The Price of Dissent – You may be called to pay it

We have the unhappy privilege of living in deeply divided times. Where neighbors used to disagree about sports, politics, and even religion, they maintained friendships and remained neighborly. Now thanks to the accelerant known as the internet, and its igniter, Social Media, differences become grounds for lifetime bans — and worse — for holding an […]

Hope Is Not a Strategy — But Try Living Without It

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” – Proverbs 13:12 (NIV) I worked with a colleague who took particular delight in reciting the title of this post — the first part, anyway — whenever anyone began a statement with, “I hope…” To be fair to my colleague, […]

Our Chaos is Why Christmas Exists – Revisited

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die — but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – […]

Classic Post Encore: The Unsung Hero of Christmas

Merry Christmas! While we celebrate the incarnation of Christ Jesus, I want to ask you to consider the example of a man who was indispensable to the Christmas story — Joseph the carpenter. Meet Joseph When we first meet Joseph in the Bible, he is defined in terms of his relationships — as the son […]

Classic Post Encore: The Advent Conspiracy – A Cure for Grinches?

Christmas is just around the corner.  Despite the holiday-themed TV ads that began in early November and the radio stations that started playing Christmas music around the same time, it’s possible you may have missed it.  As a friend of mine observed, “Christmas seems to come earlier every year.” If the crass commercialization of the […]

Classic Post – Lessons Learned from 30+ Years of Marriage

“He who finds a wife finds a good thing    and obtains favor from the Lord.” – Proverbs 18:22 (ESV) Mrs. Booth and I celebrated our wedding anniversary this week. I am profoundly thankful for the years we have had together, and I look forward to the years ahead. The institution of marriage has suffered multiple body […]

What God Thinks About Money — Updated

“Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.” – Proverbs 28:8 (NIV) In a recent post, I explained why I’m skeptical of cryptocurrencies — even though I am optimistic about the potential for blockchain technology and its offshoots to create genuine […]

Re-post: In Memory of Carolyn S. Lakes (1932 – 2017)

“The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.” – Proverbs 10:7 (ESV) “It shouldn’t have happened.” Those were my wife’s words on Sunday, October 8 — the day she and her siblings, our nephew, and I said goodbye to their mother, his grandmother, my mother-in-law. “It shouldn’t […]

Re-post: Eight Reasons Why Old-School Wedding Vows Are The Best

Build a lasting marriage with a sound foundation

“Rain and storm and dark skies Well now they don’t mean a thing If you got a girl that loves you And who wants to wear your ring So c’mon mister trouble We’ll make it through you somehow We’ll fill this house with all the love All that heaven will allow” -Bruce Springsteen “All That […]

Re-post: The Pendulum Predicts a Bumpy Ride – Part III

How should we live in difficult times?

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own […]