500 Miles and 40 Years of Healing
In the C.S. Lewis book “The Screwtape Letters”, Screwape, the senior demon, writes letters to his nephew, Wormwood, giving him advice on how to best keep humans away from encountering God. In one letter Screwtape writes, “Music and silence - how I detest them both! We will make the whole universe a noise in the end…The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end.” . . .
Redeemed Quartet
Over this last year my dad and I have enjoyed listening to music on YouTube, particular those sung in multiple part harmonies by trios, quartets, or choirs. It brings back great memories for Dad, for when he was in high school and college he sang in an acapella group with his twin brother and another friend. Their repertoire consisted mostly of Mills Brothers songs.
Gotta Serve Somebody
Bob Dylan, one of the most influential songwriters of the 20th century, is best known for songs that chronicle social and political issues. Yet in the late 70’s the Jewish-born musician surprised everybody by declaring that he had become a born-again Christian, which outraged thousands of his fans. In 1979 Dylan released his first gospel album titled Slow Train Coming, on which Gotta Serve Somebody was the opening track.
Kathleen Jackson’s Testimony
At a memorial reception in August 2013 I had a wonderful but unexpected visit with one of my late mother’s life-long friends, Kathleen Jackson. A couple months later I received an email from her which said, “I think I told you that I teach/facilitate a Christian Creative Writing class at San Quentin. The men have written some pretty powerful pieces and I am trying to get exposure for them. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this . . .
The Learning Curve of Gratitude
This I Believe is an organization engaging people in writing and sharing essays describing the core values that guide their daily lives. Over 125,000 of these essays, written by people from all walks of life, have been heard on public radio and featured in weekly podcasts . . .
Remembering Glenn
On September 14th I attended my 50th high school reunion. I had missed the 40th reunion so had not seen the vast majority of my 175 former classmates for 20 years. It was a poignant gathering for many of us, as perhaps it will be our last . . .
The Present Presence of God
All of us experience worry, anxiety, and fear in this life. Jesus confirmed this would be the case but assures us that we don’t need to be crippled by these worries. In fact the day before his death He said to his disciples (John 16:33), “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” . . .
God’s Miracle of Rain
Have you ever considered rain as one of “God’s great and unsearchable wonders” as declared in the book of Job? Back in 2012 when I was a deacon the 30 of us who worked in various church ministries met monthly to share our experiences. In each meeting we set aside time for one deacon to share a “faith moment” . . .
Faith on a Plane
The uplifting story of God’s grace in this post was shared on the Mockingbird website (mbird.com) on 1/28/19 . . .