I love listening to Handel’s Messiah around Christmas time. Although it was originally presented as an Easter musical, it just seems to highlight many aspects of the holiday season. Let me share a bit of the back story associated with that...

Last Sunday, our pastor entitled his Christmas series of messages, “Home for the Holidays.” He reminded us that home is linked with warm relationships. It is usually a comfortable place where we feel contented and connected. It’s a link to our...

It’s the time of the year for making lists. We have lists of things we need to get done around the house before our loved ones can come for a visit. We have lists of projects we need to finish so that perfect gift can be home made. We have grocery...

I love a good story. This one is about a midwestern farmer. Apparently, one night a fierce desert storm struck with rain, hail, and a high wind. At daybreak, feeling sick and fearing what he might find, the farmer went to survey his loss. The hail...

I remember my first bicycle. It was blue and white and had plastic streamers imbedded in the grips on the steering bar. It had one of those cute ringers that you pushed with your thumb. And most of the time, I stuck playing cards on the spokes so...

I am a storyteller and when I find a good one, I love to pass it along. It seems that “many years ago in a small hotel in Philadelphia, USA, an elderly couple, on a business trip from England, approached the night clerk seeking a room. ‘We have...

I love this story…the noted English architect Sir Christopher Wren was supervising the construction of a magnificent cathedral in London. A journalist thought it would be interesting to interview some of the workers, so he chose three and asked...

A Dutch Supermarket introduced checkout lanes for lonely elderly people who want someone to talk to. The plan was so successful that they went ahead and installed those checkouts in all their 200 stores. They also added. A ‘chat corner’ where...

In Bruce Larson’s commentary on the book of Luke, he shares this story.  Apparently, there was a conference at a church in Omaha, Nebraska.  It wasn’t the kind of church where folks shouted an occasional “amen” or raised their hands...

When the Beatles came to America in 1964, I was one of those screaming teenage girls greeting their arrival. I wasn’t at the airport, but you should have heard me as they sang on the Ed Sullivan show. (Those of you under the age of 50 can just look...

The Bible makes a big deal about covenants and vows. When our promises are tested, God wants us to take the high road and show grace. He wants us to lean into His promises, making certain we do not give Satan a foothold and take serious our...

I have been doing some serious thinking about humility this week. I am learning that arrogance is an attitude that holds us back from learning and growing from our mistakes. Since humility is often seen as a weakness in our culture, we need more...