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He Knows Your Name!

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Not too long ago, someone in the gym I go to said to me, “Thanks for remembering my name.” Then they said to me, as so many people do, “I’m good with faces but bad with names” as their excuse for forgetting my name. I wanted to respond, “Of course. That’s true for everyone!” After all a face is visual, and what’s visual sticks in our brains much more easily than that which is only heard.  Someone recently posted, “Not to brag, but I can shake your hand and forget your name simultaneously!” And we all know that can be true. As quickly as someone gives you their name, it flies out of your brain and you’re left wondering what just happened. But without putting forth effort and concentration, it’s easy to quickly forget a person’s name, especially when you’ve not had much interaction with them. That’s why in some settings people are asked to wear name tags. Not only is the person’s name right in front of you, but you will be much more likely to remember their name once you see it.  As a pa
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Someone Else to Love!

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In my last blog (June 21,2024), I wrote of waiting for the arrival of Caleb Daniel, our third grandson. Well, he arrived right on schedule (June 24) at the healthy weight of 9 lbs. 5 oz. So just like the old TV show from the 1960’s, Jonathan and Danielle (his parents) can speak of “My Three Sons”: Jesse, Jack, and Caleb. And, I can now refer to my three grandsons!  And what’s both so wonderful and amazing about it all is, as Caleb has entered our family, he receives as much love as do his brothers; they don’t lose any of the love we have had for them while Caleb receives all the love he needs. Let me explain what I mean.  I remember when Kim and I were starting our family, I wondered how in the world I could ever love another human being as much as I loved Kim. After all, being married to Kim was one of the greatest joys of my life (and still is!). Yet, when our firstborn Jonathan came along I felt a new love emerging such that I didn’t have to take away any love from Kim to love our n
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Waiting for Caleb!

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This coming Monday, June 24, he’s coming! If all goes according to schedule, our third grandson Caleb Daniel will arrive into the world—and most importantly, into our lives. Kim and I are so excited as are, of course, his parents, Jonathan and Danielle, and his big brothers, Jesse and Jack—and all the rest of the family. After nine months of waiting, Caleb will be here!  Of course these past nine months have at times felt very long, especially for mom who has been experiencing all the discomfort that goes along with a pregnancy. And these past few weeks, as the date has gotten closer and Caleb has been growing at an increasing rate, have especially felt long. At times, it has felt as if he will never come.  Yet before you know it, Caleb will be here; the days of waiting will be over! Life with Caleb will begin!   Isn’t that how it is in many areas of life? At times it can seem as if we spend so much of our lives waiting for “it” to come, to be fulfilled, to take place—whatever the “it”
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Running in Circles!

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Recently I’ve begun to once again do some speed workouts at a local track. It can be helpful to be on a track for, not only is it softer on the knees, but it is much more conducive to certain kinds of workouts that require regular distances, no obstacles, and a flat terrain. The downside to running on a track is that you are literally running in circles.  That can make the milage feel quite long. After all, when I’m out running on the road or in a park, I always feel like I’m out on some sort of journey—like I’m going somewhere, moving from point A to point B. On a track, however, that one mile is just about four loops around.  So, rather than thinking about getting from one point to the next, I’m just counting the loops—just running to get back to where I started every quarter of a mile, which I personally don’t enjoy as much as going from point A to point B.   In a sense this is exactly what can happen in our lives. I might ask, have you ever felt like you keep ending up where you be
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Three Dogs And A Rabbit!

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This past weekend, Kim and I were glad to have had our daughter Joanna and her husband Dan come visit. And along with them came their greyhound, Odin. As well, our son Nathaniel and his wife Sarah came for a few days, along with their dog (puppy), Pepper—and their rabbit, Lizzy! That meant, along with our dog Sadie, we had three dogs and a rabbit in our home! (Below is a pic of just two of them: Sadie & Pepper) I do find it quite interesting that we as people, for the most part, love to have pets. For most of us it’s either a dog or a cat. (Our son, Jonathan has cats—to which I’m quite allergic.) Some have birds (of which I am not that fond!). And a few have rabbits or Guinee pigs, etc. And, it makes me ask, with all the investment of time and money a pet requires, why do we love having pets? You may come up with some other answers, but I come up with two: (1) God has built into us a nurturing instinct. We love to have that which we must nurture and care for. That is one of the rea
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Remember & Honor

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This coming Monday, we will celebrate Memorial Day. It is a day that we as a nation have set apart to remember and honor our fallen soldiers. Although we appreciate our current troops, love our veterans (whom we recognize on Veteran’s Day), and miss those veterans who are no longer with us (e.g., my father and uncles), this day has a very specific purpose to it: It is a day to remember and honor those who gave their lives while in service to our nation, often laying down their lives in the midst of heated battle.  Unfortunately, few people will stop and consider the price that has been paid for the freedoms we enjoy as citizens of this great nation. Instead, Memorial Day has become the unofficial start to summer. It is a weekend for BBQ’s, gatherings with friends and family, and maybe a trip to the beach. And, it’s a weekend that retailers use to boost their sales, seeking to draw us in with their sale signs, seeking to get us to buy everything from furniture to grills to cars. Few peo
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The Ultimate Commendation!

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We all like to hear words of commendation. It’s nice to hear your boss say, “Good job on that project,” or the coach say, “You were a real asset to the team today,” or your spouse say, “You’re such a great husband/wife.”  Such is especially the case when it comes from a parent to a child—no matter how old that child is.  I’ll never forget the first time my father heard me preach. It was after I had been pastoring for about five years. I had been invited back to our home church to preach.  After the service, my dad came to me and simply said, “You’re a good preacher. You’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing.” He didn’t know it at the time, but those words meant all the world to me. For sure others had commended me on my preaching, but coming my father they were quite significant. Those words having come from him, inspired me and gave me the confidence I needed at the time to keep on doing what I felt God had called me to do.  In Matthew’s gospel we read that, after Jesus was baptiz
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