Several years ago I had the pleasure of meeting author Peter Lundell at a Christian writers’ conference. Since then I’ve been enjoying his monthly blog called Connections. With permission, I’m happy to share with you his latest post. I hope you find it as meaningful as I do. Here’s a challenge: Don’t criticize anything or anyone for twenty-four hours. If you think, What a dumb idea! You just lost it. Start over. When I first heard that and tried it years ago, I challenged myself to not criticize anyone for twenty-four hours. And I failed every day. But I…
January 6, 2021 is a day we will never forget. Watching a massive mob of angry and violent protestors break into our nation’s Capitol, while Congressmen and women cowered on the chamber floor was horrifying and heartbreaking. It left Americans shaken, scared, uncertain. Later that day I went out for a walk to think, pray, and try to process what was happening. The beautiful sky and setting sun reminded me of God’s supremacy. What came to mind were the words on a poster I had as a teenager: JESUS CHRIST Certain in the midst of uncertainty A firm rock in…
Normal days are no longer normal. The world is caught up in a storm, the winds of change fiercely howling; while we’re swirling, swirling, unsure of when we might land. Bravely venturing out, we find empty shelves in familiar stores, businesses and restaurants closed, church services cancelled. The economy is in a tailspin, with nothing guaranteed but an uncertain future. Meanwhile, people remain sheltered in their homes, riding out the storm while gripping tightly onto all they thought they knew. Jesus warns us such trouble is inevitable: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have…
The Bible is not a book full of clever maxims, helpful suggestions, or do’s and don’ts—it is the book of LIFE! As such, its many principles and paradoxes challenge our human thinking: when we give, we receive; when we lose ourselves, we find ourselves; to be rich, we must become poor; exalting ourselves, we’ll be humbled, but humbling ourselves, we’ll be exalted. God longs to fill us and be part of all we do, all we are, and all we become, but His hands are tied if we’re hanging on to our human pride. When we think our ways are…
At the college I attended, in addition to completing required courses in your major—mine being English—students also submitted a portfolio of their best work, which after the approval of an academic Board of professors qualified them for graduation. Tucked inside my portfolio, I still have an orange 3 x 5 card on which one of my professors wrote: A beautiful body of work—I’m proud of you and feel lucky to be one of your readers. . . . I hope you continue writing and try to start publishing. You have talent, and heart, and wonderful wit; and equally important, you…
