Worthy Words

For a number of years my brother-in-law has lived and worked in Central and South America , along with my wife’s youngest sister and three sons.   We had the opportunity to travel to Buenos Aries , Argentina to see them on a vacation visit. One of my strongest memories was seeing this historic and entertaining city of over 15 million people. Its name means fair winds and is the place where the Tango dance originated. It’s hard to imagine that Argentina is considered a 3 rd world country. When we arrived I noticed that the neighborhood they lived in was a typical neighborhood you would see in the States — ice cream shops, restaurants, schools, and business of all kinds. I remember turning down the street that led to their house and noticing something a little different —a guard house at the beginning of the block and the houses enclosed with iron spiked fences. I asked what they were for, and it was explained to me that they were there for their protection. Sitting in their...

In Dr. Seuss’ classic story of Horton Hatches an Egg, Horton the elephant agrees to sit on an irresponsible bird’s egg while she takes off for vacation. He has no idea she will be gone for months, but as time goes on, many of the jungle animals make fun of Horton for sitting on this egg day after day. His response is always, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant... an elephant's faithful, one hundred percent.” No matter what storm, what situation arose, he stuck to his word and kept his promise to sit on that egg until it hatched. How absurd it must have been to see an elephant sitting in a nest on a tree. How absurd it must have seemed for some to see the Son of God hanging from a cross. I can picture the scene and it’s almost ridiculous to think that the Son of God could be killed. It is not surprising that he was ridiculed by many who were there…but they were wrong. Jesus hung on that cross for all of us, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eter...

Everyone is aware of Patrick Henry’s primary contribution to the history books was the phrase "Give me liberty or give me death," but he also made another statement that appears in a number of quotation collections. He said, "I know of no way of judging the future but by the past." Repeat this before a group of people and you'll see many heads move up and down in agreement. It has the feel of good common sense. Be careful, though. This saying might be true when applied to politics or history or investment strategies, but it provides a lousy foundation for developing relationships. And it certainly doesn't reflect the way God relates to us. God gives a chance to let go of the past and start over — each and every day. Jeremiah wrote, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23) God doesn't judge our future by our...

I remember my college biology class where we learned that starfish have a unique capability. If a starfish should lose a limb, it can re-grow a new one. The name for this re-growth is regeneration. The process can take years, but when it is complete, you would be hard pressed to tell that the starfish had ever been damaged. The lives of many people are also damaged. They limp around with burdens from the past. The battles of life have torn at their resolve and stolen bits of their joy, leaving them bruised and crippled. It is easy to do the quick fix and “Band-Aid” the pain or mask the hurt. But underneath the façade lies a bleeding wound that over time will continue to fester until it is laid before the Great Physician. It can take years for the limb of a starfish to regenerate until it is whole again. However, if you take the starfish away from its source of life, the ocean, not only will it never heal, but it will ultimately die. The same is true with you. Our source of life i...