Posts – Page 9 – Deepening Our Journey

Our Unopened Gifts

May 31, 2020

Imagine for a moment that on Christmas morning you were so taken up by one or two of your parent’s presents that you didn’t take the time to open any of the other gifts you were given—and that this exact same scenario played out again and again every single year for your entire life! Now suppose that one day you are stuck at home with nothing else to do when you go into a back room in the house and discover all the presents you never opened over the years,

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For Better or Worse

May 1, 2020

Crisis seems to bring out the best and worst of human nature, and the crisis we now find ourselves in is no exception. Daily we witness the heroism of medical professionals, while grocery store workers and delivery people who certainly never signed up to put their lives on the line, still go in to work each day to make sure our needs are met. Individuals and businesses across the nation are stepping up to do what they can to help those most affected by the crisis. On the other hand,

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How to Not Just Survive the Pandemic, but Thrive!

April 1, 2020

For those of you who have been following my writing, you will recognize this post takes a somewhat different approach than usual. However, over the last few days, several of the patients that I counsel by phone have encouraged—or in one case, demanded!—that I write a post on some of the practical coping strategies I have shared with them and that they have found helpful. So I would like to offer some brief reflections and suggestions as we wrestle together as to how we can not only survive this pandemic

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Mom’s Wisdom

February 29, 2020

I was late! The parking lot of the doctor’s office was full except for a row of empty handicap spaces right up front. I glanced at the handicap tag hanging on the rear-view mirror. The tag is for my wife who wasn’t in the car. Should I…? I felt quite embarrassed being late for the appointment and finding another parking space would make me even later. Excuses ran through my mind. Being late would inconvenience the doctor and his staff and besides, there were several other handicap spaces available. And

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Reaching Across the Divide

January 31, 2020

I admit it. I was eavesdropping. I didn’t mean to be, but in light of what I heard, I can’t say I’m sorry. It happened in line at Publix. The two gentlemen directly in front of me, who apparently were friends or at least acquaintances, were talking loudly enough that I couldn’t help but overhear their conversation. The older gentleman with a full beard pointed out the re-usable bags that were for sale and commented that they were just another way for the store to make extra money by charging

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The Secret to Finding God

January 3, 2020

On a recent visit with some close friends in Denver, I had three “close encounters” with the divine when our hosts took us to an extraordinary park and nature center near their home. As we wandered amongst the spectacular red rock formations, it was easy to see why the park had been called “Garden of the Gods” by the two surveyors who named it. The grandeur of landscape instantly sparked a feeling of awe and reverence within me, and called to mind the creative force behind it. What an incredible

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Popo! Popo! Read Us A Book!

December 1, 2019

Rita and I have been blessed with the world’s two most amazing, inquisitive, and lovable grandsons. I know you’re thinking that every grandparent says that, but I assure you, in our case, it is actually true! They are four and six years young at the present time, but it seems like those numbers are changing all too fast. One day on a recent visit, they had a familiar request/command: “Popo, read us a book!” They each handed me a few of their favorites. The one on top immediately took me

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A Pocketful of Eggs

October 31, 2019

I was cooking up a big pan of scrambled eggs when Molly came over and said, “Terry, we’ve got plenty of help back here. We could use you better out in the social room talking with folks!” Our adult Sunday school class was volunteering to help serve breakfast at an inner-city church. In some ways working in the kitchen provided volunteers with a legitimate hiding place. You could be serving without having to step out of your comfort zone by interacting with the guests, most of whom were struggling for

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The Runaway Street Preacher

October 1, 2019

One Sunday afternoon after a special council meeting at a downtown church in Allentown I went for a walk just to check out some of the recent changes in the city. I came across a young man, probably in his thirties, who was preaching on a busy street corner. He had his hat on the ground with a sign: “$ for food and housing.” At the beginning of his sermon, he explained how he started his “life of evangelism” several months earlier. He then read a passage from Luke 14:

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