Let’s go on an imaginary journey. Pretend you’re out for a drive in the country on a sunny summer afternoon. The sky is blue and the air is comfortable. You’re enjoying the scenery while you look around at the fields and mountains. As you drive by one house, you notice a lovely flower garden right along the road. It captures your attention so much that you keep staring at it. After your car goes past it, you look in the rearview mirror to get one last glimpse. When you finally look out the windshield, you notice the car in front of you has stopped suddenly. You slam on the brakes to keep from crashing into it.

Have you ever had something similar happen to you? You’re moving forward but looking backwards. Rather than being aware of what’s happening now, you’re concentrating on what happened then. (more…)

Please take a moment and reflect on the following question: How do I define the word “love?”

Dictionary.com says Love is “a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.” We all hunger for this type of love to be in our lives. We want it to be the foundation for our relationships with our spouses, children, parents and others. We want to love them with passionate affection. We need them to give us the same thing in return.

The sad truth is love doesn’t always work this way. There are times when love is based on tender, passionate affection but at other times this is lacking. To love someone else is to open ourselves up to joy and disappointment, happiness and pain, fulfilled dreams and, sometimes, disillusionment. As a quote from an anonymous source says, “Best feeling in the world; Being absolutely and utterly in love with someone. Worst feeling in the world; Being absolutely and utterly in love with someone.” (more…)

Some friends once asked Stephanie and I if we would like to spend a day boating with them on a lake. Stephanie couldn’t go because of a prior commitment but I happily accepted the invitation, even though my swimming skills are only slightly better than those of a gorilla.

When I arrived at the lake, our friends were waiting for me. We boarded the boat and headed out on the water. Eventually we found ourselves anchored in a cove where we had lunch. Afterwards, I was given a life vest to wear so I could join everyone else when they jumped off the back of the boat to go swimming.

I had worn a life vest once before. Years ago, when I was a youth leader, our youth group went kayaking. At one point, I overturned in a deep pool in the river. My life vest held me up for a few seconds until I floated to a spot where I could stand up. However, trusting a life vest to constantly hold me up in a lake is different than trusting it for a few seconds in a river.

I put on the life vest, walked to the back of the boat and watched everyone else jump into the water. At this point, I was faced with a decision. Would I trust the life vest enough to jump in? (more…)