Life in Words

I have a friend whose name is Charles. He is married and has a daughter. He and his wife are college graduates with well respected careers. While attending a private Christian university Charles was elected class body president his senior year. He has met many important government officials and even ran for a public office. If you had to guess which box he would check on the census for his race, would you guess correctly? I have a husband whose name most people can not pronounce. His parents picked the name because they thought it would be an easy, two syllable name for native English speakers. When people meet him for the first time, he often has to repeat his name slowly multiple times. He's been asked if he could go by a different name so that it would be easier for those around him to say his name.  Would you prefer someone change his name so it is easier for you to pronounce? I have two friends whose husbands put on a uniform, carry a weapon and have promised to uphold the law...

Keep your eyes on me. It was a very clear command I heard Him give me. Matthew 14:22-31 tells the story of how an ordinary fisherman walked on water. Jesus had sent the disciples ahead of Him—telling them to travel by boat. During the night, the winds picked up and the water was not acting favorably toward the boat and its occupants. At some point during the evening, Jesus decided to catch up to His disciples by walking across the water toward them. Not knowing if they were seeing a ghost, the disciples start shouting at this supernatural figure approaching them. In only the way Jesus could, He reassures them that it’s Him walking toward them.  Peter, in all his boldness, asks Jesus to call him to Him. So Jesus does and Peter walks on water. Then... he takes his eyes off Jesus. The wind is howling. The water is lurching. The tension from the others left in the boat must have been palpable. Confidence gone, he begins to fall through this previously invisible solid and yell...

“...for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42:11) This became my mantra the years we waited for a house to become available in the specific city that we knew God had called us to move to. All those with good intentions encouraged us to rethink about choosing a wider perimeter, but we knew that we were meant to live within this specific city. Two years past and we still had not been successful in purchasing a home. This waiting time in between receiving a word and the fulfillment of it is one of the hardest and most frustrating. If we are not careful, we can hold onto that promise so tightly that we squeeze the life out of our present. What happens if I heard incorrectly? What if it wasn’t really God? What if I am missing something? The questions and the agony of the waiting suffocate the joys of the present... In the meantime, our kids are still celebrating milestones, our present responsibilities still require completion, and our awareness of the “smaller” ...