It was the third movement of Beethoven’s 9th symphony. Watching the black-clad orchestra play under the precise baton of the conductor, letting my eyes wander to the gilded ceiling of the theater, my soul was soul stirred and my senses full. Somewhere between pizzicato strings tiptoeing me through imaginary green meadows and a crescendo that lifted me heavenward, it hit me. Cities are important. They are centers of culture, gathering places of artists and architects, of scientists and businessmen. Cities display the best and brightest achievements of man. And God loves cities. He Continue Reading
How I’m Learning to Glorify God, Not My Human Drama
I’m a storyteller by nature. I love good acting, too. So it’s really tempting when I am experiencing a particularly spectacular trial to make much of it. I want others to hear every dramatic detail so they can fully appreciate what I am going through. The problem is I often end up making more of my circumstances than I do of my God. I am coming to the conclusion that I have a choice to make. I can play up the drama, rehearsing and reliving it over and over, or I can intentionally glorify God with my words. Here’s the latest example: I’ve been having a pretty interesting (yes, Continue Reading
Dances With Leaves
I stare out the window at hundreds of dead leaves on my neighbor’s sycamore, clinging, fluttering, spiraling down. Life is so much more messy and beautiful than if I were in charge. Take seasons, for example. If it were up to me, I would probably schedule the trees a little more precisely as to when they turn color and drop their leaves. They would fall all at once, stripping every branch clean and making for easy yard cleanup. It’s all about the to-do list, right? Not so much. God is not utilitarian; He is an artist. Creation is less God’s project to maintain and more His symphony Continue Reading
Increase Your Joy This Thanksgiving
Our children are some of the best gifts we will ever receive … but we often miss the joy that could be ours as parents. As I tried on clothes in the changing rooms of a department store recently, I couldn’t help but tune in to the conversation between a mother and little girl in a nearby stall. “Oh, come on. Stop doing that…I’m not going to dress you for the rest of your life, you know. Don’t do it that way. Oh, hurry up. I told you, stop that!” were some tidbits from Mom. Predictably, the little girl’s replies to her irate mother became more defensive and high-pitched every minute. “I’m Continue Reading