Multiple-Choice Tests, Phil Michelson & Thinking Again

Multiple-Choice Tests, Phil Michelson & Thinking Again

Imagine that you have just finished taking a multiple-choice test. You still have a little time and wonder if a couple of your responses are right. Should you second-guess your first answers or let them stand? Test-prep companies like Kaplan say it’s best not to...

5 Ways to Save Civility

We may be in the most divisive and contentious season of American life since the ‘60’s…the 1860’s. Everywhere we turn, thoughtful, civil conversation has been tossed out the window. Of course, it’s nothing new to have social conflict during an election year, but our...

Where is the Hope?

These are troubled times. As of May 8, over 75,000 Americans have lost their lives to a virus we considered a distant problem two months ago. Thankfully, living on lockdown the last several weeks has flattened the contagion curve and saved hundreds of thousands of...

God Knows My Name

God recently rattled my soul. In late September at the New Room Conference in Nashville, I attended a pre-conference session on the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit. Our seminar leader, Jack Deere, offered a brief teaching and invited us to try our hand at healing....

A Prayer We Should Not Pray?

The idea snuck up on me. While casually pondering our vacation plans this past July, I realized everyone else in my family had to go back to work one week earlier than I did. It hit me, “Why not devote that time to a silent prayer retreat?” I have done this kind of...

It’s Something in Me

I have a confession to make. I am busy. At first blush, that may not sound so bad, but over time, I’ve discovered the insidiousness of this sin. On the surface, busyness appears as a virtue. People say, “Look at the progress we’ve made and the people reached. All our...

The Day After

The 2019 General Conference is over. Mercifully. To say yesterday was a tough day would be the understatement of the decade. I confess my mind and heart are still reeling from the events, debates and decisions of the day. Let me first give a quick recap of what was...

A Tipping Point

On the first day of General Conference, I bumped into someone from a former church. Surprised to see her, I asked what brought her here. She said, “For years I grew up in a church where all the decisions were made behind closed doors. Now that I’m United Methodist, I...

Striking at the Root

Last Friday while barreling down I-70 toward St. Louis, I caught a billboard out of the corner of my eye. Its giant letters read, “A house divided cannot stand.” Next to it loomed a picture of Abraham Lincoln. The quote was familiar on a couple of levels. After living...

Somethin’ is Gonna Happen

One night in little league baseball, our son stood in the batter’s box with a full count, 3 balls and 2 strikes. As we waited breathlessly for the next pitch, his young friend standing next to us said, “Well, one thing’s for sure. SOMETHIN’ is gonna happen.” As the...