I drove by a bread factory, and Wow! What a melt-in-your-mouth aroma!Then I thought that maybe bread is a graceful parable.Think of the divine harmony between God’s work and ours coming together for good benefit, nourishment, taste, and sharing. It’s really simple: flour, water, yeast. But, without our effort, wheat is just another grass seed.Yet our... Continue Reading →
I was in India watching a big (I mean really big) beetle tramp across the hard dirt surface.Then I noticed that it has only five legs. Its' left rear leg had been injured, leaving only a small stump.But the beetle energetically scuttled around doing whatever beetles do.And after all, isn’t that what God’s redemption is... Continue Reading →
We have three finch feeders in the yard. Two are loaded with finches, but the third gets almost none. There’s only a very slight difference between them. I measured them, and there really is a difference. Slightly. But clearly, only two are exactly what’s needed.The third one is almost right. But finches know the difference,... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, I dripped water onto some very dry dirt. I thought it would quickly be absorbed. But instead, it formed beads and ran off. But finally, slowly dripping more and more water on the same spot, the dirt slowly accepted the water. Like the dirt, when I hear something I don’t like, I usually resist... Continue Reading →
Like all kids, I suppose, I would occasionally get angry, usually at my brother or sister.One day I noticed something. Sometimes as my anger cooled, I still wanted to feel angry. I didn’t want to be un-angry. The Bible calls this attitude “implacable.” An unwillingness to calm down, an unwillingness to make peace. Paul made... Continue Reading →
I’m listening to a woodpecker.Tap-tap-tap. Pause. Tap-tap. Pause. Tap-tap-tap. On and on and on!The woodpecker has the powerful combination of faith and persistence. Jesus said, “Look at the birds...your Heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26) He might not find success after hours in my tree. He may move to... Continue Reading →
I’m sitting outside at Harding University, under their ancient gnarly oaks. And sitting five feet from me is a red fox squirrel, chomping on some sort of a nut. It’s acting for all the world as if I were a rock.Usually squirrels run from the slightest movement. Except here—where they’ve learned trust. And Jesus wants... Continue Reading →
As I walked into my friend’s house, there were several dark black scuff marks on his beautiful tile floor—just about as ugly as a mustache drawn on the Mona Lisa. But my friend wiped them away with a simple napkin. So easy.Naturally, the scuffs were real, but the floor was protected by a layer of... Continue Reading →
I never thought I’d get anything of real value out of a fortune cookie.Oh, of course, I get some interesting sayings once in a while, and a few of them are actually good advice. But I got one that said this: “You know God is with you. So listen to what you know instead of... Continue Reading →
I suspect we’ve all heard the phrase: “This too shall pass.” On days when it seems that nothing is going quite right, and the day seems to lasts forever, I comfort myself with that thought. But then, so did Jesus. It is written that because of the joy set before Him, He endured the cross.He... Continue Reading →
