Musings from the Midwest
Prodigals
Yesterday, as I was doing an afternoon walk and listening and praying to worship music, the song by Chris Tomlin came on, "Nobody Loves Me Like you Love Me Jesus," and I realized that this September will mark 30 years since I first went to Israel to work with my...
Small Miracles
In 1992, I moved to Jerusalem to work with a Messianic Rabbi and his family. I had been working for them for about 4 years at that point in the Messianic Jewish Congregation he was leading in Maryland, when they made the decision to move their family to Israel. They...
Grace Through the Years
Last November was 34 years sober for me. I was thinking yesterday about what started me on the road to sobriety. My brother was arrested for DUI, and asked me to go get some things for him from his apartment. He had a copy of "THE BIG BOOK," from Alcoholics Anonymous,...
Ants and Insomnia
I looked at the time again as I sat on the couch, playing my game on my phone. It was 2:00 AM! I had to be up at 5:00 to get ready for work. Insomnia had plagued me for months. Nothing I tried had worked. I read article after article online about solutions for...
Amazing Grace and Mercy
It was a normal Monday evening in December. the week before Christmas. I was getting ready for bed, when I had this sense of urgency that someone was in some kind of danger, and had a need for prayer. I had no idea who it was or what it was they faced, but I could not...
Serendipity or a Plan?
It was a Friday night in March of 1996. I was curious about this new thing called the internet and all it had to offer. So I opened it up and went to a site for Christianity Today Magazine. I found something called a bulletin board where people could chat online with...
Baking and Other Lessons
Lately I have struggled with feeling down, maybe even depressed. All the things that have happened in the past year have really been difficult for me to handle. So the other morning I prayed and asked the Lord to help me get past it, help me to rise above and give me...
Looking Back to the Future
I was looking through some old pictures the other day and came across a birthday card I received in 1986 when I was preparing to move from Las Vegas to Northern Virginia. I was working in a casino with a very good job when I met someone and decided to move East. It...
Friends
We were driving home from a doctor's appointment a while back and saw the license plate in front of us that said "NUNYABIZ." I immediately thought of a friend I have known for many, many years who used that expression all the time. It's funny how something that...
To Grow or Not?
The weeks have worn on and I am still in therapy for my broken shoulder. I thought it would be over by now and my arm and shoulder would be back to normal. But it's not over and it isn't back to normal. What to do? Continue to persevere...with the pain. Oh yes, the...
Blessings in Disguise
On a Friday evening last April, I stood up from my sofa to walk into another room. As I did, I caught my foot on a piece of furniture, and was catapulted into the air, falling and landing hard on my left shoulder. I knew as soon as it happened that it was a bad injury. At first, I could not sit up and I could not move my arm. I had to hold it close to my body with my other hand. The pain was intense.
I’m Not the CEO of My Life Anymore!
I volunteer with a non-profit organization that assists men and women coming out of prison, who are trying to rebuild their life. The following was written by Dave, one of the success stories from this group, written to people who are on the same journey. It is a...