Do you ever wonder why Christians watch about the same amount of R-rated films as the rest of society? Do you ever ask why Christians look at almost as much pornography as the world? Do you ever wonder why Christians divorce at nearly the same rate as the secular culture? I have a one-word theory: repentance. Whatever happened to repentance—the biblical concept of having sorrow over our sin? Repentance means changing your mind and changing your direction: away from sin and toward godliness. In Matthew 3:8, Jesus commanded, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” If you and I claim Christ…
Surprise Face
You kinda have to see her face to really understand. Ava is 21 months old. Her parents will tell you she is increasingly vested in the “terrible twos” stage, even if her arrival is a tad early. Like most kids her age Ava makes sounds, is saying words and even tiny sentences. She knows her animals and her acute sense of hearing identifies even the slightest chirp, woof, meow or moo. A dog barks in the distance and Ava sticks out her index finger, seemingly beckoning the rest of us to listen. A bird tweets in an overhead tree—her finger…
You Never Know
Early morning in downtown Chicago. I stepped into a cab almost immediately noticing Moody Radio was playing on the car speakers. My driver was from the Ivory Coast and so I told him about my previous trips to West Africa, tossing in a few French phrases as best I could. Then I did the obvious and asked him about the station he was listening to. “It’s from the Moody Bible” he said. “That’s great,” I replied, and informed him that I worked at Moody—more specifically for Moody Radio—and that we were headed for the campus. “Small world,” he said,…
Alone in the Playland
She was the only kid in the McDonald’s Playland. Apparently, it happens a lot. Alexa is nine. Her dad lives in one town, her mom in another, 17 miles away. She was the only child in the McDonald’s Playland until we arrived with our two grandkids. Though they are younger than Alexa, she chatted them up. My wife and I, as well while we waited for our order. By the time I arrived with our tray of food, Alexa had seated herself at our table and stayed there for the entire duration of our meal. She seemed plenty hungry—but not…
Wall of Stories
History oozes out if its pores—literally. On Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, the spire-topped Tribune Tower clutches at the sky. Every time I walk past, I can’t just walk past. I linger. Stare. Ponder the wall of stories. Constructed in 1925, the imposing gothic icon is embedded with stone and brick fragments of impressive pedigree. Built right into the walls of the Tribune Tower are actual pieces from… The Berlin Wall The Alamo Wartburg Castle But that’s just the beginning. Look further and you will find stones from: The White House Coliseum of Rome Temple in Jerusalem Great Pyramid of Giza The…
The Best Day
What’s the best day you can recall? For me, it would be the day I married Diana. Unforgettable. Our honeymoon trip to the tourist trap known as Wisconsin Dells is without doubt the most fun and the most fabulous memory I have. (You who are more spiritually minded will have to forgive me for not mentioning the day I received Christ as my favorite day. But I was such a little kid at the time, I sort of took it all in stride). For our daughter, Lynnette, her favorite day on the whole calendar is….can you guess? Hint: It’s not…
Premature Death Notice
The words came through but didn’t quite register. At exactly 1:47 on Tuesday afternoon an email arrived announcing that my father had died—”please pray for the family.” But before I ever saw the email, my son Tim called and asked if I’d heard the “news.” Something wasn’t adding up, so I placed a quick call to the email source (a wonderful family friend) and learned that they had made an error in identifying the deceased. The lost loved one in question was actually my aunt. A follow up email was immediately sent out to correct the error. Obviously, we are…
The Girl Who Cared for Anne Frank
Everyone has heard of Anne Frank, the Jewish girl who died in a Nazi concentration camp. Fewer have heard of Gena Goldfinger, the girl who nursed 15-year old Anne as she lay dying. Before Gena's journey to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, she spent time at Auschwitz, where an apparent malfunction in a gas chamber spared her life. But a brother was shot by the Nazi SS. One of Gena's sisters was gunned down trying to smuggle food into the camp. Another sister died a horrible death after being injected with gasoline by Dr. Mengele. But little Gena—not even ten years…
How Many Balloons?
How many balloons would it take to lift you off the ground? I’ve wondered about this question since I was a kid. Staring at the Pixar movie, Up, did nothing but stoke my imagination. Maybe you’re curious, too. Adventurist Tom Morgan was determined to find the answer to this question. He and some friends jetted to Botswana in southern Africa, having determined the wide open planes and plateaus were a perfect fit for their crazy experiment. Strapped into a chair, Tom’s team attached 86 very large (think five-feet in diameter) helium-filled balloons. And then he lifted off, higher and higher. …
The Bear
Have you ever felt the blast of a bear exhaling on your hand? Happened to me a few days ago. We were visiting a small town Wisconsin zoo and I found myself frustrated trying to take pictures of Bugaboo and Berryboo—a pair of Black Bears. In addition to the very sturdy chain link fence that kept the bears where they belonged, there was a secondary fence that kept us back even further. So taking pictures of the bears was more like taking pictures of the fence. In talking with one of the animal trainers I explained my dilemma, suggesting…