Category: Daily Choices

Choosing My Allegiance

The 4th of July has traditionally been one of the most important days for Americans to express their patriotism, loyalty, and love of country. As a kid, I vaguely understood this. Fireworks, picnics, and homemade ice cream were what I perceived and appreciated most.… Continue Reading “Choosing My Allegiance”

Choosing the Goodness of God

It has become a beloved classic. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, although written by C.S. Lewis as a children’s story, has powerfully communicated the Gospel message to many adults as well. Aslan, a lion and a Christ figure in the story, has… Continue Reading “Choosing the Goodness of God”

Choosing to Avoid the Spiritual Black Hole

“I will kill as many of them as I can.” A young man from Prizren, Kosovo said this to me quietly through clenched teeth. Not knowing how to respond, I replayed the story he had just told me. It was July of 1999, and… Continue Reading “Choosing to Avoid the Spiritual Black Hole”

Choosing Kindness as a Lifestyle

It was the first week of my summer vacation after finishing the 3rd grade. There was an unexpected knock on our front door. The teacher who had started the school year and then disappeared in the spring on maternity leave stood there. In her… Continue Reading “Choosing Kindness as a Lifestyle”

Choosing to be Made New

The Geek Squad technician looked at me and said, “It’s dead. Your laptop’s motherboard has failed.” Of course, my first question was how much it would cost to repair it. I liked this computer. We had accomplished a lot together. He shook his head.… Continue Reading “Choosing to be Made New”

Choosing What’s IN

I am a recovering English teacher. It’s been many years since I stood in front of a class of middle-schoolers and attempted to convey the beauty of past participles, gerunds and the joy of diagraming a sentence. The response was almost always less than… Continue Reading “Choosing What’s IN”

Choosing to Move Toward Rather than Away

Last week, my wife and I celebrated 40 years of marriage. We were both 20 when we said, “I do,” having first met when we were freshmen in high school. Many times, I’ve been asked two questions: 1) how did we know that we… Continue Reading “Choosing to Move Toward Rather than Away”

Choosing the Way of Hunger

I despise fasting. I hate the way it makes me feel: grumpy, irritable, distracted with thoughts of burgers, pizza, and ice cream when I’m trying to do something important. But most of all, it makes me feel hungry. And hunger tells me I need… Continue Reading “Choosing the Way of Hunger”

Choosing Well . . . in the Dark

I was five years old when I had my tonsils removed. A lot of medical concerns and procedures were different back then. They had me spend the night before surgery in the hospital. I remember my initial impression was that of getting to do… Continue Reading “Choosing Well . . . in the Dark”

Choosing to Live Sensibly

Most people have done things they look back upon and view as a bit wacky. “What was I thinking?” Sometimes they were done for love. Sometimes they were done to relieve boredom. Sometimes they were done for the thrill and attention. And sometimes they… Continue Reading “Choosing to Live Sensibly”