Run Away and Run After

Run Away and Run After

At the Iowa State Track and Field Meet at Drake Stadium, runners don’t run away from anything, but they run after the victor’s prize.  In 1 Timothy 6:11, Paul instructs his “true child in the faith” to do both. “But flee from these things (the quest for great...
Faith, Not Fear, in the New Year

Faith, Not Fear, in the New Year

The offensive lineman drove his shoulder into my knee as I was making a tackle. The resulting injury in the first game of my junior year in high school ended my football career. My dreams of following in my father’s footsteps and playing at the next level were...
Doing Good Deeds

Doing Good Deeds

After the April blizzard my father told me to go next door and shovel the snow off of Ethel’s driveway. As an eleven year old, moving twelve inches of wet snow was a daunting and discouraging task. Ethel was an elderly single woman who worked for my father, so I sort...
Cultivating Family Worship at Home

Cultivating Family Worship at Home

What a unique time we are living in! Activities are restricted or somewhat limited, and a lot of people have more time at home right now—and more discretionary time. Something I’ve felt a passion for in recent years is an encouragement to not just survive, but thrive....
Attitude Matters

Attitude Matters

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances…” (Victor Frankl) Difficulties are inevitable—a shocking diagnosis, a problem child, financial hardship, betrayal, a freak...
I Can Do It Myself

I Can Do It Myself

There comes a time in every parent’s life when their child looks up at them with defiance and says, “I can do it myself!” Whether buttoning a coat, tying a shoe, riding a bicycle, or operating a mobile device, our children’s independence is an accomplishment...