Stretched But Not Broken

When my boys were little, one of them had a toy called Stretch Armstrong. And yes, Stretch stretched, across the room, down the hallway, from the top bunk to the bottom—until my son broke him. We put a colorful bandage on Stretch’s leg, and stretched Stretch less after that.

We all eventually find our breaking point when we’re overextended. Lately I’ve wondered (more…)

Nothing But the Truth

Truth is a timeless universal buzzword. I’ve found people are much more open to discussing the concept of truth than the concept of redemption. Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” That same question can be a springboard from which to share the gospel.

Truth is, few people take the time to consider the origin of truth. So let’s follow the logical progression (more…)

I’m Not Who I Used to Be

Ask someone her greatest struggle as a Christ-follower, and she’s almost bound to say witnessing. And ask someone about the toughest audience to whom to witness, and she’s almost bound to say family.

In this space, we focus on victorious life in Christ despite adversity. But here’s an inconvenient truth: You cannot be truly victorious if you are defeated in your witness. (more…)

New Normals

Last spring my oldest son got engaged. A shower would be held at my house, which necessitated finally repairing my unsightly kitchen ceiling. Then a reception hall proved unavailable, making my house the venue of choice. That, of course, necessitated more home renovations. In between, there was a second shower, wedding plans, another family wedding, Thanksgiving, then THE wedding (the week (more…)

Five Simple Steps to Winning in 2014

The advent of January generally puts new wind under our sails. We wipe the sweat off our brow from the travails of the previous year, and we set high hopes for the new year. This is evidenced by the annual establishment of resolutions, many of which we simply pull out of storage and dust off. They are familiar faces, halfway between (more…)