Again and Immediately

March 3, 2017

Again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.  And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him.  And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?  It is enough, the […]

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Candidly Unprofessional

February 24, 2017

It was almost exactly nine years ago that I met Rick Voit. Like me, he was attending the 60th birthday party of my brother Robert in Orlando, Florida. Rick’s connection with Robert began while Rick was a student at New Trier High School in the north suburbs of Chicago. Robert led a Youth For Christ […]

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Amplified by Grief

February 10, 2017

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. (James […]

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“Well, do you know how to wrestle?”

January 27, 2017

Rowan, our three-year-old grandson, posed the question to Mary as she invited input on plans for the afternoon at our house. I have many vivid memories of interaction with my grandmother as a child, and I can unequivocally assure you that not only did I never verbalize a question like this, I never conceived of […]

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A Charlie-Sized Dream

January 23, 2017

A dream. A vision. But he who is noble plans noble things, and on noble things he stands. Isaiah 32:8 In early January I read this scripture. The ink for these words came from the heart of God. I was riveted by this thought, and inspired by the concept… but with lingering ambiguity of what this looked like in practice. Then, while standing in the basement of […]

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Sunscreen and Umbrellas

January 13, 2017

“For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” I live in Aurora, Colorado. On most days in our city, the sun shines. In fact, it doesn’t just shine, it envelopes us. We love it. That also means that on good […]

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Revisiting the Glimpse

January 9, 2017

Within the past several days I was escorted back to the front seat of an incident that happened privately many years ago in Munich, Germany. I’m guessing it was in 1999… but that’s irrelevant, except that the lingering impact of this experience hovers over my soul. I was in the center of my tenure with […]

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Wow

December 22, 2016

It was just a short drive through the neighborhood to discover and inspect the local Christmas lights. Sitting in a car seat in the middle row of Andrew and Chrissy’s Honda minivan was Drew, our twenty-month old grandson who is loaded with unencumbered jabber and joy. To Drew, Christmas is magic. At nearly every sight […]

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For Unto Us a Scandal

December 16, 2016

Before the miracles, gossip. Before the cross, whispers. Before an empty tomb, rumors. Before the swaddling clothes, a pregnant, unmarried teenager. Before glorious praise, scandal. Before confidence, doubt. “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Gabriel “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” Elizabeth […]

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The Comeback of the Year

December 2, 2016

I love comeback stories. Who doesn’t. The underdog. The outcast. From benched to the best. The National Football League and Major League Baseball recognize the athlete that best defines an athletic comeback each year. With Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror, I’ve come to believe that one of the most noteworthy comebacks in our present […]

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