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

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

Ah, the aroma of roast turkey wafting from the kitchen, the gathering of family to feast together … Thanksgiving, the time when hopefully we give thanks for all the good gifts we have received. Sometimes people talk about being thankful, but without any mention of God. They may feel a vague sense of gratefulness, a generic gratitude for the good things in their life… but to whom? To a force? To circumstance? To the man on the moon? It doesn’t really make sense to be thankful if there is no object for your thankfulness. Imagine you purchase a nice gift to give me on my birthday and you Continue Reading

When’s the last time you said, “That’s awesome?” Chances are, you’ve said it more than once today, maybe even sarcastically. Don’t worry; this isn’t going to be a tirade about how we should never use the term “awesome” unless we are talking about God. I get that language morphs over time. It evolves with culture, and that’s why the dictionary is changing all the time. Today’s common usage becomes tomorrow’s standard rule. “Awesome” used to mean jaw-dropping, breath-catching, heart-stopping, awe- inspiring. Now it has about as much oomph as “Have a good one.” Our words change. But Continue Reading