Tag: Bitterness

Choosing to Release My Pain

As a kid, I avoided certain people. They were the kind that didn’t seem to have the capacity to endure the messiness and clumsiness of children. They couldn’t see the intentions of little ones when something got spilt or broken. They were the kind… Continue Reading “Choosing to Release My Pain”

Choosing Risky Love

I was 19 years old working a summer job between college semesters painting our little town’s city hall. It was a season of experiencing new life in my spiritual walk with Jesus. One day, I was overjoyed to have a conversation with a local… Continue Reading “Choosing Risky Love”

Choosing My Filter

Don’t you hate it when you find grounds in your coffee? I am not a barista or even close to being a “coffee snob,” but I imagine there can be multiple reasons for such grit in my morning java. The most common reason I’ve… Continue Reading “Choosing My Filter”

Choosing to Love My Enemies

My father was a boy during World War 2. He often heard of atrocities that America’s enemies, the Japanese and the Germans, were committing. According to the stories, those foreigners were the villainous aggressors, and they were seeking to come to our country to… Continue Reading “Choosing to Love My Enemies”

Choosing to Release It

I was deliberately maligned. A ministry co-worker, years ago, told my supervisor that I had screamed at her when she had confronted me. When this was brought to my attention, I knew right away that she was covering for her own bad behavior in… Continue Reading “Choosing to Release It”

Choosing to Resist the Bitter Pill

As a kid, there were certain old people I avoided. They were the kind that didn’t seem to have the capacity to endure the messiness and clumsiness of children. They couldn’t see the intentions of little ones when something got spilt or broken. They… Continue Reading “Choosing to Resist the Bitter Pill”

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 Sweetness

As a kid, there were certain old people I avoided. They were the kind that didn’t seem to have the capacity to endure the messiness and clumsiness of children. They couldn’t see the intentions of little ones when something got spilt or broken. They… Continue Reading “Choosing Sweetness”

Choosing Not to Accuse

The note was addressed to the leadership of our ministry, but for some reason it was put in my box to deal with. A few weeks earlier our facility had been used as a wedding venue. Several of our ministry staff volunteered to help… Continue Reading “Choosing Not to Accuse”

Choosing to Not Be Like Jonah

My father was a boy during World War 2. He often heard of atrocities that America’s enemies, the Japanese and the Germans, were committing. According to the stories, those foreigners were the villainous aggressors, and they were seeking to come to our country to… Continue Reading “Choosing to Not Be Like Jonah”