Darkness before the sun My mother was born in 1924, which makes her 98. The year she took her first breath coincided with the formation of the Mercedes-Benz Corporation, the naming of J. Edgar Hoover to head the FBI, the fascists winning the election in Italy by 2/3 majority and the end of construction of the Wrigley Building. As one of 11 children, she has witnessed the passing of eight of her siblings; only two “young” sisters are living, one 86, the other 92. She has attended dozens of funeral and memorial services during the past 30 or so years […]

Scroll down to leave a comment on St. Patrick. We live in a time of the anti-hero. Too often, the good guys are the bad guys and vice versa.  But to see a true hero, look at the real St. Patrick, who has a day dedicated in his honor. Unfortunately, many people only observe his holiday, March 17, by drinking themselves silly, which is totally contrary to the spirit of the man who Christianized Ireland. In fact, Patrick shows what God can do through someone who is committed fully to Him.  Thomas Cahill, author of the book, How the Irish […]

There is a tension that exists between our physical bodies and our spiritual ones. Have you heard the phrase, “you can be so heavenly bound that you are no earthly good?” The general idea is that sometimes we allow one to disconnect from the other, and that is not how God created us. I am guilty of allowing the “cares of this world” to infiltrate my perspective. Sometimes I am so focused on the here and now that I lose a sense of purpose and focus, my world gets cluttered, and I tend to drift. However, there are times that […]

“What Does It Profit, My Brethren, If Someone Says He Has Faith but Does Not Have Works? Can Faith Save Him?” (James 2:14). Throughout Christian history, people have tried to pit Paul, with his emphasis on grace, against James, with his emphasis on works. The apparent conflict has been presented like the main event of a heavyweight prizefight: “In this corner, wearing the grace trunks, is the apostle Paul, born in Tarsus, educated by the renowned Gamaliel, and the undisputed brilliant mind of this new movement called Christianity! He says, ‘By grace you have been saved through faith, and that […]

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Don’t just stand there; do something!” Surely many of the Israelites who embarked on the great exodus out of Egypt felt that way when they found themselves trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s chariots. They would have looked anxiously at Moses, who had led them into what appeared to be an utterly hopeless situation, expecting him to be racing back and forth, barking orders, and setting up defensive fortifications. “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?” they snarled. Moses did nothing; he stood […]

In the early 1980’s as I was beginning what would become a lifelong study of the martial arts, I went to see what has become one of my favorite movies of all time, “The Karate Kid.” Much like Daniel in the movie, I too had a Mr. Miyagi, who was teaching me the mysteries of karate through many different aspects of training that I did not understand at the time but grew to greatly appreciate.    Mr. Miyagi’s methods Most readers will remember the plot of the movie; Mr. Miyagi agrees to train Daniel in karate, but he begins by […]