When you feel like everything is against you, that is because it is or it might be. It does not take a lot of imagination to think of circumstances that threaten to harm and overwhelm us. Social turmoil, political chaos, and financial uncertainty are compounded by our problems and issues. Bad news has taken onRead more
Big Henry dominated the chopping room at Hatfield Packing Company. The chopping room produced sausages, hot dogs, luncheon meats and was Big Henry’s domain. I first heard of him during my interview with Phil, the personnel director when he informed me that I would be “working with Big Henry and his crew.” This was greatRead more
Glad – when was the last time you were glad – really glad? When I was a boy and upset about something trivial, my father would say to me, “Don’t get mad; you’ll only have to get glad again.” What is glad? What does glad mean? Here are some suggestions from the thesaurus of myRead more
Discouraged, Overwhelmed, and confused… The news reports, particularly over the last month, have been discouraging. Who would believe that angry mobs would unabashedly threaten our governmental structure? Who would believe that our Supreme Court would actually yield to public pressure rather than uphold our Constitution? This social confusion and unrest are exacerbated by personal problems.Read more
These topics have demanded our attention over the past couple of months. Headlines, top stories, breaking news have each centered on these topics. News cycle after news cycle has hyped us into chaos and near anarchy. Many factions are screaming for attention – trying to get their point across, but very few are listening. FolksRead more
This week marks the 10th anniversary of my spinal cord injury. On May 25, 2010, I was seriously injured while riding my bicycle. Most of you are aware that I am a quadriplegic, being paralyzed from my shoulders down. I suppose that this anniversary is some accomplishment – rather, it is a divine blessing. WhenRead more
In my 3 most recent blogs I have endorsed an ancient yet proven strategy for facing terrifying situations. Now, I propose a parallel and complementary approach. To explain this, we need to go on a journey – back in time. Imagine you are in a small boat on a large lake in the middle ofRead more
Trouble, deep trouble, gut-wrenching, paralyzing anxiety is surely in your not-too-distant future. Everyone encounters this dreadful emotion – even Jesus. This is the 3rd blog post in which we are considering Jesus’ field-tested approach to dealing with trouble. (Find the previous 2 on my webpage – hopeforkip.com) Jesus is familiar with the fearful feeling. HeRead more
As he was dying on the cross, Jesus cried out My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me? Why? Why was Jesus forsaken by God? After making a very careful investigation, Dr. Luke reports in chapter 23 of his gospel that Pilate pronounced Jesus innocent on at least 3 different occasions. In v. 22Read more