Joyful competition?

Competition – the rivalry for supremacy – is a great joy to me. Whether a basketball game or a golf match…winning is everything. Is it not?! But the joy is oh so brief. Then I must move on to the next competition — so much effort for a few...

What Motivates Me?

“What motivates you to do what you do?” This question from a friend triggered thoughts back to my childhood. As a 13 year-old morning newspaper delivery boy, thoughts of money in my pocket motivated me every morning at 5 am. Motivations have differed...

Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross

Mother’s Day is full of flowers, love and attention. Earth Day is considered an international event. But on Good Friday, the cross is all but forgotten. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my mother and celebrate mother’s day with great joy. However, I am...

Change my heart, O Lord

The song “Change my heart, O Lord; make me ever new” is occasionally sung in my prayers much differently, “Change my life circumstances, O Lord; make me more comfortable”. It would seem so much simpler for the difficult situations of my life to...

Yoked

I have never liked the idea of being controlled by anyone or anything. I must confess I get testy when I even perceive I’m not in the driver’s seat. I want to be in control. The idea of being yoked in any way seems oppressive to me. Certainly there are...

The Perfect Work of Patience

I am an impatient man. I made a career choice that only encouraged my impatience. The atmosphere of immediacy in emergency medicine intensified my unwillingness to wait. Practicing patience has been an issue since I was a young boy. My mother said that cooking was not...