Dear Friends, This morning I woke up in a mood to complain. It’s not that anything in particular had gone wrong, it's just that I woke up focused on the glass being half empty, rather than half full. Fortunately, my negative mindset didn't keep me from sitting down with my Bible to do some reading - and the Lord led me to Exodus 17:23-26. If you’re not familiar with that passage, it says: “When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah, which means ‘bitter’. Then the people complained and turned against Moses. ‘What are we going to drink?’ they demanded. So Moses cried out to the Lord for help, and the Lord showed him a piece of wo
Dear Friends, Recently I found myself killing time reading an old National Geographic magazine while waiting for my car to be repaired. I chose this particular magazine out of a stack of options available in the waiting room because the cover story was on animals of Kenya. I have friends who are missionaries in Kenya, so I thought I would redeem the time by learning more about the country. The article was an interesting read, particularly when it got to the part about the “African Impala”. If you’re not familiar with that animal, it’s a medium-sized antelope that inhabits the grasslands of eastern Africa. From what I read, it seems that the African Impala is a fairly typical antelope. I
Dear Friends, This past Sunday, our church joined with churches around the world to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior. It was a great day, as we enjoyed wonderful worship, followed by a meal with our congregation and folks from the neighborhood. It truly was a day of celebrating “new life” - and my wife and I came home tired, but encouraged by all that we had seen God do. But, that was Sunday - and today is Wednesday - and unfortunately, I’ve already felt the messages of hope, and life, and forgiveness fading into the background as I move into the routine of my week. I don’t think I’m alone in this, as most of us are packing up Easter decorations, throwing out leftover candy, and f
