the Rock
The Christian faith is a singing faith. Knowing that I love to sing hymns, a friend gave me the devotional book 101 Hymn Stories: The Inspiring True Stories Behind 101 Favorite Hymns so I could learn the history of great songs like “Amazing Grace,” “A Mighty Fortress,” “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” and “It Is Well with My Soul.” Already rich in biblical truth, these hymns have stories behind them that have caused me to appreciate their message even more.
“Christ” offends people
A few years ago, a prominent Christian group removed the word Christ from its organization’s name. The organization defended its name change, citing research which revealed that 20 percent of non-Christians were alienated and offended by the name of Christ. So they stated that they were merely looking for a name that would make the organization more effective in sharing the gospel.
friends & enemies
A made-for-TV miniseries chronicled the experiences of the US 1st Marine Division in the Pacific Theater during World War II. The episode of the Marines storming the beaches of Iwo Jima was emotionally difficult to watch. Of the young Marines who survived the barrage of bullets and mortar fire, many froze on the beach in utter terror, not knowing what to do next.
know your enemy
A recent pop song contains these lyrics: “Do you know the enemy? Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy.”
exposed
A close friend of mine is married to a senior leader of an African nation that has for decades been known for extreme persecution. While her husband was serving as a catalyst in seeing that country’s people freed from an oppressive regime, my friend and her three children recently spent a year with me in Uganda.
confronting the darkness
“Crazy demons!” Hitting “send” before proofreading, I quickly realized the text my husband received would leave him confused. I had attempted to type out “crazy carline!” to explain my delay in meeting him, but must have hit a few errant letters. Autocorrect on my cell phone took it from there! I have no idea how the text ended up reading “demons” instead of “carline.”
recalculating relationships
A comedian once mused that he wished someone would make a GPS for husbands. He said something like this: GPS: “Compliment your wife’s appearance.” Comedian: “Hey, honey, you look really good.” GPS: “Ask her about her day.” Comedian: “How was your day, sweetheart?” GPS: “Pretend to be listening.” Comedian: “Oh . . . Really . . .” GPS: “Flatter your wife.” Comedian: “Um . . . Hey, you’re gonna look really good once you put all your make-up on.” GPS: “Recalculating.”
squash the beef
During a promotional event, two 73-year-old former Canadian Football League players got into a fistfight on stage. They had a “beef” (a grudge or feud between friends, family members, or enemies) dating back to a controversial championship football game in November 1963. After one of the senior citizens knocked the other off the stage, the crowd yelled at him to “let it go!” In essence, they were telling him to “squash the beef.”
serve your oppressor
A few years ago some young men stole my car. They crashed it, damaging it beyond repair, and I was never compensated for it. I even had to pay to have the car towed away from the crash site! By rights, those thieves should have replaced what they stole.
leave room for God
A TV commercial begins with a boy sitting in a play tree house, taunting a grandma and a baby because he has the family’s bag of Doritos chips, and they don’t. The grandma and the baby conspire to get their share. Cooperating with one another, the grandma slingshots the baby to grab the Doritos. It’s a funny illustration of what’s inside all of our hearts—the desire for justice. Unfortunately, our desire for justice is often illegitimate and mixed with revenge, anger, pride, and very little room for God to work.
in defense of love
Throughout much of 2011, Greece experienced unrest as round after round of austerity measures were passed, reducing pension payments and slashing worker benefits. Listening to interviews on the BBC, I heard shopkeepers and laborers speak of the gloom they felt about their future. Some were angry. Some were resigned. Everyone felt hopeless. Protests escalated. The government convulsed. Greeks expressed anger…
murderous intent
At its best, anger alerts us to injustice. At its worst, anger becomes murderous in intent. Beyond wanting to see a wrong righted, we find ourselves wishing the destruction of a person—through the use of words if not a gun.
Many years ago, I experienced a dark and prolonged feud with a co-worker. “It troubles me to say this,” I…
beyond the standards
In 1957, a remarkable story written by Colonel William Draper appeared in Look magazine. The article was published under the title: “I Fly the President.” Colonel Draper said that worry was his business and US President Eisenhower’s safety was his reward. To achieve that safety, 33 specialists were responsible for the Columbine III aircraft prior to, during, and after a flight.…
dishing out grace
Mega-successful TV chef Rachael Ray is hardly one of the elite. “She cannot cook like I cook,” commented her rival Martha Stewart. “She cannot craft like I craft.” Yet Rachael has won viewers’ hearts—not least of all because of her charitable approach to her critics.
Author and chef Anthony Bourdain felt this charity personally. “We know she can’t cook,” he…
