But godliness with contentment is great gain. — 1 Timothy 6:6 (NIV) In his play, Richard III, Shakespeare coined the phrase, “winter of discontent” to describe temporary times of unhappiness. More than 400 years later, we still see people using his words. I think the phrase resonates with us because we all experience dissatisfaction at…
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ — Matthew 25:40 (NIV) “I’m not even a big fish in a small pond,” I wailed. “I’m just a fish!” My morning’s stroll through social media had taken…
“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” — John 7:24 (NIV) At a luncheon honoring a former colleague, I found myself sitting at a table with women I had never met before. Soon we began to chat amicably, exchanging information about ourselves. Surprised to hear I had recently retired, one woman asked me…
Verifying the lane next to me had ample room, I signaled my intent to change lanes. But immediately the driver in the next lane aggressively flashed his lights, sending me a clear message. Wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt, I reasoned he may be pressed for time. But as he passed me,…
How far we travel in life matters far less than those we meet along the way. – Mark Twain Leaving my children to finish their tour of the Eiffel Tower, I stepped inside the enclosed observatory to sit and rest my throbbing knee. Less than one week prior we had embarked on this trip to…
Holding up two pairs of pants, the customer’s eyes searched mine. “Which size should I buy? This one fits now, but the other one is the size I want to wear after I lose more weight.” As a young college student I had no idea how to answer this question. Is there even a right…
Biting my lips, I smiled and miraculously managed to hold back the critical words forming on my tongue. I had a long history with this individual. And while I could say I felt a genuine concern for her, our personalities definitely clashed. As a Christian, I know Jesus calls us to love our neighbor (Mark…
It’s one of my earliest childhood memories. Our teacher asked us to write our numbers and then draw different images to represent them. So with all my first-grade enthusiasm, I dove right in. But when I got to the twenties, I found it difficult to think of new images. I’d already used all the shapes…
Today is the first day of the rest of your life. I’m sure we’ve all heard that phrase before. It circulated widely in the sixties, inspired songs, and continues to resonate today. It conveys this simple truth: Every day can be a fresh start. And while we can start something new at any time, we…
