In the Zone

One of my favorite memories as my time as a newspaper reporter was covering the Billy Graham Crusade in Cincinnati. It was one of Graham's last crusades (He did one more in Texas after that) and right up until the event, it was questionable if he could physically preach the services. But he did and it was a powerful experience. I went all four nights of that crusade. I went two nights as a reporter, covering the event, taking pictures, interviewing folks, and attending press conferences. I went two nights as a volunteer, having attended the evangelism training courses to help lead people to a relationship with Jesus Christ. It was an amazing experience. As I heard to the news of Graham's passing this week, I've been thinking about that week and the events that led up to it. It was a unique experience and I was privileged to be part of it. I was a part-time youth minister at the time. I worked full time for the paper. It was one of the few times in my career when my tw...

Can you forgive the unforgivable? That's not a rhetorical question. It's not even theoretical. It plays out, in real life and in real situations. A few weeks ago, Larry Nassar, a former doctor who worked at Michigan State University and worked with the USA Gymnastics program, was found guilty of multiple counts of sexual abuse. He will spend the rest of his life in jail. Nassar was convicted of repeatedly sexually assault young girl in the gymnastics program. He hurt and abused them in despicable ways. Sadly, he got away with it for years and years. That was until Rachael Denhollender, a Louisville attorney and former US gymnast, brought allegations against him to the Indianapolis Star newspaper. That set in motion an investigation that eventually brought Nassar to justice. At Nassar's sentencing hearing, many women, including Denhollender, was given the opportunity to speak. She chose to address not only the court but Nassar himself. He words, found here , are po...

My son loves to watch the old Looney Tunes cartoons. His favorite is Wiley E. Coyote and the Road Runner. We subscribe to the Boomerang streaming network and Coyote and Road Runner are on constant replay. He loves watching that coyote fail miserably at catching that road runner. In one episode, right at the beginning, Coyote reads a warning from the Surgeon General that hunting road runners can be hazardous to your health. Sure enough, he ignores the warning only to end up failing, crashing through a cliff rock, and reading a second sign that says not to ignore Surgeon General's warnings. It's a funny moment, but it's also one that rings true to often for believers. We are warned by Paul in Galatians 5 to live by the Holy Spirit and to walk in the Holy Spirit. He warns believers, that as human beings, we are constantly fighting our sin nature. We want to do things according to our own desires instead of the Lord's desires. Instead, we are to walk by the Spirit a...