In the 2010 Zheng-Kai Marathon, elite runner Jaqueline Kiplimo spotted a disabled Chinese runner having trouble opening a water bottle. The runner had no hands and was dehydrated. Kiplimo not only helped him with the water bottle, she also slowed her pace and ran with him from about Mile 6 to Mile 23, aiding him…

Though she sat on the front row, you would have missed her. Passed right by without a second thought. No designer labels. Quiet. Invisible. A plastic bead among the polished gems of the well-to-do Sunday School class.  Until my lesson started.  I threw out questions to the feisty group of seniors I had the privilege…

As I head into the holidays, I desperately need the right frame of mind. A firm foundation and a solid framework of spiritual principles to keep me steady through the challenges of the season, like managing the same twenty-four hours of the day with a much longer to-do list.  Christ, as always, provides the foundation,…

The principle of sowing and reaping runs through the pages of Scripture. But we don't usually think about the sowing—until the harvest arrives.

Ever start an article or blog post and all you saw was miles of ink? (Yes, Texas Monthly, I’m talking to you.) Did you wince? Tense up? Bypass it? We need white space.  Breathing room. Margin. Do you have any? Do your kids? Are you scheduled to the edges of your calendar? Sabbath God commands us…

My ninety-plus pound Belgian Malinois is a great running partner—most of the time. Valor heels, sets a good pace, and serves as bodyguard too.  But he has a high prey drive.  Anything small and furry that moves, beware. (FYI, owners of small dogs, big dogs see prey rather than your precious baby.) If I see…

Blameless. Pure.  Children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Shining like stars in the sky. Does this come close to your dreams for your kids and grandkids? It does for me. Let’s look at the passage. “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without…

The wilderness.  Scripturally speaking, the wilderness is a place we often seek to get through, rather than camp there.  Moses and the children of Israel wandered forty years there because they lacked the faith to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 14:31). Hagar ended up there twice, once when escaping Sarai’s abuse and once when she…

I know. I’m late. Life blew up at the end of April, and the fallout has buried me. On the plus side, God is teaching me about faith. Here’s what I’m learning. 1. You either believe what God says—or not.  God either has sovereignty or not. My faith (or lack of it) will be reflected in…

Sandpaper. Rough. Gritty. Scratchy. Applied willy-nilly, it scratches paint, mars plastic, and rips off the top layer of skin.  Correctly applied, it removes the rough spots leaving a smooth surface that’s ready for something new. Stain. Paint. A shiny coat of varnish. 2020 felt like sandpaper. Irritating. Annoying. Painful even.  I didn’t know I could…