Prayer works. Plain and simple. I like it when the answer to prayer is “yes.” Don’t like it so much when the answer is “no.” And it’s hard sometimes for me to really accept that “no” is an answer—just not the answer I want. There’s also a third answer to prayer God gives us: wait. [...]

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As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God (Psalm 42:1-2). Urbana ’09 was one of the best Urbanas I’ve ever been to. The numbers were down—17,000 instead of the 23,000 of ’06. But the quality of each person there [...]

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I love missions! I love everything about missions. I love the fact that God uses mere mortals to participate with Him in His great Redemption Story. I love the joyful and miraculous idea that God invites His children to be a part of what He is doing around the world and in the hearts and [...]

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There is nothing more frustrating or discouraging when tragedy strikes than hearing folks say, “Well, it must have been God’s will. He allowed it to happen.” What?!? Wait a minute! Put on the brakes! I’m a Calvinist and I don’t even believe that. The truth of the matter is God’s will is not being done [...]

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I hate folding laundry. Don’t even get me started on putting up the dishes. I don’t like monotonous work like making my bed every morning, going to the grocery store, putting gasoline in the car, or even showering. (Sorry, but personal hygiene is SO monotonous; have you even seen my hair?). I’ve always struggled with [...]

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Yup! This is the blog’s one year anniversary. Or should it be called a birthday? I don’t know. One year, 71 posts, 7,326 views, and a whole lotta hot air later I’m still amazed at the excitement I feel every time I sit down to write a blog. Thanks everyone for reading and commenting and [...]

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It’s back to school time! Swoosh…summer’s gone. Unbelievable. We are now looking at the 2009-2010 academic year. Exciting stuff. Some folks who read this old blog of mine are teachers, college professors, university instructors, and even homeschoolers. To celebrate this back-to-school season, I want to share a four part series with you on teaching like [...]

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The Trans-Siberian Railroad runs east and west/west and east across Russia. It’s the longest railroad in the world. It starts in Beijing or in Moscow—depending on which way you’re heading. It’s been running full steam (sorry) since 1916. Depending on who you talk to it takes anywhere from eight to twelve days to go from [...]

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Sometimes I really, really wish that I could put God’s name in my Google search slot and come up with some answers. You know, like when you can’t remember the name of a movie or you can’t remember which State some national monument is in. All you have to do is put in the name, [...]

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