I remember thinking how ironic it was when I was diagnosed with cancer just six weeks after interviewing the local oncologist, Dr. Marc Hirsh, for my newspaper story about the hospital’s new cancer support group. And now in an even greater irony, that cancer specialist–my oncologist–has been diagnosed with the very disease that he spent …
Category: strength
Jul 22
My Embarrassing Confession
I have a confession to make. It’s kind of embarrassing and I’m reticent to admit it, but I want to be transparent so I’m going public. I leak. Seriously, I do. And I’m not talking about once in a blue moon or even occasionally. I’m talking basically everyday, especially for the last several months. …
Jun 17
Do You Like to Be Prepared?
I hate being unprepared. My mother always said I shouldn’t say “hate,” but rather “dislike intently.” So, let me rephrase: I intently dislike being unprepared. I always check the weather report each morning so I can prepare to dress accordingly. Every day I make a list so I’m prepared to accomplish what needs to …
Jun 03
Are you flying by the seat of your pants?
My cousin Jim knows from his years of soaring into hurricanes and typhoons that flying into a storm is extremely dangerous. But as part of a U.S. Air Force weather reconnaissance team, it was his job to help gather weather data so forecasters could better predict a storm’s strength. It was critical, Jim says, …
May 06
When your world is crashing down…
My prayer for you today, my friend, is that no matter what life hands you–when your world or even the whole world is crashing down–you will trust the Lord’s unending love for you. So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be …
Apr 22
5 Ways a Pandemic Is Like Having Cancer
When this novel coronavirus invaded our globe, it was such a stark reminder of my long-ago cancer diagnosis that I actually said to myself: Now everyone will see how it feels to have your world fall apart right before your eyes. For the past thirty years, my life has been divided into B.C. (Before Cancer) …
Apr 09
What do you need today?
Why do you have needs? Why do you need shelter or food? Why do you need emotional connections with other people? Why do you need to feel a sense of purpose? You have needs because God created you with needs. He could have made you so that your shelter is on your back, as …
Mar 25
Shaking Things Up
Don’t wait. Not a minute. Not a second. Instead, praise God now. If you and I wait to praise God until after something earthshaking and amazing happens, we’ve got the wrong order. Praise comes first. Doubt that? Consider the classic praise story in the Bible–this scenario (in Acts 16) where Paul and Silas, bound in chains in …
Feb 19
How to Keep Calm and Carry On
What are your fighting against these days? Cancer? Addiction? Depression? Discouragement? Or what are you fighting for? Your marriage? A wayward loved one? Improved finances? Restored health? Well, as the Brits like to say: Seriously. Keeping calm in the face of impending disaster actually is a recurring message throughout the Bible. As the Israelites …
Jan 23
Is the wildfire of fear, worry or anxiety burning in your life?
Fear is your enemy’s weapon. He uses it skillfully and often to great effect. Fear and its offshoots–worry and anxiety–are like a wildfire, encroaching on every area of your life and leaving destruction in their wake. Fear eats its way into your emotions, robbing you of the peace and rest God intends for you. Fear …