How do you feel today? Happy? Disappointed? Hopeless? Ecstatic?Irritated? Whatever feeling you are experiencing right now, it probably won't last forever. Feelings are like the weather. The emotional climate of your heart changes all the time. Feelings have an important role in our lives, but because they are all over the map, we get into trouble when we let them lead our behavior. In days gone by, this wasn't a big problem, because feelings were not commonly discussed. One did one's work, children were to be seen and not heard, and feelings did not enter into Continue Reading
What Jesus Doesn’t Require of People (But Americans Do)
I don't know why it irritated me so much. I was at the bank to open a checking account, and the clerk who was helping me was talking awkwardly around the lozenge she had just popped into her mouth. The real issue wasn't the lozenge. It was her blasted inefficiency. We were almost to the bottom of the page in what felt like an eternal process when she realized she had used the wrong form. We had to start over. The bank clerk had just committed the unpardonable sin, at least in the eyes of a Westerner like me. She had wasted my most valuable commodity -- my Continue Reading
How Your Flaws and Failures Point You toward Fresh Hope
I hope you enjoy spring as much as I do. Fragrant blossoms, verdant countryside, melodious birdsong...everywhere, nature shouts of new hope and fresh beginnings. So what's not to like about spring -- besides allergies, I mean? I'll tell you what's not to like. Weeds. Along with the fresh blooms, green shoots, and soft new grass of spring, the nemesis of the suburban property owner proliferates with evil tenacity. Why is it that weeds seem to spread so much faster than the stuff you want to have growing? Not only that, they thrive without water Continue Reading
The Not-So-Obvious Reason You Feel Dog Tired
Have you noticed how exhausted people are? Everybody wants more energy. Everybody wants the stamina to enjoy life and accomplish some things, but it seems to elude us. So what's to blame? Certainly our food is no longer pure,what with all the genetic engineering and toxic ingredients we've added to it. But is that the only reason we're tired? Is it all about what we are eating (or not eating)? Sometimes addressing those issues can help -- but there's another causative factor at work which has less to do with our nutrition and more to do with our lifestyles in Continue Reading