Failure and success

How to get through the storm

How to get through the storm

When we started off on our journey to Michigan several weeks ago, everything was fine.  It was cold, but the skies were bright blue.  About 45 minutes into our journey, some clouds appeared, then a few snowflakes and pretty soon you could hardly see where you were going.  We found ourselves behind a big truck and hung in for the duration.  A half hour or so later, the skies cleared and the sun came out.  There wasn’t even any snow on the ground at the other end of the storm.

The Gift of focus

The Gift of focus

There are lots of reasons people get discouraged and give up.  Many of them are obvious, but most of them boil down to a lack of success in some area of life.  We fail in our relationhips, we fail in our finances, we fail in our jobs, we fail in our emotional or physical well-being.  Then there are other people who seem to be doing very well by outward standards, but who lose their passion for God.

The two seasons of God

The two seasons of God

One of the more frustrating parts of flying is getting caught in a holding pattern over a busy airport.  You know you’re right on top of it but you can’t do anything because there’s too many others ahead of you, and so you go round and round until you eventually get cleared to land.

Have you ever felt that about your life in general?  Have you ever felt that the purposes of God have marched on and left you behind?

The best way to a healthy church

The best way to a healthy church

Church life can be a place of contrasts.  It can be the very best place to be and it can be a lousy place to be.  The puzzle is what makes the difference.  I think I can give at least part of the answer.

Waiting

Waiting

We all piled into the plane, and no sooner had we sat down the pilot informed us we couldn’t take off due to poor weather conditions at our destination.  Which fact he knew perfectly well before we got on.  And so we sat there for another hour, wondering why they couldn’t have left us in the departure lounge instead.

Waiting.  Who likes it?