all the time in the world
Do you remember me?” A pause. Vacant eyes. My mother was speaking to Betty, a fellow churchgoer from years past, who now lived at a local nursing home. My mom tried again. “Do you remember my husband? He’s right here.” Betty responded with an excited “Yes,” followed by a look of confusion. As the two women talked, Betty’s mind faded…
transience
When Sinclair Lewis, Nobel Prize winner for Literature, died and was cremated in 1951, his ashes were sent to Rome’s American embassy for disposal. One morning a visitor noticed a worker on her knees with a dustpan and broom. Next to her was an overturned urn. When asked what she was doing, she replied nonchalantly, “Sweeping up Sinclair Lewis.” What…
life and submission
Jesus taught us to lay down our lives for others. At its most costly moments, I believe this submission of our wills happens in four progressive stages.
The first stage is recognition. We are presented with a need or a person for whom a decision of submission must be made.
The second stage is deliberation. There will be a cost…
i'm fine
In my country, it’s customary to say, “How are you doing?” when greeting someone. And then comes the inevitable reflexive response: “Fine, how are you doing?”—regardless of how the person actually feels. It’s simply a greeting.
My pastor is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, so he has a fresh take on this perfunctory part of my culture. Pastor Kizombo…
taking God for granted
I’m not going to join the track team again! I said that to myself countless times during my years in school. But every track season, there I was, back on the team.
Why did I have a love/hate relationship with track? The training! During practice, we pushed our perceived physical limits and strove for perfection. And all that training led…
groundhog day
Groundhog Day, one of my favorite movies, is a comedy featuring Phil Connors, a self-centered, arrogant TV weatherman. After being forced to take on a much-hated assignment—covering the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney—he suddenly finds himself caught in a time loop, repeating the same day over and over again. At first, he pursues every hedonistic escape he can think of.…
interruptions
With a work deadline looming, it was hard to find time to write my Our Daily Journey articles this month. I was strongly tempted to put on a “Do-Not-Disturb-Me” demeanor at work. For even though I tried to protect some time to think and write, it never happened. I was bombarded by e-mails that required immediate attention, or the immediate need…
seasons
The Great Migration is considered one of the grandest spectacles in the natural world. More than two million mammals participate in this annual parade. The seasonal conditions of the Serengeti, a vast East Africa ecosystem that spreads from Tanzania’s plains to Kenya’s Masai Mara, establishes the timing of the event.
Leading the procession are the zebras, usually about 200,000 in…
come!
In an evangelism class in church, the instructor asked: “How would you introduce Jesus to an unbeliever?
Would you present Jesus as one who solves all our problems, or as one who gives us a healthy self-esteem and happiness?” Good questions!
When introducing Jesus to his two disciples, John the Baptist presents Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes…
who cares?
The book of Malachi was written around 420 BC as a warning to the nation of Israel. God accused the priests of offering "defiled" sacrifices (Malachi 1:7). Specifically, He was concerned with the nation's direct disobedience in not giving Him their best (v.8), and for withholding the tithes He had commanded them to give for His work (3:8-14).
So what…
