“O Lord, how long shall I cry and You will not hear?” (Habakkuk 1:2).  This question asked by Habakkuk was born out of a – “burden” that consumed him (Habakkuk 1:1). He faced a moral dilemma. How could a holy and loving God who had called Israel the “apple of His eye” (Deuteronomy 32:10) now allow the pagan, godless Babylonians to besiege and ultimately destroy the city of Jerusalem? If we are honest, most of us have felt like this at one time or another. We, too, have been burdened by what seems the inactivity of our God on our […]

“You can be safe or you can be brave, but you can’t be both.” Little did I know at the time that this pithy phrase would become synonymous with major change in my chaotic existence. Having returned to the mainland after six years of serving at American embassies overseas, I found myself in a “desert purgatory” far from the international limelight. El Paso, Texas in the mid-80’s was definitely an exile destination, albeit my request to Headquarters to be transferred to a “warm dry place” due to my son’s chronic asthma condition. But the location could not extinguish the fire […]

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11–13).   It is one thing to get ready for someone who is coming to visit and quite another to eagerly anticipate their arrival. As a boy, I remember when my great-aunt would come to our home for a visit. We spent a day getting ready for her arrival. We made […]

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses…