I remember a lady we served in our chaplaincy program. Her name was Susie. While she was older and had been ill for several years, she had a quiet beauty about her and a lovely smile. She exuded joy and peace. The doctors at the care center told her that her lung capacity was rapidly decreasing and that she would likely die soon. The amazing thing was that despite this diagnosis, she remained joyful and peaceful. “I’m ready pastor,” she told me. “I know where I’m going and I look forward to it.” Susie had her affairs in order. She calmly said goodbye to family and friends. Then, just as calmly, she passed-away. I want to be like Susie when I grow up. It wasn't that she didn't want to live an

I was talking to Shao Laoshi, my Chinese Teacher and Interpreter about Faith. “Many feel that Christianity came to China on a cannon ball,” he told me. The implications of “forced faith” sobered me. “I’m sorry about that,” I told him, “that’s not the way it should be.” All too often, Western believers have been guilty of what I call, "Machiavellian Christianity." It's the idea that as long as we're forwarding the gospel, "the ends justify the means." Ironically, when we understand the gospel, the wrong means result in the wrong end.... I love the old poem, "If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's yours'. If it doesn't, it never was!" God knows this better than we do

I joined a health club several years ago with the best intentions. I was going to lose weight, get in shape, etc. A couple of weeks later, they posted a weight lifting challenge. You totaled the amount of weight you lifted each time you were in the gym and the top 50 would have their names posted for all to see. I went for it! And, I made it…which was a major mistake. Why/ Because as soon as I hit that goal, I quit. I had no more motivation. Know What Makes You Go I believe motivation goes far beyond Abraham Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs." Maslow said we all strive to meet our needs--first Basic, then for Security, then for Affiliation, then Achievement, and finally, for Influence/Power. Thes

I volunteered one winter to ring the bell and collect donations for the Salvation Army. It was a bitterly cold and extremely windy night. I stood just outside the door of a local Stop-n-Shop and many people would drop in change, etc. Once lady dropped in a dollar or so and as she was walking away, a violent gust of wind whipped the sign off its legs and slammed it into her back. She yelped and stumbled, but didn’t fall. I rushed to help her and she was very gracious about it all. As my pastor friend used to say, “No good deed goes unpunished." Often, life seems to treat us that way. We do good, but we get whacked in the head. We try to be kind, but our met with judgement, condemnation, or wo

Several years ago we had a cool “God moment” in the church we pastored. A young couple who had been through severe struggles showed-up at our service at “just the right time,” even though they were late. You see, the husband had been in jail and had a severe alcohol problem. The wife had prayed him through and he was now free, clean and sober. They had been discussing the need to take their little ones to church, but prayed to find a church “where God was REAL.” That is, they wanted authentic Christianity. They had driven by our building, but had misread the sign. As such, they showed-up about an hour late. As they walked into the sanctuary, I was apparently “on a role” in the middle of my s