Today I was talking with a woman whose husband has congestive heart disease.  She said earlier today he pulled out the tube in his nose.  The medical folks tried to put it back in and he fought them and tried to get up and on and on it went, she said.  She was waiting forContinue reading "The great mystery of sin and suffering…"

When are you closest to God?  As I've pondered that question this week up here in Sioux City, Iowa, my answer is:  "I don't think I am a very good judge of when God is closest to me. "  John 15:1-2 reminds me of one of the meanings of suffering.    "I am the true grapevine, and my Father isContinue reading "Do we even know when God is closest to us?"

My mom slowly, very slowly, is recovering from taking a bad fall at my brother's northwestern, IA, home last Saturday [April 25].  She's dizzy and sleeps a lot, which her doc says is a good thing to do.  They don't want her out of bed until this Sunday, at the earliest.   It's really the pits.TheyContinue reading "Waiting for the body to mend…"

Does this mean they haven't had visitors forever?Does it mean they have their act together so much visitors would love it, that it is in fact the hottest church in town ?Does it mean church leaders expect church members to be inviting people and this is a reminder to them?I would like to have been in the meeting whenContinue reading "We do expect you to visit, in case you wondered!"

This artist's rendition of Jesus leaving the 99 to find the one lost sheep is at least theologically correct.  The lost sheep is black, not white.  Woo-Hoo!  You usually see this scene rendered with Jesus carrying a little white lamb on his shoulders.  Of course, we all know that the only lost sheep/people ... basedContinue reading "The lost sheep always is black"

This is the old Kansas State University football stadium, taken from my Holiday Inn room last weekend.  I used to run the stairs almost every day back in the day. Yeah, baby.  I can still do it.  Double click the picture.  That is indeed, me.  I still remember after the very first Rocky movie whatContinue reading "Rocky, John Denver and “run, baby, run!”"

This weekend my wife, Jennifer, and I are back in Manhattan, Kansas.  This photo is of the K-State Union, where I used to eat breakfast when I was a student back in the days before cars, or even bikes!  :)After I started to take my faith seriously, I decided to transfer from K-State to aContinue reading "Visiting the old haunts…"

Columbine was 10 years ago.  Sooo... much ink spilled over why.  Bad parenting, psychosis, awful video games, violent television, blah, blah, blah...Four thoughts...1.  Columnist Leonard Pitts gets it.  2.  Skim highly-regarded researcher George Barna's latest research on why so many young people say they do not believe in the existence of either Satan or the Holy Spirit.  ...Continue reading "The depraved, redeemed heart of humankind victoriously limps along…"