Transforming Diagnosis
Posted on May 27
TRANSFORMING DIAGNOSIS The COVID-19 pandemic reminded me of a story my dad told me about a man who went to the doctor for a battery of tests. The tests revealed the diagnosis of a terminal disease. The doctor was candid with him and told him that he would probably not live more than a few months. The man was shocked. He immediately went to his pastor, who listened carefully and empathically. The man confessed that he did not have... more »
Posted in Inspirational
Falling Apart or Falling into Place?
Posted on May 20
FALLING APART OR FALLING INTO PLACE? For the past 6 weeks, I have been filming a brief “Good News” segment on social media every morning at 10 o’clock. I stand in front of bookshelves in my office where I have some pictures. Since many asked me about the people in the pictures, I decided to take a different picture each day and talk about the person in the picture and what good news they might share. I... more »
Posted in Inspirational
COVID-19 Can Reveal The Best Or The Worst
Posted on May 13
COVID-19 CAN REVEAL THE BEST OR THE WORST As restrictions are being loosened on large and small businesses and public gatherings, I pray that we will be very cautious and practice even more carefully the guidelines that have been put into place. We do need to see the economy rebound, but we cannot allow the coronavirus to rebound. COVID-19 is bringing out the best and worst in people. 43 employees at the Braskem petrochemical plant in... more »
Posted in Inspirational
The New Normal
Posted on May 6
THE NEW NORMAL As most states are relaxing restrictions on businesses and confinement, people are talking about returning to normal. Normal will not be normal as we’ve known it! There will be a New Normal! Read Deuteronomy 28. Moses is leading the people into the Promised Land. If they obey God, it will be a New Normal. He describes where they’ve been, and where they’re going. They have a choice to make – obey God and the New Normal, or... more »
Posted in Inspirational
Finding the Good
Posted on April 29
FINDING THE GOOD While there is daily bad news about COVID-19, there are also good stories of people helping people and making a difference. Helen Keller once said, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of suffering.” She could see more about life than most people that have 20/20 vision! Two medical students at the University of Minnesota Medical School saw they would have a little more time and... more »
Posted in Inspirational
Good News
Posted on April 22
GOOD NEWS There is a lot of bad news about COVID-19. There are also good news stories of how people are using this time for something good. Here are a few of those! Cavanaugh Bell is a first-grader in Maryland. He heard about the coronavirus, and he started thinking about what he could do. He had $600 in savings, so he asked his mom to go shopping with him. At the store, he bought cartloads of hand sanitizer, snacks,... more »
Posted in Inspirational
COPING-20 with COVID-19
Posted on April 15
COPING-20 WITH COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic caught us all by surprise. It has interrupted our normal lifestyles. Six weeks ago, I was preparing to speak at several churches, a coaches conference, a pastors’ conference, and I was planning to celebrate the graduation exercises of 2 of my grandsons. All of that has changed. How do you deal with a pandemic? We all do something to cope with it. We must be careful about how we choose to cope because our... more »
Posted in Inspirational
Uncertainty
Posted on April 8
UNCERTAINTY Uncertainty – that’s one of the things causing havoc in our world today. The stock market is going up and down, and experts say it’s because of uncertainty. We don’t know how long businesses should be shut down because of uncertainty. Students don’t know when school will resume because of – uncertainty. Churches don’t know when we can resume in-person worship because of – uncertainty. We don’t know when the “curve will be flattened” and the containment of... more »
Posted in Inspirational
Living in the Fog
Posted on April 1
LIVING IN THE FOG During this time of self-induced or mandated quarantine, we are looking for ways to spend our time. Many people are telling me that they have more time to worry. And they are worrying more! Worry can be debilitating. It’s like walking on a treadmill – you expend a lot of energy, but you never go anywhere. Worry never eliminates tomorrow of its sorrows – it only zaps today of its strength. The great philosopher Linus said,... more »
Posted in Inspirational
An Old and a New Vaccine
Posted on March 25
AN OLD AND A NEW VACCINE Worry and anxiety are two of the biggest emotions we face at this point in history. For the past eight years, prior to the COVID-19 crisis, Google search rates for anxiety have more than doubled every year. The YouVersion Bible app has over 415 million users. The most popular Bible verse searched is Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything…” Jesus addresses this issue in Matthew 6:25-34. While we are working... more »
