• Engage

    Learning From Latin “Comentaristas”

    God designed me to feel indifferent about sports. But something has happened to me. I can’t seem to pull myself away from watching La Copa Mundial on Univision. Spanglishly speaking, I blame the comentaristas. I admit that the logistics of futbol escape me, but it doesn’t matter. When my team scores—¡Viva México! Go USA!—when they make a goal, my soul bursts into song along with the comentarista. ¡Gooooooolllll!   An endless voice from heaven expresses every ounce of hope I have for victory. Gooooooolllll! Y otra vez! ¡Gooooooolllll!    Leave it to the critic to point out the “what if’s” in sports, but a Latin comentarista will show you what's…

  • Engage

    Wait For Hope to Appear

    Many times, we will find ourselves surrounded by suffering. It seldom makes any sense and it sometimes hurts so deep that words fail to adequately describe our pain. I wrote the following blog in a time such as this and with these few words, I found hope.    “When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions. Wait for hope to appear. Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face. The ‘worst’ is never the worst.” Lamentations 3:28-30 (MSG) (italics and bold mine)   I struggle with the idea of waiting especially when “life is heavy and hard to…

  • Heartprints

    Stay Encouraged…The Next Generation of Christians Needs You!

    “…we face a generation of young people who no longer hold to what most evangelicals consider to be the true foundations of the Christian faith: belief in the deity of Christ, the reliability of Scripture, and the bodily resurrection of Jesus.”  Josh McDowell and David H. Bellis, The Last Christian Generation (Holiday, FL: Green Key Books), 27.  The preceding observation by Josh McDowell and David Bellis is sobering to say the least.  The reality is that we are progressively living in a world where the basic tenants of the Christian faith are no longer believed, taught, or consistently championed.  Relativism has taken root and has such a stronghold in our…

  • Engage

    My Mother’s Legacy

    My mother passed away twelve days ago at the age of 90. Like some of you, I always said that I didn’t want to be like my mother. I lived with her weaknesses, and strengths aren’t always evident to those who live up close. But time brings perspective, and I now identify much to learn from her life. My daughter said it well–Mother had her priorities right, putting faith and family above all else. She volunteered in her church for years, even while responsible for home, children, and teaching school. She tirelessly cooked and gave food away to those with health issues, losses, celebrations–or just because they loved her food!…