When I was a child, I remember the playground at recess could be a place where kids were not always kind. Maybe that's where the term School of Hard Knocks comes from. I know in my life, I have experience somehard knocks that have caused desperation, loneliness, isolation and disappointment. When these types of hard knocks enter our lives, we can become overwhelmed with sorrow. When this happens, sometimes we may do nothing, or we may run away to hide. In Psalm 42:9, King

Have you ever felt inadequate? Have you ever been placed in a position to do something that is beyond your abilities? I have more times than I care to remember. The first few times I found myself in a situation like this, I simply gave myself a pep talk. It went something like this, “you can do this. These people believe in you, now believe in yourself!” I’d then step out unsure but moving forward and guess what—I fell short, I really fell short. Zerubbabel found himself in

I serve as a member of a committee that approves or rejects candidates for mission’s service. Recently, during an interview with an applicant, it became very obvious that this person lacked a number of elements needed to insure a successful career serving cross culturally. Their resume showed a bumpy educational track, and a gaping hole in in any longevity of successful ministry. After a lengthy interview the candidate was asked to step out of the room as we made our decisi

When I was working on my Bachelor’s Degree at Spring Arbor University, I spent the first two years working in the kitchen. One of my occasional responsibilities was to change the bags of milk. The bags of milk were five gallons and they had a straw which you had to properly feed into the container in order to allow the milk to flow properly. Unfortunately, the product was not always assembled consistently and there were many times the straw was not properly placed on the bag,

We have all heard variations of the phrase, “make me more like Jesus.” A few years ago, many Christians wrapped their wrist with a WWJD bracelet. This wrist band may have made the statement that the wearer was asking this question, What Would Jesus Do? But the reality was displaying the letters WWJD gave no power to perform such a request. Have you ever asked, “what enabled Jesus to be all that He was?” You might think, well He was God, it was easy for Him. Yet, as you stu

I consider myself a law-abiding citizen. I go the speed limit, obey traffic lights and come to a complete stop at all stop signs. That said, I came face to face this spring with a decision that required me to skirt around the law…just a bit. On my way to work one day I saw a sign that said, Road Closed to Thru Traffic. What?!? I always go this way! This is the fastest way to work! I hesitated for a moment then followed the rest of the traffic and ignored the sign. Bye-