I know that some of you are statisticians and so this is for you. Here is an example of a “donut of misery” that reflects my time in Iraq. Still a long way to go.I chuckle at the thought of…
Forever Changed #7: War is hell (or a great place to find heaven again)
Today I will let you pick the title you like: WAR IS HELL or A GREAT PLACE TO FIND HEAVEN AGAIN. During the American Civil War, U.S. Gen. Tecumseh Sherman commented while torching civilian population centers that “war is hell.”…
Falling Upward ‘best book I have read in a decade’
Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr is the best book I have read in a decade, and I read a lot of books! Richard Rohr spoke to me on every page of this…
Forever Changed #6: Band of Brothers
WoW! Issue 6, that feels good to say. Today I am reminded that 61 years ago more than 130,000 Allies flew, glided, jumped and boated their way to France and onward. President Dwight D Eisenhower gave the following words on…
Life outside the fence
We humans don’t like living outside our comfort zone. We like familiar surroundings, familiar faces, and predictable routines. I’m just the same though to most folks it might look like my husband and I are already living outside of our…
Forever Changed #5: Freedom of Religion
This week’s edition is not hard to write. Yet I am finding it difficult to determine what to include and what to leave out. I’ll start with the bad news. Then it’s all uphill. The Ransomed Heart Team I was…
Does facebook reveal my compassion or my passion?
A few weeks ago, a friend challenged me about my posts on my personal facebook timeline. It seemed to this person that a lot of what I post I do so because I feel I have to. I do post…
Forever Changed #4: ‘union is strength’
“The Lion and the three Bulls,” written by the Greek fable writer Aesop: Three bulls lived together for a long time in a pasture. Though they ate and lived side by side, they never spoke with one another. One day…
Forever Changed #3: Strive Together
This week I am reminded of the Scripture that says, “strive together with me in prayers to God for me.” (Rom. 15:30) This verse sticks out because this week has grown increasingly difficult. I have not slept well for some…
The Oracle of Delphi
Ten years ago, my wife Sally won a trip to Greece. I tagged along. Pure vacation. Great Greek food. In the land of Zeus and Athena, God kept popping up. We visited the Isle of Patmos and saw the grotto…
Holy exhaustion
It’s never good when you hear a phrase that starts with, “I’m tired of…” It communicates that there is something in one’s life that is draining their energy, including their emotional and spiritual energy. Even though the actual words “I’m…
Be a nudger
During the recent commemorations of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, one small detail stood out that I never had heard before: Martin Luther King did not go to the Lincoln Memorial that day intending to say the…