Repurposed!...

Last night I finished writing a new book. I seem to remember starting it about 18 months ago, although I am not exactly sure. Then I worked on a number of other books and publications and there was no progress. Last weekend I picked it up again, reread it to remember who was who, and finished it this weekend. I’ts a funny feeling, ending the writing of a book. I have heard some...

They see, they blink...

I have been wondering about how often we have a critical moment when we make life decisions that greatly diminish our options going forward. We see an incredible opportunity, and we blink. The challenge is that it is hard to know when we are simply encountering just another demand on our time, and when we are upon, what one of my friends would call, a junction...

A “new” kind of currency...

Many say that faith is the currency of heaven. A quick Google search will yield nearly 4 million results. A few say it is forgiveness. If faith is the currency of choice and God has given each one of us “a measure of faith” (Romans 12), then we all have heaven’s currency. Then why do we seem to be so poor? Today I was reflecting on the writings of the prophet Isaiah in...

What’s the value of a changed life...

Many years ago Peter Drucker said that the product of a not-for-profit is a changed life. What happens when businesses are having an increasing societal role, and not-for-profits are running more like businesses? Do non-profits have more of an emphasis on real value for money? And how do businesses place a valuation on the life-change that they bring about? If they do so through a...

Rest and proceed...

Back in 1985 we visited good friends in Chile. There we learned an expression, “He’s on the wrong bus!’ which meant, he does not have a good grasp of the facts. When you are living a life that seems to be beyond the edge you will probably find yourself asking, “Am I on the right bus?” If you answer in the affirmative, then a second question comes up:...

Chosen, near...

Last night I had a dream of an earlier time when my kids were young. I remember, in the dream, cuddling with my kids and enjoying them as three and six-year olds. Then today when I woke up and went back to Psalm 65, believing there was another nugget there, I found it: “you choose and bring near.” As a dad I would not have children and then not want to be near them. The older they...

Who were the LEMONs in the Christmas sto...

I was recently doing a radio interview on Our Global Hope with Dr. Henrik Mann and he asked me this question. The answer involves some speculation, of course, but I nonetheless attempted to address it. You can hear the dialog on the internet radio program. http://www.talkzone.com/archive.asp?aid=43261 There is also a piece on facing fear....

Favor, Grace, Hope...

Last night we had a prayer time with friends, soberly thankful for 2009. The phrase came to mind, “He has been with us thus far…” — not with any sense that he would not be with us further, but that we should celebrate the presence of God, not taking it for granted. I then went back to Psalm 65 which seems to climax with “You crown the year with your...