Do Something!
When I was a kid, my dad encouraged me to be courageous and not play it safe. He could see how tempted I was to overthink a situation or to hedge my bets. “Do something!” he would say. Then in jest, he would add: “Even if it’s wrong, do something!”
name game
As a Chinese man, when I told my father that I was giving my children Greek names, he reminded me to make sure they would be meaningful and nice-sounding. Most important, my kids were to have the same family name. Ah, so many first names to choose from!
far from home
On the day I graduated from college, my sister was on a trip in the same state with her high school class. She wanted to celebrate with me and—fortunately—a chaperone was willing to drive her 6.5 hours north to my school. But as they drove away from the hotel, they headed south. Obviously, neither of them had a strong inner compass. For it was several hours later—after they entered a scenic area deep in the southern region of the state—that they knew something was amiss.
let go
I spent the summer of 1992 tumbling, somersaulting, and plowing over the waters of Strom Thurmond Lake in South Carolina. Belying any grand designs, I was simply trying to learn how to water-ski. A painful endeavor, it revealed the deep level of determination I carry within me. One of my greatest errors lay in my refusal to let go of the rope and admit defeat when I had fallen. It was not a pretty sight.
mary’s risky calling
May everything you have said about me come true” (Luke 1:38). With those words a young (probably teenage) Mary responded to the greatest discipleship call ever given. She had been chosen to give birth to the Son of God. The ramifications would be huge.
creation's call
It’s falling from the clouds,
a strange and lovely sound;
I hear it in the thunder and the rain.
It’s ringing in the skies
like cannons in the night;
The music of the universe plays.
These worship-eliciting lyrics from the song Cannons by Phil Wickham celebrate God’s imprint on His creation. As we experience the beauty of a starry sky or stand by the…
crackpots
I opened up the e-mail and there it was. An invitation to step out of another comfort zone. An invitation to come speak at a church about the blanket ministry for the homeless I had started several years ago. I actually had spoken at this church last year and they wanted me to come back to give an update and…
why work?
Think back to a time when you were part of a team through school, church, business, volunteer work, or sports. With that experience fresh in your mind, answer the following: What was your team’s primary goal? Prepare a class presentation? Share the gospel with 500 people? Increase sales by 25 percent in three districts? Win a state or national championship?…
follow Jesus . . . on twitter
Jesus has His own Twitter account. Well, actually, hundreds of them. Search for “Jesus Christ” on the social networking site, and you’ll find a plethora of twitterers all tweeting in His name—some well-meaning and many blasphemous. The most popular “Jesus” on Twitter has over 34,000 followers!
Hmmm. Would the real Jesus use Twitter? I wonder.
“Follow me,” Jesus said to…
bold faith
Recently, a 6-year-old boy missed his morning bus to school. Determined not to miss his school breakfast or gym class, the tyke grabbed the keys to his parents’ car, crept out of the house as his mother slept, and drove nearly 6 miles toward his school. The Associated Press report gave amazing detail of the boy’s remarkable jaunt: “He made…
