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This morning, I ate my breakfast on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. I’ve been in Israel and Jordan for 2 weeks and the most impressive site I’ve visited thus far is a rocky stretch of beach a few hundred yards from the ruins of the ancient city of Capernaum. To understand why the stretch of beach was more impressive than every cathedral, ruin, monument, and mountain, it’s important to have a little context. The apostle Peter was the apostle who stood out. The man was at the center of every...
I am sitting in a hotel in Jerusalem this morning, day 4 of a two-week educational tour of Israel and the surrounding country. Yesterday, we toured the original city of Jerusalem, when it was first conquered by David. I hand always envisioned a small, flat town. In particular, this made the story of David’s infidelity with Bathsheba an odd story to comprehend. In the original account, David spots Bathsheba in the bath and decides he’d like to get to know her better. Before long, he has imp...
Q: A new family just moved in near us, and they apparently have a physically handicapped son who requires much care. We’ve barely met them, but should we offer to help them somehow? We don’t want to embarrass them or be nosey, but we want to be good neighbors. A: I’m thankful you want to be good neighbors; all too often today we become so wrapped up in our own lives that we forget those around us. But Jesus gave us a much higher standard: “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:33). Do you remember Jesus’ story about the good Samaritan?...
With the new year upon us, it’s time to decide if setting goals for the new year is a worthwhile effort. Many people I know see the new calendar year as an opportunity to start over or remake themselves or an area of their life that they’re dissatisfied with, but then struggle to accomplish total life change. This shouldn’t be surprising. Change is hard, especially major change. Last year, I set a handful of New Year’s resolutions, and I managed to accomplish a few of my goals. More importa...
I have given this recipe for scalloped potatoes to many people. Most of them have raved about it. I cooked it for Christmas Day and proclaimed it to be the best scalloped potatoes I have ever eaten. Part of it is the fact that it has plenty of ham in it. It also has plenty of whipping cream in it, lots of onions, lots of cheese and just plain old dry mustard. But the single most important ingredient of all is the brown sugar and while the recipe calls for a cup and a half, I think that two cups is not too much. Anyway here is what you will...
Q: I’ve decided I’m not going to make any New Year’s resolutions this year. I’ve always made a long list of changes I plan to make in my life, but then I never keep them, and I just end up feeling guilty. So why bother?. A: I suspect many readers have had the same experience; it’s much easier to make a list of things we wish would happen to us—and much harder to actually do them. Even the Apostle Paul admitted that “I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19). What is the problem—es...
Every morning, while I walk the 2 blocks from my house to my office, I try to make it a point to stop and take a moment to look at the Bears Paw Mountains from the end of my driveway. They never fail to impress me. One of the things I fell in love with about Big Sandy when I interviewed here 6 years ago was how beautiful Montana is. An odd thing has happened in the last few years: there are quite a few mornings when I am in a rush or am stressed out and I simply step over my morning ritual...
Q: Where did the wise men come from, and how did they know that the star they were following would lead them to Jesus? And did they ride camels? I am 10 years old, and I’ve always wondered about them. A: The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly where they came from; it only tells us that they were from a country to the east of Israel (where Jesus was born). Nor does it tell us if they rode camels—although they probably did, since they would have had to cross long sections of desert to reach their destination. Many Bible scholars believe they proba...
When I was in school, I was a poor student all the way up until I went to seminary, where I was a straight ‘A’ student for the first 3 years. It started as a point of pride for me, then it became a challenge to maintain it, and finally it made me miserable. I had done so well that I was afraid of messing it up. I reached a point where I obsessed over grades and put in excessive hours on papers just trying to maintain my perfect record. I eventually encountered a class that I struggled with, and,...
Q: I have an aggressive form of cancer, and the doctors have told me this will be my last Christmas. I feel so sad, especially when I think about not seeing my grandchildren grow up. What would you say to someone in my situation? A: The most important thing I can say to you is that God knows all about your situation, and He loves you and will always be with you—even when your way seems dark. God’s promise is true: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you. … Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8). How do I...
This week, as a homework assignment for a class my wife and I are taking at church, we have had to spend time talking on the couch every day and go out on a date. I alluded to the challenges associated with the assignment in an earlier column, but I think it’s worth pointing out the seemingly counterintuitive reasoning behind the assignment. The class that we are doing the conversation time for is a parenting class. The first few weeks of the course focused on an unlikely topic: marriage h...
Q: I grew up in a religious home, but I rebelled against all that, and I suppose you could say I’ve been living like the devil ever since. I know I’m on a dead-end road, but I don’t think I can do anything about it. Has God given up on me? A: No, God has not given up on you! If God had given up on you, you wouldn’t even be asking this question. But He has planted this question in your soul—and the reason is because He wants to welcome you home. Don’t turn your back on what He is trying to tell you! The devil will tell you that it’s too la...
My wife and I have been taking a class at church that includes a daily homework assignment: We are to spend 15 minutes of ‘couch time’ together. In principle, this isn’t complicated or difficult to accomplish. It involves sitting on the couch together and having a one-on-one conversation for 15 minutes, without kids or tv or any other distractions. The crazy thing we discovered is that it’s just not easy to have a focused conversation for 15 minutes. We have to work to come up with things...
I got a card the other day from a farm lady who thinks a lot of my writing and especially loves to hear about the times my family and I stayed out at Clear Creek around Christmas time. I love to think about those old cherished and true stories as well. There were not four wheel drive vehicles in those days so it was a rare weekend that we could even get in. Always we had a bunch of decorations to make a Christmas tree and there was always enough wood to stay warm and always a lot of food to eat. Often we missed church services but we figured...
Q: Do people who have died and gone on to Heaven know what’s happening on earth? If so, I’d think they’d be sad to see the evil and suffering that go on here. But isn’t Heaven supposed to be a happy place? A: Yes, the Bible assures us that Heaven is a place of absolute happiness and joy and peace—far greater than anything we’ll ever experience right now. The Bible says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). Do those in Hea...
I think I write this column every year around Christmas time but it means a lot to me so here I go again. I love the Christmas lights that are up all over this time of year. Just look at Big Sandy. Thanks to the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce and many joyous volunteers, the town just pops at Christmas and is lovely and gives even more meaning to the birth of the Christ Child and all that has meant for so many generations. I think I can remember the first Christmas lights to be strung in Havre. I think they were on the big brick Clack...
Q: Every year I tell myself that I’m not going to get caught up in the Christmas shopping crush—but every year I hit the stores as soon as they open the day after Thanksgiving. I’ll probably do the same this year. I know this isn’t a spiritual question, but why can’t I be more self-controlled? A: Although it may not strike you as such, in reality this is a spiritual question—because it deals with everything from the way we use our money, to what we think is really important in life. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will...
In the 5th Century, an Egyptian named Arenius set out to live a holy life by abandoning the community he lived in and living in the desert as a monk. After several years of living in the wilderness, he visited the city of Alexandria, where he spent time wandering through the markets and bazaars. A Christian in Alexandria asked him why he spent so much time wandering through the shops if he had renounced possessions and worldly comforts. He responded that he was filled with joy at the sight of...
I have interviewed many people about their Thanksgiving dinners through the years. I have yet to tell anyone of my Thanksgiving disaster. I think that if they did have one, they buried it, because it was so horrible. In my family there were two fairly terrible episodes. One occurred when I was a child and the other occurred at my house in Somers when I was an adult. The Thanksgiving incident at Somers as it is called in my family to this day happened when I had bought a large Thanksgiving turkey and it seemed like things were going well until...
I’ve been going to the gym every day for months and have been enjoying it, but I discovered that the gains in my weight training and general fitness, which I experienced during my earlier days of working out, slowed gradually and reached a point of standstill over time. I responded to the slowing of my progress by working out harder, but that didn’t help. I resolved to stay the course and hope for the best at that point, when a friend of mine asked if I had considered taking days off or inc...
Q: I hate to admit this, but my wife and I never got along, and when she died last year I wasn’t all that sorry. But now I desperately miss her. I wish I could make up for those lost years. What’s wrong with me? A: One reason I wanted to reprint your letter is because I hope it will cause other husbands (and wives) to re-evaluate their marriages, and do everything they possibly can to strengthen them—before it’s too late. Even if your letter only touches one person, it will be worth it. Why do you miss your wife so deeply? I can think of seve...
Some friends of mine are going to spend Thanksgiving at their cabin northeast of Missoula and feast on prime rib instead of turkey and dressing. I thought about that for awhile and decided it was a good idea. There should be a turkey in the mix for Thanksgiving or Christmas but serving good beef is great too as Montana owes a lot to the cattle that graze it’s coulees and great meadows that make Montana what it is. I have thought about what I am going to do for Thanksgiving this year. I am having trouble getting around so a minimal feast s...
Q: Every year we debate whether or not to invite my aunt for Thanksgiving. She’s a very negative person who spends her whole time complaining and criticizing everyone, and it gets very unpleasant. Would she get the message if we didn’t invite her this year? A: From what you say, I honestly doubt if she’ll “get the message” if you don’t invite her for Thanksgiving. Instead, you’ll probably just give her another excuse to complain and criticize you even more. The Bible bluntly says, “Whoever hates correction is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1)....
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and for many it is the time to head to Grandmother’s house or Aunt Margie’s house or invite a dozen people to your own house. I can remember when I was a small child around eight or so, I got a new sister and we always wanted to stay home for Christmas. Our parents were very generous as was Santa and there was a lot to play with on Christmas Day, So, we would put up a fuss if we had to go somewhere on that day of all days. We wanted our turkey dinner but we wanted it at home. Can you imagine us kids tel...
Q: You often say in your column that we need to learn to walk with God, but what does that mean? I don’t have any trouble believing in God, but I don’t think I understand what it means to walk with Him. A: The key is to understand what happens to us when we commit our lives to Jesus Christ. By nature, we are separated from God because of our sins—but when we open our hearts to Christ, He forgives us and comes to live within us by His Spirit. In other words, we now have a personal relationship with God. We have become God’s friend—and He has be...