In my day-to-day encounters with people, I have noticed an uptick in the number of challenging situations people find themselves in.  We began offering prayer at the conclusion of our worship services and every single time we have multiple people wait for prayer.  And when they share a struggle or challenge, you have to believe there are ten others who didn't have the courage to come forward for prayer. It just seems like a pretty heavy time. In my morning reading, I came across something Corrie ten Boom once said about surviving tough times.  For those who haven't heard of her, she was a Holocaust survivor who lost her sister and father to the death camps.  After the war, she went on to have a powerful Christian witness.  Here's what I read: "Look within and be depressed.  Look without and be distressed.  Look at Jesus and be at rest." When…

I'm not one to go around quoting Tom Brokaw.  I gave up watching network news years ago, though I have enjoyed Brian Williams' sense of humor when he appears on shows like David Letterman. In working on this weekend's message, I came across a line from Brokaw that is worth passing on.  In a 1999 graduation speech at the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico, he said, "It is not enough to wire the world if you short-circuit the soul.  Technology without heart is not enough." Well said. I'm afraid we've done a better job of wiring the world than feeding the soul.  We have multiplied the computing power of the average cell phone at a faster rate than we've learned to appreciate spiritual realities. In some ways, we have willingly short-circuited the soul in order to avoid wrestling with matters that transcend the here and now: Eternity.  Evil. …

Twenty years ago the Berlin Wall came down, removing a barrier that had separated families and neighbors.  Built as a result of World War II, the wall cut through Berlin, dividing it into East and West.  People who had lived down the street for generations now lived in two different countries. A few years ago I had the opportunity to visit Ronald Reagan's Presidential Library.  It was Reagan, of course, who challenged the Mikhail Gorbachev with these words: "General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" A piece of the Berlin wall is on display at the Reagan library.  I was quite disappointed.  It was just concrete.  Nothing more than concrete separated people from family members and neighbors. Often times,…

Snow shoveling ... spiritual gift or spiritual discipline?

Last year -- when I worked in downtown San Diego -- I walked down to the harbor and watched the Veteran's Day parade.  I stood behind an elderly veteran (probably 70'ish) who was seated in a folding chair.  He wore a ball cap, a Hawaiian shirt, and a pair of SAS shoes.  Every time a group of soldiers or the flag came by, he would push off with one arm and then the other, and struggle to his feet.  You could tell each time took tremendous effort.  It must have taken at least thirty seconds or so to get to his feet. But he stood up and saluted. It was one of the most moving things I've seen.