Have you ever noticed that many of Jesus’ stories had punchlines, but weren’t funny? As an example, did you hear the one about the deacon and the thief who walked into a church? You’ll find it in Luke 18:9-14. The deacon said, “Whoo boy, God! I’m thankful that I’m one of the good guys who…

Brrrrrrrr!!! It’s been cold! I skipped my morning walk a few days last week because it was just too chilly. Okay, the temperatures were in the low forties. I live in Florida where we consider that frigid, but you might live in International Falls where it would be a great day for a picnic. Words…

Explaining why we had been issued pencils without erasers, our instructor said, “This is a drawing class, not an erasing class.” I’m sure she was right. We had only 30 minutes to draw an animated character, so if we focused on fixing our errors—and mine were numerous—we would not have completed our drawings. Although my…

I watched a mammoth twelve-foot alligator glide through my lake with attitude. I call it “My Lake,” but Mr. Gator would clearly disagree. This is his lake. He and his species exert power and control over these waters. Signs around the perimeter warn me to stay out or be eaten.  Unfortunately, “My Lake” is not…

The delight of the girl riding the Banshee next to mine was contagious. She couldn’t have been more than five or six years old, and the Banshee in question was part of a ride at Disney World. Everything about the ride was new and wonderful to her: a tummy tickle before take-off, swooping and swerving…

A mighty splash broke the silence of my prayer walk. It was followed by frantic squawking and flapping as an alligator nabbed its breakfast of fresh heron. I felt sorry for the heron until I realized that if the gator had missed, I would need to feel sorry for him. It’s a fact that all…

I like to think of the ocean as my friend, but when I went to see her today, I was met with an angry sea. I brought along beach chairs, a puzzle book, and cold drinks expecting a cozy visit, but when I stepped on her shore, she went stark-raving crazy, wild, and mad. “What’s…

I live in two worlds and have just moved from one to the other. Both homes have their attractions and their problems, and both demand my attention. I love my Florida home because of the beauty, the weather, the theme parks, and the beaches. However, the greatest attraction is my daughter, her husband, and two…

I held my wife’s hand as the surgeon sliced open a cist, stuck a probe into it, and cleaned it out while blood and puss squirted out. All of this was done without anesthetic because she is allergic to most of them. The nurses, surgeons, and I were all amazed by my wife’s bravery. Why…

“If I were you, I’d order the most expensive thing on the menu,” suggested our waiter. Of course he would say that, because the bigger our bill, the bigger his tip. However, his advice also made sense for us since our Alaskan tour was all inclusive. No matter the cost, it had already been paid….

What is love, and how do you know if you are in it? While visiting Denali National Park this summer, I met an Athabascan instructor who talked to our tour group about the concept of love in her culture. She told a story about her aunt. One day her parents brought her to the river….

The airport shuttle delivered us to our hotel in Fairbanks, Alaska at 2:00 am to the surprise of Karlynn, the night manager. She had been expecting us on June 29, not July 29. When we failed to show, our reservation was cancelled. Good news! Someone had called at 1:30 am to cancel their reservation, so…

Have you seen God lately? This summer, my wife and I took an Alaskan cruise and were awed by Him many times. A magician on the cruise named Norberto Jansenson, made the statement, “Invisibility is not the same as nonexistence.” What was true of Norberto’s tricks is even more true of God. One of the…

Beginnings are messy. This month my wife and I took our first cruise. Three-thousand people descended on the small port of Whittier, Alaska, and stampeded up one of two ramps onto the Sapphire Princess. Once on board, we all had to find our room, our muster station, and food. The scene was disorganized, confusing, and…

My plan: Take a friend to Disney World, spend a day at the beach, and play several rounds of dominoes. The reality: Vomiting, diarrhea, and a trip to the ER. Thomas à Kempis warned me about making plans six centuries ago when he wrote, “Man proposes but God disposes.” He sent some solid advice, but…

I am not a fan of the word, should. I know that I should exercise, I should spend time in prayer, and I should be kind to others; but I don’t find that to be particularly motivating. I know that many believe Christian living to be primarily a list of shoulds with a sprinkling of…

Unwelcome news. The past week has been full of it. A nephew is fighting for his life after complications from a triple bypass surgery. We open each text worrying that it might contain word of a new complication. Where do you go when things go from bad to worse? I turn to the Psalms. Psalm…

“Mr. Baker, you have been charged with committing multiple acts of violence. How do you plead?” “Guilty, Your Honor.” “Do you wish to make a confession?” “Yes, Your Honor. On Tuesday night I went to Wal-Mart, where I hired assassins to cut down an entire wheat field.” “What did you do with the wheat?” “I…

From a distance, it looked like someone was standing with their arms outstretched to heaven, but as I continued to stare, the arms remained raised. “How can anyone hold their arms in the air this long?” I wondered. Other beachgoers would stop and congregate around the figure. Were they having a conversation? Now that my…

Isaiah asked me an interesting question this morning. “Why,” he wondered, “do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” (Isaiah 55:2) I had to admit to him that I have developed a taste for the artificial. I mean, why eat a cherry when…