September 30, 2019

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Our son was so excited when he called us. Our year-old granddaughter had just gotten up and walked about 30 steps across the floor! We had seen her crawl for the first time...we'd seen her stand by herself and even take a step. But this time she had suddenly exploded into big-time walking. Our son seemed to have an immediate revelation about what this development was going to mean for the life of her parents. He simply introduced his announcement of her walking with these four words, "Let the games begin!" No kidding!

September 24, 2019

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It was one of those nights that flashes back in our memory for years, like treasured pictures in a mental scrapbook. It was the early 1990s and the Soviet Union was beginning to break up. Estonia and Latvia had been under Soviet domination for years, with Christians often being persecuted, or marginalized, even imprisoned and beaten. Our daughter was one of a team of college students, privileged to be one of the first Christian teams to be able to freely present Christ in Estonia and Latvia. They had just held some unforgettable meetings with believers in Riga, the capital of Latvia, and they had heard some of the stories of the price some of those dear saints had paid for their loyalty to Jesus. They'd been through so much.

September 20, 2019

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It is not easy to get baptized in the desert, especially if you're of the persuasion that believes in being baptized by being immersed in water. Our daughter-in-law grew up in one of those areas without much water, so she got baptized in a horse trough...minus the horse of course. Some Marines in Iraq got baptized in a small brick chapel, in a rubber dinghy filled with water. A young corporal was one of those. He decided to get baptized as his unit was preparing to attack the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah. Reports said that he came out of the water dripping wet and beaming. He explained his reason for doing it and for doing it then: "I just wanted to make sure I did this before I headed into the fight."

September 16, 2019

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The battles were horrendous. The casualties were many. But the outcome changed everything. That's a very quick summary of the final episode of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic trilogy, Lord of the Rings. That trilogy actually jumped off of dusty bookshelves and into the popular culture with their portrayal in three very successful movies. In the story, Tolkien weaves a tale of a world called Middle Earth where these soulless, subhuman beings are attempting to stamp out what they call the "Age of Humans." Finally, in the concluding "Return of the King," Middle Earth's rightful king, Aragorn, leads the humans in one last, all-out attempt to turn back the forces of evil. After many costly battles, there's this glorious coronation day for the triumphant king. As the crown is placed on the head of the rightful ruler before this jubilant crowd of his subjects, they know the dark days are over. And the one who crowned him makes this hopeful announcement, "Now begin the days of the King!"

September 13, 2019

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Oh there's always lots of commencement speeches come about May and June. Most of them, pretty predictable. "Live up to your potential." "Follow your dreams." "The sky's the limit." But maybe there's never been a commencement speech like the one at Morehouse College recently. Billionaire businessman Robert Smith set 396 graduates free in one day.

He was reflecting on the long history of an African-American family, and then he announced that "on behalf of the eight generations of my family who have been in this country, we're going to put a little fuel in your bus." More like rocket fuel! In one breathtaking moment, he suddenly announced that his family was creating a grant that would pay the student loans of every graduate! What a moment! The dreaded debt just beyond the degree - suddenly gone!

September 10, 2019

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We just finished celebrating our grandson's tenth birthday. We didn't forget it. I mean, he wouldn't let us forget it back then! I mean, this boy knew his birthday when he was two years old. So, you know, every year - big deal. Well, I'm never going to forget the day he was born, because my wife and I were there! We waited outside that birthing room, and then we got the word that he was in the process of arriving, and then we got the summons to come in and see him. One of life's ultimate, well they used to call it "Kodak moments." And suddenly a day that had been just another number on the calendar before became one of the most special days in our life from then on!

September 6, 2019

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I was reminiscing with our son about some of the great experiences we had together as a family when he and his siblings were kids. I was thinking especially of the hikes we took up mountains, through forests, and along the seashore. To which my son added, with a little whimsy in his voice, "And sand dunes?" See, that's kind of a sore point in our family memories. It's all about the time I led our family on an exhausting hike up a massive Cape Cod sand dune, promising them, based on what I had been told, a beautiful view of the ocean when we reached the top. Well, there was a view of another sand dune, which we climbed as well. And there it was finally, "There! There it is!" another sand dune! The next dune was like that, too, and the next one. This was not one of my better ideas.

September 2, 2019

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You know the title song of the musical "Oklahoma"? It talks about that being the state "where the wind comes whippin' o'er the plains." Yeah, I guess! How about the tornadoes come whippin' o'er the plains? That's not as poetic, but man, it sure has been true. Especially in recent years. It just seems like Oklahoma gets hammered over and over again with that severe weather. I actually saw an interview with some folks whose homes had been hit by one tornado that moved along the northern edge of Oklahoma City. And, you know, it was amazing to see a lot of people who faced their loss with a determination to rebuild. And actually some even faced it with a sense of humor, believe it or not. I remember one guy who described what had happened pretty creatively. He said, "Well, it was sort of moving day without notice!"

August 29, 2019

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It was chaos in our living room. Most of the family was there, and we're not a quiet bunch. Everybody's a communicator and everyone is communicating. The adults were involved in several conversations at once. And our two young grandsons were playing with, well let's call it enthusiasm - maybe hoping to command a little attention. They surveyed the uproar in our living room, and I suddenly noticed a precious scene in the corner. It was our son with his dark-haired then infant daughter, sprawled peacefully in her Daddy's arms. First they'd been there cheek to cheek, then she just simply fell asleep, oblivious to the storm going on around her and safe in her Daddy's arms.

August 27, 2019

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Our youngest son had waited a long time for this. He had loved this girl for a long time and she had loved him. And now it was time to ask her to spend the rest of her life with him. So, he asked her to go with him on an old horse-drawn carriage ride along some beautiful mountain paths. He was in cahoots with the driver, so he asked if they could stop to take a picture on a nearby footbridge - just out of sight, of course. Well, the driver was loving every minute of this. On that bridge, overlooking a picturesque little stream, our son declared his lifetime love and he asked the woman he loves to become his wife. She was not surprised that he would ask someday, but this day she was overwhelmed. I love this! He awaited her answer and it was more beautiful than our son could have ever scripted. She just said, "It would be my highest honor." P.S. - the wedding was awesome.