“If the soul is left in darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but the one who causes the darkness." --Victor Hugo, Les Miserables----- “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstoneContinue reading "The one who causes the darkness…"

How do you confront people?  Sometimes you really do have to talk with people face to face.  That scares people and they often avoid it, sometimes at all costs.But look at what Jesus says in Matthew 18.If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. Matthew 18:15So what do you think? Does showingContinue reading "How about a little winsomeness in approaching those with whom we have conflict?"

This line from the Lord's prayer usually causes me to take in a deep breath and then slowly exhale ..."Your kingdom come; your will be done ... on earth as in heaven."I cannot pray this prayer without thinking of this line in the long version of the famous Serenity prayer:"Trusting that you will make allContinue reading "Surrendering to God’s will is not giving up …"

One of my heroes of the faith was John Stott, especially when I was a young man.  Here's my Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette column from yesterday (1/18/2015) on how, in part because of how John Stott did it, I try to model my early morning time with God.

Two of my favorite devotional writers are John and Win Stanford from Ames, IA.  John is a retired physics professor at Iowa State and he and Win write thoughtful, short essays 5 times each week.  They currently are taking the prayers of 20th century Scottish theologian John Ballie and putting them into their own words...Continue reading "A prayer of contrition…"

In my first Champaign-Urbana New-Gazette column for the new year, I talk about the importance of listening.  I have to work at it every day...

I agree with prolific blogger Rachel Held Evans that the best insight for the year comes from blogger Heather Kopp, writer of the outstanding Sober Mercies -- how love caught up with a Christian drunk.  Kopp's insight:  People bond more deeply over shared brokenness than they do over shared belief. Kopp explains her thoughts like this...WhenContinue reading "Bonding over shared brokenness in 2015"

In today's Christmas column for the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, I tell a story from my boyhood that recalls how I first starting thinking about forgiveness in early December during the year when I was 9 years old...