The Pearl Necklace 02/23/2010
Jim stared at the pearl necklace on the dresser in one of the most decisive moments of his young life. It was 2 o'clock in the morning, and the unfamiliar room was pitch dark, except for a single shaft of brilliant moonlight shining through a partially curtained window next to the dresser. The pearls shimmered as if they were filled with neon, beckoning him to come closer.
"How did it come to this," he wondered. "How on earth did I get here?"
As he continued to stare at the pearls, his mind played back over the events that had landed him in this predicament. Just a few moments ago, he was safely with his friends on the ground below, not in this house, not in this bedroom, and not with those pearls right in front of him.
read more...
Purveyors of God's Wisdom 01/27/2010
A young boy walks past his father on the way to the bathroom. When the father sees where his son is headed, he immediately jumps up from his couch to help him. The observer quickly realizes that the young boy is of "potty-training" age and is learning to use the family's "facilities". Being a good "dad", the father heads to the bathroom with his son to assist and encourage him in his newfound endeavor. But the careful observer detects something wrong with this familiar parent-child scene. There is a look of total innocence on the father's face rather than on the son's, and a look of "knowing" on the son's face rather than on the father's. The child is up to something, and the father is "none the wiser". The father is surprised when he reaches the door at the exact same time his son slams it in his face and locks the door from the inside.
read more...
Before you write a check... 01/18/2010
Disasters, such as the one we saw last week in Haiti, often bring out the best and the worst in people. Like you, my heart was wrenched by the news of the devastating earthquake. Like you, I despaired at the graphic images of suffering on television and on the Internet news sites. Like you, I felt an immediate and deep desire to do something-- anything that would help alleviate their pain. Like you, I even now feel frustrated because there seems to be so little I can do.
read more...
"A Convention of Fools" 12/17/2009
What would you think of me if I called our United States Congress a "convention of fools"? What if I extended this statement beyond our country to include the leaders of other countries as well--like the United Nations? What if I said that when the leaders of the world get together to make policy decisions impacting all of our lives and futures, it is little more than a "convention of fools"?
Well, your reaction might be anger if you are politically aligned with any of these groups. If you felt I was degrading them in any way--you might write me nasty letters. But if you are opposed to the current leadership and the direction the world seems to be headed-- you might be delighted for me to call them fools. That is, until I made the same statement about your political party when it comes to power! No, this is not a statement of partisan politics, so neither side needs to get upset with me.
read more...
"Islands in the Sky" 12/10/2009
I'm not particularly fond of heights. I wouldn't say I have a fear of heights, but I'm not really comfortable when I'm near a cliff, or a drop-off, or on top of a tall building. I think it is more the sensation of falling that seems to grip me when I'm close to a precipice. But for whatever reason, I tend to be very careful when I'm "close to the edge".
There's a beautiful national park in southern Utah named Canyonlands, where the Colorado and Green rivers have cut stunning canyons in the soft sandstone floor of the desert. Geologists tell me that the canyons were created by erosion caused by the arbitrary wanderings of the water over millions of years. But I'm not so sure. I remember standing there, in awe, and imagining the pleasure it must have given God to sculpt those canyons.
read more...
