Let’s say you are driving and you are cut off by a maniacal driver weaving in and out, speeding through downtown traffic. Are you tempted to yell and call names? A little honesty please. What if in that moment, God spoke to you and said, “I understand my child, that his driving is scary, but… Read More ›

Wax on, wax off. Anybody get the reference? This is an “how old are you” test. The line comes from the original “The Karate Kid” movie. Okay, so there is this high school young man played by Ralph Maccio who moves to Southern California and runs afoul of the rich kid bully. You gotta hate… Read More ›

Some things are important enough to remember. But not just for you. You want your children and their children to remember. God things are like that. And these things require more than telling of tales. They demand symbols; rituals. Many in the Christian community think of the word ritual almost as a filthy word. They… Read More ›

Us and them! How do you react to that phrase? Our society wants to do away with any language that smacks of divisions. But here’s the thing; you can’t. There are groups. I have some friends who are members of the Lion’s Club. I am not. I am not an “us” when it comes to… Read More ›

When I started this series of articles I mentioned that the Presence of Yahweh is not always pleasant. Sometimes the Presence is terrifying. God will not be tamed. He will not conform to our pre-conceived ideas of justice and love. It is not our job to give God an image makeover. It is also not… Read More ›

For a moment try not to think about the horribleness of the tenth mighty act. Try to imagine what this event meant to the Israelites; what it communicated to them. Imagine the alternative. God is aware of their suffering; of their crying out in despair when their children are cast into the depths of the… Read More ›

Symbols are important, but only if you honor the meaning of the symbol. Some people wear a ring; a symbol of their devotion and unending commitment and love to their spouse, without a thought to what that ring symbolizes. In this case, the ring means absolutely nothing. It holds no power and no meaning.

One more. This could be a statement of intended indulgence; just one more bite to jam into an already bulging stomach; just one more drink before I give it up for good; just one more . . . But it can also be a heart wrenching acknowledgment that one more thing must happen to make… Read More ›

In the movie “Young Lions” Marlon Brando plays a German during World War II. At the beginning of the movie, before the war broke out, he expresses his belief to an American woman that Hitler is changing things for the better; the economy is improving; the job market is breathing again; the people are waking… Read More ›

I was watching our cat Gandolph as he was tracking some turkeys up the hill from our house. Now, Gandolph was a hunter. He often brought his kills to the house as gifts of his prowess. “Hey look what I killed for you!” He dragged home dead or near dead mice, bunnies, and birds. I… Read More ›