It was a place off limits to curious fingers that broke vases, and feet that tracked mud. The formal living room, where at times parents and guests would talk. I remember sitting in the stairwell leading up to this sacred place, in my footie PJ’s, listening to the radio play. Where I was in the…
Things Break, Plans Change, Where is God?
The mechanic spoke in whimsical tones, throwing his arms around, and stopping to stare at me when he wanted my reaction. “You ever watch Deadliest Catch?” “Sure,” I nodded. “The reality show about crabbing in Alaska?” “That was my life for 14 years,” he said. “I got out before I died; many of my buddies…
Miracles Don’t Age….25 Years, and it’s Like Yesterday.
On a hitchhiking trip, my friend passed through a camp ground one evening around dusk. He was broke, and hadn’t eaten for some time. Suddenly, his mind was filled with the idea of a baked potato. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted one. So, he did the only thing he could…
A Beggar Offering Bread
Along the journey of 36 years of walking with Jesus, my fondest memories are times where I am simply, as the old adage says, ‘a beggar offering another beggar a piece of bread.’ Before twenty, my life was filled with questions, haunting perplexity, and seeking something I knew existed, but had no idea where to find. A…
Like Two Boys In A Boat
Yesterday, I watched two young boys in a rowboat, Pulling at oars in the stern, Paddling wildly to make progress, Perhaps out for a day of fishing, But fighting hard against the wind To find a place, where the fish might bite. They looked determined, Amidst the choppy water, Unbridled and unconscious strength, Free, Together….
DeJadis, and How Pity Starves the World
Pity may cry, but still walks away… I’m at the grocery store, in the fruit aisle. Returning a rotten pineapple. Behind me, I hear a voice, and turn. His face is pained, frightened like a child’s might be, who’s lost their way. His face a dirty smear, clothes disheveled, hands trembling. “I’ve been homeless for…
I Want to Die Young, at a Ripe Old Age
I want to die young, at a ripe old age. I want to always take new ground, risk new ministry ideas, sow seeds into personal pursuits, and search for creative ways to bring the gospel into our culture. But honestly, it’s not an easy assignment. By natural affect, life tightens around you, constricting interests, suffocating…
Thirty Years Later…
During our first assignment with Cru, Ginnette and I lived in an apartment over a feed store in a cute little town called Excelsior, MN, a western suburb of Minneapolis. Our weekly date night cost three bucks, and very little shoe leather. (Seven steps to the left of our door—dollar theater, followed by a shared…
It’s Time to Re-Enlist!
“Someone pushed her!” The doors to the subway car had just opened. People were screaming, running, and staring wildly under the train. I paused in the midst of it all, not sure why, but then started to talk with a young man. “I was standing right here, and someone pushed her,” he said. He was…
The Eyes of a Stranger on an Uptown Train
I settled into a copy of the sports page of the Daily News, plucked from an empty seat. At Fulton I looked up when I heard a gasp, and saw a man entering the subway car, the people around him stepping back and away, their eyes held wide like a shutter, peering at a dark…
Two Letters And A Greasy Burger Bag
It was early morning, July 17th 1978. I had just been told by a state police officer to get off the interstate. No hitch hiking allowed. Out of options, I walked a mile on a service road, hopped the fence, and stood on the gravel berm holding out my thumb. I had never prayed in…
The Myterious Power of Secrets
You didn’t ask, but I’m going to tell. “I build relationships through evangelism, rather than for evangelism. Am I saying that I take the first opportunity to share Christ with perfect strangers? Yes, most of the time. Does it feel awkward at first, like I’m about to fall off a cliff? Almost, every time. What…
To Sir, with love 