September 15: Look Who Got Caught
I've got a friend who discovered one of his employees had been embezzling money from his company. He had been doing it for years. Nobody suspected. A few months ago I stumbled over the fact that a man with an impressive ministry had been misappropriating funds. Except for a strange set of God directed circumstances, I'd never have guessed.
September 30: Is the Day of Death Better than the Day of Birth?
The first time I read Ecclesiastes 7:1, I scratched my head, perplexed. Solomon, the wisest man of all time, wrote eleven words and only one had two syllables. He observed, "The day of death is better than the day of birth."
How could that be? I remember the birth of each of my three sons. I celebrated and dreamed of how full and fulfilling and rewarding their lives would be. Friends and family joined in the festivities too. Together we looked forward to a better future because these three boys had joined the human race.
October 7: Achieve Succes By Delaying Gratification
We're taught to travel fast and light. On the freeway we drive in the fast lane. If we want something we're told to, "Go for it!" Or, "Just do it!"
Immediate gratification is a driving force in our lives. We expect pain to go away fast. We expect immediate success. Our expectations are in keeping with what we see on TV--men get sex whenever they want it, relational conflicts are resolved in a hour, and other men have the trappings of success without the hassles.
October 16: How to Get Rid of Moles
I've been battling moles for nine years. That's right...nine years. If you live in a part of the world that doesn't battle these creatures consider yourself lucky. I looked up the word "mole" in Wikipedia and here's what I found: "Moles...have cylindrical bodies covered in fur, with small or covered eyes; the ears are generally not visible. They eat small invertebrate (read: 'grub worms') living underground." I've attached a picture of the ugly monsters-only those who have never fought the furry critters would call them cute.
October 23: Never Mistake Your Wife for a Hat
In his book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Dr. Oliver Sacks, a neurologist, tells the story about a man, Dr. P., who suffered from a disorder called visual agnosia. Dr. P., a well-known musician and teacher, possessed excellent musical and reasoning skills. But because he had visual agnosia he mistook one object, or body part, for something or someone else.
October 30: Protection from an Economic Freefall
Several years ago while having a blast at Magic Mountain in Southern California, my youngest son, Paul, and I stood beneath the Dive Devil, a ride in which two people are strapped side-by-side into a harness and then lifted 170 feet or so into the air. Once they reached the apex of the lift, one of them pulled a strap and they immediately plummeted down and then swung out racing just over the trees, buildings, and people below. With arms outstretched they looked like birds in people's clothing.
November 6: A Christian Response to the Election
There are many who, like me, worked and prayed for Obama's defeat. On the other hand, I've got evangelical friends who worked and prayed for his victory. And now with the election behind us, where do we go from here?
I think we need to begin by applauding the magnitude of what Obama has accomplished. He is the first African American to be elected to the highest office in the land. And he ran a brilliant campaign.
November 13: How to Overcome Fear
It's obvious that the current financial crisis isn't a tiny speed-bump that the economy will get past without slowing down. This baby threatens to bring everything to a dangerous halt. As I've traveled around the country in the last month, I've met some men who have been laid off. Others fear they will be. A glance at the evening news makes it clear that even some of the big-time money men are nervous. And so am I. Maybe you are too.
November 20: The Master Wants to Play You
The great composer Mendelssohn visited a cathedral in Europe that housed one of the most magnificent organs in the world. The German composer quietly sat in a pew and listened as the cathedral organist prepared for the Sunday mass. When he finished Mendelssohn approached and asked, "Could I play the organ?"
December 4 : The Call to a Disciplined Life
The great composer Mendelssohn visited a cathedral in Europe that housed one of the most magnificent organs in the world. The German composer quietly sat in a pew and listened as the cathedral organist prepared for the Sunday mass. When he finished Mendelssohn approached and asked, "Could I play the organ?"
December 11: Lock Arms with a Few Men
Sometimes we underestimate the power we can have when united as active warriors for God's kingdom. Make no mistake about it, inspired men fight with greater strength and endurance.
December 18: Christmas Funk
There's a "funk" that I often find myself in during the Christmas season, and it happened again this year. As Christmas Day gets closer, I catch myself stewing about the year, mentally cataloging my regrets of the past, my concerns about the future, and the reasons I have to be melancholy in the present.
December 30: Count the Cost
It's the first of the year and I was thinking about water-skiing in Texas in December--without a wetsuit. I used to barefoot water-ski. I thrived on the adrenaline rush of skimming across glass-smooth water at high speeds. I enjoyed using my heels to create six-foot rooster tails made of water. I savored the challenge of performing tricks like a deep-water start or crossing the wake or skiing on one foot or managing a tumble turn. All of those things I liked about bare-footing, I did not like falling face-first against a plate of placid water while going forty miles an hour. That I did not like.
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