My boys have discovered this new game. I call it pummels, and I’m reasonably sure it’s going to be a part of raising young boys for quite a few years. Here’s the game: I, the large lumbering father figure, lay down upon the ground. The boys, tossing aside whatever they were previously working on, crawl at breakneck speed in my direction. Upon arriving at their lifeless father on the floor, they rise …
To be grateful is to be, at that moment, blessed and happy. If it becomes a habit of the heart, gratitude lays the foundation for a life of joy and peace. That’s because, first of all, gratitude is a response to having received a gift, and a meaningful gift suggests that someone thought enough of you to offer it. You matter to the giver, and we all want to matter. We want to feel that somebody c…
I remember the day that Sarah was born. I remember that little baby with the cutest toes, wearing a blanket and a funny-looking cap, and demonstrating a healthy – and loud – set of lungs. I remember the first time our eyes met as she laid in the warming bed. I remember looking at her, tears in my eyes, and marveling at the wonder of this little new creation. I remember thanking God for his mar…
When I first got back to Westminster from a summer sabbatical, I preached a sermon on God’s action in our lives. I talked about how God is always present, always moving, always acting in our lives, even when it feels like God is doing none of those things. I talked about how God has a habit of taking God’s people into the wilderness, or waiting room, and leaving them there for a season. I talked abo…
I’ve been reflecting on some of the more negative habits of the heart in recent weeks, including fear and anger. Now I want to focus on a couple of alternatives that might serve as antidotes to the darker side of those habits, beginning with compassion. Compassion means to feel for people in a way that wants to help relieve their suffering. The feeling comes naturally to most of us when we see a…
