Recently, two township officials stopped in for a meeting. During small talk before the meeting, one commented that he didn’t believe he had met me before. He knew my older brother from local auctions and other neighborhood events I seldom attend. The other official commented to my brother, “It&

Fifteen years ago, and brief ones at that, I rocked you to sleep on the recliner and sang to you. Now you are too grown for me to hold you on my lap, but you are not too grown for me to hold you up in prayer to your Creator.

Maybe greatness could have occurred….what happens when greatness does not occur? What happens, in fact, when fumble leads to error, leads to mishap, and before you know it, you have left the realm of ordinary mistake and chaos, and you have entered into the more ethereal, specialized realm of

What is the key to being a motivated person who is both positive and productive? An older fellow who drove log truck used to deliver a load of logs to our mill every day. He quietly and efficiently did his job and always had a congenial attitude. One day I

“Believe it or not, we need to forgive God,” the writer asserted. “When bad things happen, like illness or death or other setbacks, we may become angry with God or blame Him for the perceived injustices. Therefore, we need to forgive Him.” Initially, I rolled my eyes at this and

There is no l in the word chimney. Most people say they remember what they were doing when they heard the news of 9/11; I remember where I was standing when I discovered there is no l in chimney. It was on a box in the basement with the

Political disengagement has been an Anabaptist distinctive for hundreds of years now, rooted in Biblical theology speaking of two kingdoms, the surrender of power, and the rejection of civil progress as the primary solution to human need. We don’t vote. We don’t run for or hold office. But

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1 NKJV) In 490 B.C., King

About 750 miles southwest of my house lies Fish Lake National Forest in central Utah. It is a typically scenic western national forest with a blend of evergreen and deciduous trees, mountain lakes, and various resident wildlife. Beautiful and predictable. Less predictable is the presence of the world’s largest

I would make a fabulous hypocrite. It would, in fact, be easier than finding my way among the carnivorous heathen. Growing up saturated in the language of Anabaptism, I know about the Articles of Faith, have listened carefully to the necessity of obedience, and can even share a devotional now