Scrambled Eggs & Corn Flakes

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" Acts 1:8 Ummmmm....you do know Jesus is talking to us here. Not just his disciples, this is a message to all of us. When I first read this passage years and years ago, I immediately thought "There is no way I am going to a third-world country with inadequate plumbing, oppressive heat and humidity, insects of enormous size, and where drinking the local water might give me hallucinations". I am sure there's a few of us who have been there. We can come up with many excuses as to not going, very few that get us to go. I am not saying every Christian has to go on an overseas missions trip. That's not a requirement for being a card-carrying Christian in good standing. The Lord may never call you to an overseas missions trip. He is, however, calling each of us on our own personal missions trip to b...

As I have said on numerous occasions, Christmas is my favorite time of the year. Despite the snow (this year in Cleveland we have been lucky with almost none), the mood is light and upbeat and people seem to be generally nicer to one another. (Except of course when shopping for the hot new toy of the year - in which case everyone loses their mind). Families reunite, kids look in anticipation towards the presents for them under the Christmas tree. We all have the memories of Christmas. early Christmas morning, attacking the tree, to see all the presents one received. Parents didn't get much sleep on Christmas Eve night. Gifts. I enjoy receiving them as well as giving them. Getting someone something unique that they wouldn't get for themselves and would really like is a joy. To be able to put a smile on another person's face is a wonderful feeling. Especially, if it is something that person has always wanted (at least for that year). It is very satisfying to bring joy into ...

Three years ago, we had the tragic shooting in Sandy Hook. When it happened I wrote down in my journal what I was feeling in the moment. The following is what I wrote at the time and I will follow up after my reflection since then. "I'm speechless. I'm very sad and I am bitterly angry. I decided to write these thoughts down the day this happened, rather than down the road when I can reflect and maybe sugarcoat my thoughts. I want my thoughts to be raw, I want to speak what's on my mind and heart unfiltered. Mostly, I want to remember what I thought when I heard this happen. On this day, a gunman or two opened fire in an elementary school in Connecticut. As I write this, 27 lay dead, 18 or more are children from kindergarten to the fourth grade. This on the heels a few days ago of a shooter killing two in a Oregon mall before killing himself. This summer, another lunatic opened fire in a movie theater killing many watching The Dark Knight Rises. Earlier this year, a ...