American songwriter Irving Berlin was a Jewish immigrant from Russia who came to America to escape religious persecution. He loved his new country and its freedom, and while serving in WWI he expressed that love in a song he wrote as a prayer. He did not publish the song, however, but tucked it away with…
As a senior pastor, I grew my personal library to over 2,000 books. My library was like a lot of people I know. I had a lot of books, but I had not read them all. I had more resources at my fingertips than I ever used. In recovery, you have all you need to…
One person can make a big difference. Jadav Payeng dedicated his life to planting a forest. What resulted was a wooded area spanning 1,360 acres. Edward Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine, which eradicated an illness that had claimed 500 million lives. In the 15th century, Johannes Gutenberg created the printing press. One person can make…
A dog bit a man, and it was determined that the dog had rabies. When his doctor told the man the news, he sat down and began to write a list of names. “What are you writing?” asked the doctor. The man responded, “I’m making a list of all the people I want to bite.”…
“Seek the Lord while he may be found” (Isaiah 55:6). Isaiah had connected with God and been given a peek into what was to come. The closeness he had experienced with God undoubtedly caused him to want others to experience him intimately, too. Through Isaiah, the Lord told his people to seek him with their…
We all want to be someone else. In the process, we forget who really are. Philosopher Dolly Parton said, “I’m not offended by blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb. I also know I’m not blonde.” The old American poet, E.E. Cummings, wrote, “The hardest challenge is to be yourself in a world where…
We need someone stronger than our problems because our problems are stronger than us. The psalmist wrote, “Praise the Lord, who carries our burdens day after day; he is the God who saves us” (Psalm 68:19). Dr. Karyn Hall, author of The Emotionally Sensitive Person, has a lot to say about the obstacles we face…
Garry Shandling said, “My friends tell me that I have an intimacy problem. But they don’t really know me.” I can relate. I’ll never forget the first time I heard that sexual addiction is an intimacy disorder. I was having breakfast with a man who has a recovery ministry. He mentioned, “Of course, sexual addiction…
A couple of days ago, I panicked as I found an intruder in our house. It was early in the morning. I had just finished brushing my teeth when I looked up, and there he was, staring at me. He was the scariest-looking man I’ve seen in a long time. He didn’t say anything; he…
Jesus set the example for how to live a good life, early on. At the age of 12, he already knew his calling and he knew his business. He said, “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49). At the end of his life, Jesus told his Father, “I…