Author: Jon Gauger

    Would you accept a dinner invitation from folks living at the home of “Simon the leper?”  Having personally visited a leprosy clinic and seen feet without toes and stumps without hands, I’m not sure I’d even show up.   But Jesus did.   There at the home of Simon the leper, He sat down to eat.  Matthew 26 records that at some point during the meal, a woman approached him carrying an alabaster vial of very pricey perfume.  She promptly poured it on his head as he lay reclining at the table.  Not some of it.  All of…

Confession: On Sunday mornings, I often sing the worship songs without actively giving God true praise.  I mouth the words…but fail to process them.  I sing the tunes, but don’t engage them.  Is this a lack of gratitude on my part?  Perhaps.  I suspect it's more an issue of distraction (I can’t imagine God is somehow okay with that). Nine-month old Ava showed me up last Sunday.  Attending church service on the grounds of King Camp we sang hymns and choruses—typical Sunday morning fare.   I was once again…well, distracted. Part of the distraction this time was Ava herself.  This blue-eyed…

Imagine a tree five-feet in diameter whose massive trunk stands poised to pummel the ground.  (I was actually there and took pictures!). The word, “thud,” doesn’t begin to describe what happened when the last of the chainsaw’s work was done. Our kids spent a surprising amount of their summers under that massive Oak which was almost a family friend. For shade, beauty and protection (you could sit by your campfire under its thick boughs and scarcely feel a drop of rain) this tree was in a class of its own.  So why did it have to be taken down?  I…

Her voice gives her away.  When Frieda calls, you can tell that she is mentally challenged.  Words are sometimes garbled.  Or mangled.  Pauses between phrases or sentences are often so unnaturally long, they create confusion—and plenty of unintended humor. But Frieda is friendly and faithful—more than most.  She is also in charge of the Christian worship service at a local senior center.  Without fail, she calls once a quarter inviting me to speak. As she welcomed everyone to this week’s service, she said, “I’d like to give credit to everyone who helped.” She then listed a bunch of names, including…

At 25,000 feet, clouds look different.  They just do. From the window of a jet, the view is completely unobstructed.  No cluttered skylines, no haze, no polluted air, just crisp viewing.  But the skyscape I like best is seen at much lower altitudes.  I love it when the plane lofts just high enough that is enshrouded in the misty vapor of the first cloud layer. Wispy trails rocket past the window reminding me of just how fast the hollow metal tube in which I’m seated is actually traveling.   But once we reach cruising altitude—say 25,000 feet—the clouds look much…

Unrelenting action, high-tech weapons and exotic locations. Stingray had it all. At least it seemed to when I was five. The mid-1960s television drama featured high-functioning marionettes, not live actors, to portray a futuristic submarine fleet of crime fighters. Powered by imagination, laced with explosions, Stingray delivered a solid half-hour of undersea thrills. I loved it then. I love it now. Enough that I bought the entire five-disc series on DVD and now share this magical underwater past of mine with our grandkids. You’d think that in an age of green screen, CGI and 3D animation Stingray would be sunk….

Smart folks do not let smartphones near water. (And now the story). Recently at our campground, eight-year-old Joslynn and I chugged around the lake in a paddle boat.  Fun!  Back on shore, Joslynn immediately asked if we could take the kayaks out for a spin. Point of clarification: paddle boats have broad flat bottoms and are virtually impossible to capsize.  By contrast, kayaks are unstable, and easily dunked.  This insight came to me later, rather than earlier. In approximately 18 inches of water, I managed to roll the kayak, thoroughly soaking myself—and the iPhone in my pocket. Rocketing out of…

I will never forget the first time I met Elizabeth Philhower. Pulling up to the farm with her daughter, Diana, I was struck immediately by how different a place this was from my home. I grew up in the shadow of O’Hare airport surrounded by congestion, noise, crowds and planes. But Calvin and Elizabeth’s place was peaceful, quiet and surrounded (it seemed to me) by corn—and cows. To know Elizabeth Philhower was to know she always had a place for you at the table. Last-minute dinner guest? You were welcomed. You brought an extra friend with you? Never a problem….

Recently, I had the honor of talking with Will Graham.  As the grandson of evangelist Billy Graham, Will carries the family name well.  Better than that, he carries the name of Jesus well. In the course of more than three decades at Moody Radio, I’ve been blessed to meet and interview a number of Will’s family members: Anne Graham Lotz, Franklin Graham (Will’s Dad), Gigi Tchividjian, and Billy himself, whom his grandson refers to as “Daddy Bill.”  Can I tell you a secret, something I’ve seen up close?  Apart from their love Jesus, the most important thing you need to…

How do you mix the Fourth of July, the story of Gideon, and an urgent desire to pass on biblical truth to your grandkids?  I’m not at all sure I know. But here’s what happened. All four of Josh and Lynnette’s grandkids showed up at our house for an overnight on July 4th.  With ten-month-old Sadie finally asleep, it was time to get Josie, Caleb and Lucy to bed.  Bible stories are a grand tradition, and we have a couple of favorite kids’ Bibles we use (I strongly recommend Ken Taylor’s, The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes from Moody…