Rolled Away and Turning a Corner. Sometimes an old children’s Sunday School chorus says it best. Here’s one from back in the day: “Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away. Every burden in my heart rolled away.” (2x). Please keep this thought in mind as I move onward here. Every burden in your heart. Every weight …
Goofy Dad Story – Walking into Glass Doors. A few years ago, the staff at Reality Ministries was invited to a beautifully restored old warehouse in downtown warehouse for a staff workshop. Red brick everywhere. Exposed wood beams. The interior decoration was stylish and creative, with lots of glass and exposed brick and rustic wood …
The Feet of Jesus Being Cleansed by a Prostitute. “Then Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon, ‘Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. …
Following Jesus -Wash One Another’s Feet. “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14-15, KJV). Foot-Washing: A simple act of hospitality; a house servant task, involving placing someone else’s dirty, smelly feet into a bowl of water and carefully cleansing those feet of …
Goofy Dad Story – Running Down the Street with My Finger in the Door. A few years ago at a little K-8 school in Arlington, Virginia, called Rivendell School, I was performing my usual role at 3:00 p.m. I was safely conducting students into waiting cars and the welcoming embraces of expectant parents and drivers. …
Goofy Dad Story – Walking Up the Old Phone Pole. While working through graduate school at Michigan State, I enjoyed a variety of jobs… liquor store manager at Sav-On Drugs, painter of apartments with the Christian Brothers Painting Company, gas station attendant at a Shell station, and a lineman for the Michigan Bell Telephone Company. While …
Mary of Bethany Anoints the Feet of Jesus. “Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus – the man He had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with Him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce …
Thanks, Spies! Forty More Years of Walking! “Look! He has placed the land in front of you. Go and occupy it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Don’t be afraid! Don’t be discouraged! Don’t be shocked or afraid of them! The Lord your God is going ahead of you. He …
I Can’t Even Walk… In Genesis 32, we find Isaac’s son Jacob fearful about his meeting up with his long-lost brother, Esau. It’s been 20 years since Jacob, the con man, cheated Esau out of both his birthright and his father’s blessing. Jacob by now was wealthy, had 11 sons, and was frantic with fear. Knowing …
Gospel Song – I Stood on the Banks of Jordan. Rev. James Cleveland (1931-1991) was a key figure in transitioning from traditional gospel to a more contemporary gospel, incorporating more soul, pop and jazz into his compositions and performances. Rev. Cleveland tended to write music for mass choirs, and was often producing records for the various …
Goofy Dad Story: Running on the Ice. My senior year at Wheaton College. Basketball season. Freezing temperatures on the morning of a game that night. I was running late to class. It was really cold, and there was ice on all the sidewalks. I had forgotten to wear my gloves, so as I ran I …
(14.) Soldier, Priest – Blessing Others with the Sword of the Spirit. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For this struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against …