As young girls, a friend and I would be on the phone, deeply engaged in a very serious conversation, and out of nowhere would come this deep, authoritative voice saying: “It’s 9 o’ clock.” It was her father. She would say “yes, sir” to him, “good bye” to me, and we’d hang up. One night he did this and I was so moved by it, not only did I get off of the phone, I stayed off of the phone and went and got in bed. . . as if it was my father telling me to do so! There was something about the Continue Reading
Why Wonder?
I was talking with a group of ladies the other day and we were asked if we ever wonder what people say about us when we are not around or what they think about us in their heads? We all answered “yes.” Isn’t it interesting how other people’s opinions, perceptions, thoughts, feelings—all of that internal stuff—can come to matter so much to us? The degree to which it matters may vary, but many of us carry around this burden of insecurity more often than we care to. Does any of this sound Continue Reading
The Rotten Apple: An Invitation to Invade
In 2 Corinthians the Apostle Paul writes to explain to the Corinthian believers the true nature and high calling of Christian ministry. He speaks of its joys, sufferings, and rewards. In Chapter 7 he expresses an apeal to these believers with these words: “. . . let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” I found it interesting that this passage says “let us purify ourselves. . .” This means that the process of Continue Reading