Some time ago during one of my kids’ elementary school events I was walking the halls observing the latest student created art and literary projects displayed on the walls. One was by some third graders who were given the assignment to write about what they thought their future would look like. All were entertaining to […]

If someone gave you a ticket to spend a day anywhere in the United States, where would you go?
I’d be on a plane to Chicago before you could say “deep dish pizza”.
Several years ago I had opportunity to attend a preaching/teaching conference at Willow Creek Church with my friend and pastor Duane Cross. When it […]

Years ago my good friend Fred told me about a delightful conversation he had with his then 3-year old grandson, Nathan. Nathan was just about to have another birthday.
“Grandpa, I don’t want to be 4. I want to stay 3.”
“Why is that?”
“Because after you turn 4, then you turn 5.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Because when you turn […]

Ever think about how one thing leads to another? 
If it wasn’t for the person who threw the beer bottle on the street Monday night, I wouldn’t have gotten a flat tire.
And if it weren’t for the person who designed the impossible to remove wheel covers on my car I would have been able to change the tire […]

One of the reasons I enjoy my part-time job selling merchandise at the US Airways Center during Phoenix Suns games is the sheer volume of people who come into our store and walk by in the concourse. I enjoy observing people. Any event that brings nearly 20,000 people to your door means there will be plenty to […]

Allie,
Please forgive this note from someone you just met and were only briefly introduced to, but I think I would regret not telling you this.
You mentioned in your conversation with your friend Rachel today that you just turned 18 and that you had a baby when you were 16. You said you had given up your […]

I’m not certain they even exist anymore but during my childhood days they were the centerpiece of every elementary school playground. The merry-go-round. The big, spinning fun maker whose only safety feature was some anti-skid bumps on the metal platform.
It was quite simple in construction. A base platform mounted on a center spindle containing sealed […]

Take an evening stroll around the neighborhood this month and you’ll see a variety of nativity sets. Some are wood. Some are cardboard cut outs. Some are hollow painted plastic with light bulbs inside. Wherever you live, nativity sets all have the same figures. Mary and Joseph. Shepherds and wise men. Some animals. And of […]

When I was in high school my sister Joleen had a horse. I’d ridden him at a gallop many times and thought I’d gone as fast as that horse could go. Until one day my cousin Becky came over on her horse. Then her horse and my sister’s horse decided between themselves they’d show each […]

She’s a beautiful 8 year-old girl with spark and energy. Look at her face and into her bright eyes for only a second and you can feel her keen sense of awareness. Megan is very smart, very strong and, like all kids her age, can be very stubborn.
Of all the delightful kids who come to […]

It was 25 years ago this month that my Grandpa Thompson passed away. I just realized that today. On the calendar, 25 years is a long time. Yet in my mind not all that long ago. When I look in the mirror, it’s easy to see I’m not the 18 year-old kid who preached his […]

Each of us have been shaped by our backgrounds. Some of us grew up in church. Some of us didn’t. Some of us went for awhile but stopped because we had a bad experience or because we didn’t like what we heard. Some of us grew up in a home where God was shoved down […]

 
It’s dry in the desert. That’s why they call it a desert. On a good year, the Phoenix valley receives only 7″ of rain. This hasn’t been a good year. Until God turned on the faucet last Saturday, it had been 143 days in a row with no rain. The last time water fell from […]

“So I’m not four anymore?”
“No, Annie. You’re five now. Happy Birthday!”
For weeks Annie and Emma have been talking about how they would soon be five years old. Now that the day is here, they seem a tiny bit wistful pondering that being five means they are no longer four. I understand that. We look forward […]

We’ve all been there. The not so proverbial “fork in the road”. A choice to make. Which path to take? Is one right and the other wrong? If so, how do we know which is which? How do we discern God’s will for our lives?
Much as we would like it to be, God’s will is […]

I’m at a Jamba Juice in Mesa, Arizona waiting for my Berry Lime Sublime smoothie when I notice a lady staring at my America West Arena name badge. “Is Swea City, Iowa your home town?” I tell her it sure is. And how impressed I am that she pronounced it correctly.
Swea City’s a small place. […]

There’s a difference between thinking and reflecting.
We think all the time. We run countless checklists in our head every day. But when’s the last time we took time to reflect on God’s purpose for our life?
How a trip to Chicago, time spent viewing the works of the Old Masters, and dashes and dots give pause for a season of […]

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” According to the Gospel of Luke, these are the first words spoken by Jesus while on the cross.
For the Roman soldiers walking the perimeter, it’s all in a day’s work. Some people push pencils and keep records for a living. Others sell groceries in the […]

We’re almost through the first quarter of 2002. How’s your year going? Is everything unfolding according to your plans? Or have unexpected events caused you to make adjustments?
During the first week of 1996 Sara and I were in Iowa visiting my family. One afternoon I sat looking out the window at the snow while blue […]

  
A pleasant discovery upon moving to the Phoenix valley was how much life exists in the desert. God has created a number of both plants and animals to thrive in this climate.
One enjoyable way to get some exercise during the months October through May, the time when it isn’t a gazillion degrees hot, is to […]

 
During the past couple weeks I’ve sold more T-shirts and baseball caps than I can count.
I work part-time for the Team Shop and when the World Series came to Phoenix it was all hands on deck. Tens of thousands of people came to town and most all of them paid a visit to the store […]