Even as the Grinder Blared On

July 11, 2014

Two blocks from our home is a stand of Ponderosa pine trees.  These wonderful trees are esteemed enough to escalate the value of any home that is fortunate enough to share an address with them. As much as homeowners esteem this cohabitation, the trees themselves don’t welcome disruptive intruders.  Over the years I’ve watched as […]

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The Extravagant Promise of Grace

July 3, 2014

In a small Oregon town a 13­-year-­old named “E” recoils from the cascading impact of years of unhealthy relationships. The chasm in her life is relational, but her inability to process any of these feelings takes her to a place of deep disappointment and abandonment. Two weeks after her 14th birthday, E gives birth to […]

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Only in Virginia

June 27, 2014

In the Mesabi Iron Range the town of Virginia, Minnesota looms large.  It’s a town that hit its population prime between 1950 and 1960. It was during this period of time that transplanted Michiganders by the name of Don and Eunice Cargo welcomed their third child into the world, a daughter.  Don was an electrical […]

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There Were Four, Not Three

June 20, 2014

Often, when asked about the “friends of Job” in the Old Testament account of bad advice giving and gridlock, there are three names mentioned.  I confess that under the pressure of a million dollar question on Jeopardy I would have answered incorrectly.  “Three!” In Chapter 32 of the book, we’re introduced to a new character.  […]

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Somebody Else’s Cowbell

June 13, 2014

My ride started innocently enough, but without premeditation, I had merged into the cycling route of a local triathlon.  Saturday at the Aurora Reservoir was a noteworthy adventure, and as I pulled onto east bound Quincy Avenue, I was the fortunate benefactor of a road closed to motor traffic and a sweeping flow of riders. […]

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A Few Changes to the Job Description

June 6, 2014

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:18-19) Jesus broke through the focused activities of two […]

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“The World Itself Could Not Contain”

May 23, 2014

An early breakfast at Cracker Barrel in Gas City, Indiana, afforded me the opportunity to listen, learn and savor time with Jay Kesler.  Jay is a trusted friend, a wise advisor, and a man of Godly depth.  I love him.  He served as the President of Youth for Christ/USA from 1973 to 1985, so he […]

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FellowshipChicago

May 16, 2014

Old steel beams and concrete floors shrouded the vision in front of me.  Members of the FellowshipChicago leadership team spoke with clarity and hope about what was going to be. A charter school.  A retail space to offer vocational opportunity.  A worship center. The immediate condition of the property didn’t discourage or overwhelm these leaders.  […]

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A glance into a mirror that I didn’t expect…

May 2, 2014

Mack was unwrapping the mess that was his childhood. An absent mother, a robust and destructive gang community, drugs, violence and ultimately incarceration. Without being mean-spirited, Mack challenged the notion that the juvenile justice system as it stands could ever rehabilitate a young law breaker. He understood and embraced both the need for justice and […]

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It’s In Pop’s Pocket

April 17, 2014

I’m not exactly sure when I became a “handkerchief guy,” but that’s what I am.  Nearly everywhere I go I carry a carefully folded white cloth in my pocket.  I suppose this might have been initiated when my growing collection of whiskers made the flimsy tissues disintegrate into my mustache.  Unaware, I would then proceed […]

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