Tag: love

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 Honor What is Truly Valuable

I traveled quite a bit when my children were young. I led outreach teams to foreign countries and could be gone for several weeks at a time. We didn’t have a lot of money, and so when it came to bringing gifts home to… Continue Reading “Choosing to Honor What is Truly Valuable”

Choosing an Incarnated God

At the beginning of my senior year in high school, my family moved to another state. It was difficult for many reasons. The hardest one was that I was leaving a girlfriend (who would eventually become my wife). This was back before the internet… Continue Reading “Choosing an Incarnated God”

Choosing to Call Out Courage in Another

I was in the third grade when I painfully discovered something about myself. A teacher was giving a math lesson on the multiplication table using a chart with colored geometric shapes. She asked for a volunteer to provide the answer to 3X3, referring to… Continue Reading “Choosing to Call Out Courage in Another”

Choosing to Acknowledge My Need

“I’m so disappointed,” the young man said to me. “I came here wanting to experience God’s love. But I have felt nothing new. This has been a waste of my time.” I was interviewing one of our discipleship students as the program was winding… Continue Reading “Choosing to Acknowledge My Need”

Choosing Real Love

I was in Lhasa, Tibet the first time I saw someone physically bow in worship to a statue. The Buddhist temple was filled with smoky incense, and dozens of people prostrated before a grinning image. Sunday-school stories of the ancient Israelites giving offerings to… Continue Reading “Choosing Real Love”

Choosing the Right Words

As far back as I can remember, I have largely interpreted life, my value, and my impressions of those around me through the words I hear. What I have taken in through my ears has lodged deep into my soul. Countless words have cut… Continue Reading “Choosing the Right Words”

Choosing a Life of Substance

Music of the rock group Kansas takes me back to my high school days. I particularly remember the hauntingly beautiful harmonies of “Dust in the Wind”. The sound would echo in my head days after I listened to it on the radio. Who could… Continue Reading “Choosing a Life of Substance”

Choosing to Seek the Highest

The word ‘love’ in English is quite pliable. I can say that I love my wife and I love pizza, and most people will not accuse me of reducing my spouse to a mere platter of pepperoni nor seeking to marry an Italian meal.… Continue Reading “Choosing to Seek the Highest”

Choosing to Offer an Invitation

In the movies it always looked so easy and nonconsequential. As a kid, I watched shows where chairs were busted over heads in barroom fights, the recipient merely staggering a few paces before flinging his opponent through a wooden railing. In addition there were… Continue Reading “Choosing to Offer an Invitation”