Author: Jon Gauger

Are you robbing God? “What kind of ridiculous question is that?” you reply. It’s a legitimate question, that’s what kind. For many years, I've designated my time on the train ride into Chicago for Bible reading and prayer. Nothing else is supposed to infringe. It's a simple commitment, and this habit has significantly blessed me. What could be a better start to the day? But for some reason, lately, I've struggled. My phone routinely buzzes with an "urgent" text from a family member or an "essential" email from a guest we will interview. Then, there's that task I forgot to…

Unless you are Danielle Steele, Dean Koontz, J.K. Rowling, or Stephen King, you probably need coaching with your writing. Being in great need, I’m greatly helped by an online grammar checker. It sniffs out sentences written in the passive voice, adjectives whose modified nouns are unclear, commas that have been misplaced or misused—and many other writing sins. Though I tend to accept most suggestions, I was bemused by a message that popped up in a recent critique of something I’d written (screenshot below): "The word Jesus appears repeatedly in this text. Consider changing it or rewriting the sentence to avoid…

When Ava and Emma asked me to play "Old Elf" (think Old Maid but with a bearded gnome), I plopped down on the floor and dutifully picked up my cards. As she nestled next to me, the game in full swing, Emma “couldn’t help” but notice what was in my hand: one last card (which you’ve correctly guessed was “the old elf”). Five-year-old Emma could have chosen to draw a card from her sister. Yet her big blue eyes narrowed as she softly stated, “I want to do this for you.” I tried to talk her out of it, reminding…

From a distance, it looked impressive. Quietly majestic, even. Hiking through the park, I wandered off the (literally) beaten bath to check out a tree whose circumference was 136 inches. That's 11 feet four inches around. Only up close would you notice this tree has a hole in the trunk. It's just about at eye height, so you can lean into the thing and see grass and trees on the other side (see photo below). But what forces of nature could hollow out a tree? Drought? Disease? Rot from within? I'm sure this tree has a story, likely a sad…

Letdown. That's the emotional state for many of us on December 26. And no wonder. We've shopped, dropped, wrapped, cleaned, and prepped. Then, all that work gets gobbled up in the time it takes to eat a piece of pie–almost. We’ve looked forward to seeing family. We’ve looked forward to being with friends. We’ve looked forward to a restful break. And now most of that is in the rearview mirror. But could I suggest we're looking in the wrong direction? Instead of looking back or looking down—we should be looking up. Consider. If you know Christ as Savior, you are…

It’s official! Today, December 19, we are just seven days away from…the start of the gift return line! Consider: Around 1 in 6 Christmas gifts will be taken back to stores. Approximately 1 in 3 three U.S. adults will make a return or exchange this Christmas season. 18-24 year-olds are five times more likely to return a gift than those 55 and up. Every year, Amazon returns cost the company more than $800 billion! We have a friend who is famous—or maybe infamous—for all her shopping returns. At least one store has placed her on a No-Fly list. She now…

It's our day-after-Thanksgiving tradition. I ascend the dusty heights of our garage door overhead storage, retrieving the interlocking plywood pieces that make up a nativity scene. The crèche is then assembled on the front lawn and illuminated with an LED spotlight (which sometimes actually works). One night, as we pulled out of our driveway, Diana noticed a curious visual playing out on our home siding. It was an enormous shadow bearing a striking resemblance to the Joseph figure in our manger scene! The spotlight seems positioned at just the right angle and spacing to make Joseph look huge. Ironically, his…

Do you have the virus? I’m not talking about the flu or this year’s strain of Coronavirus. I’m talking about the malady called “Must Be Right.” Christians have a biblical mandate to be and do right before God and man. But too many of us have adopted the world's standard of polarized conduct toward those who differ from us. So, we become not only aggressive but, at times, abrasive. As Bible-believing Christians… We are right about the doctrine of salvation by faith alone. We are right about the inerrancy of Scripture. We are right about the sacredness of life. We…

Okay. I admit it. A blog about thankfulness on Thanksgiving might be too on the nose. But I have a question I've been wrestling with that I'd like to ask you. Are you thankful—or merely thank-ish? By definition, someone who is thankful is—well—full of thanks. So much so that thankfulness oozes out of your pores. Thankfulness is a resident of your heart, not merely a visitor. But many of us live at a different level—one I’m calling “thank-ish.” Here, we occasionally enter moments of gratitude. But it’s not our sweet spot, not something we think we need to work on….

It was supposed to be a relaxing evening at church, singing favorite songs. Instead, the lyrics of a hymn I hadn't heard in years plagued my soul.   Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord; Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word. Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak, Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.   As the music to this old hymn soaked my soul, a barrage of uncomfortable questions fired at me. I take time for Hulu—but do I take time to be holy? I take time for football—but…