy of having your company once again. If you judged by his delight, you could...

The ridiculousness of faith: when God becomes illogical Every once in awhile we experience the struggles, failures or difficulties, which threaten to undo us. During these times we may feel the profound weight of pain pulling us to our knees in prayer like gravity. We search for answers and...

“Everyone hold up your hands and say, ‘Weeee!!’” The allusion is to riding a roller coaster, and the saying was one of my mom’s favorites.  Her meaning: You can’t control life’s twists and turns, but you can decide whether to scream and throw up...

Only the most determined effort of will seems able to protect us from a relentless assault––that is the war of political ideologies in this present age. A regular refreshing of our faith is available by a review of the armor of God in Ephesians 6:11-18. A frequent nourishing of the...

This is a sad story. I’m only sharing it because I hope it contains wisdom about how to deal with life and death. Not my wisdom, but the wisdom of a mother who lost her 15-year-old daughter. I met this grieving mom for the first time on a recent vacation. Kara described her daughter so...

I was in my early twenties when I finally realized I was introverted. I suppose I had not really thought much about it until then. There is something about being in a foreign country, however, struggling to speak to as many people in a day as possible, while working in missions, that smacks you...

You know that feeling when you are standing in a smelly room and you are basically holding your breath for fear of inhaling whatever it is. That awful choking feeling that overwhelms you as you wait to escape. Now step outside. Fresh air. Imagine that first deep breath, the clean, fresh air...

  I was worshipping with family friends one Sunday when the youngest of their five children asked to be baptized. Afterwards, his sister (the only girl in the family) hugged him and said, “Oh, boy, am I ever looking forward to that new man you’re going to be.” I laughed...

More often than now and then, I get defensive about what I imagine someone else thinks of me. Usually, it is what I’m afraid they may have good reason to think of me. This situation arises before I’m aware of it and feelings have already been hurt. It is insulting to assume that...