Kings and stars guide all of us on our journeys with God. Kings represent human factors; stars, the divine. We must learn to recognize the difference between them and give each factor its due weight. The magi who went to worship the Christ child are an example of how it works. Imagine them arriving in […]
It’s hard to find a balance between making our own plans and waiting for the Lord to arrange things. I tend to feel lazy while waiting, and pushy when pressing on with my own plans. James warned us against being too confident in those plans. Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow, we shall […]
Would it have happened? Was the devil speaking the truth when he told Jesus that the heavenly Father would send angels to catch Jesus if He jumped off the temple pinnacle (Luke 4:9-12)? Scripture doesn’t lie, right? So when the devil quoted it he was speaking truth, right? Wrong! This temptation twisted truth, applied it […]
I always pack a flashlight because sometimes I misjudge how long a hike will take. Once, the sun set six miles from the trailhead. I did a two-hour night hike through trees, barely able to distinguish the path from the forest floor. If the battery had failed I would have had no choice but to […]
I often experience a deep weariness at doing things that seem fruitless or mundane. I fear new paths will turn into impassable rabbit trails. There seems no point in getting exhausted if there will be no return on my investment. Simon and his partners felt something like that one morning after catching nothing all night. […]
[Salome] said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” And although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests. And he sent and had John beheaded in the prison. (Matt. 14:8-10) Even the ruthless Herod had a conscience. […]
It’s strange how we can repeatedly read a passage and miss a basic point. That happened to me with the story of Paul and Silas in prison when the earthquake struck. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, […]
“Don’t go any further. We’re right on the edge of a cliff. This is not the right trail.” I hissed in frustration. My first day hiking the Pennine Way in England almost ended in disaster. I had set off from the valley trailhead in bright sunshine but near the top of the mountain the clouds […]