As you read this, I’m busy getting caught up on work and packing for the PRAISE May Israel Trip. Forty-eight PRAISE listeners will be doing the same, as we eagerly anticipate being where Jesus walked, taught and lived.

Somehow, this trip has me MORE excited than the first one. I think what I’ve already seen and experienced makes that true. I can’t wait to share that joy and emotion with the many others going for the first time. Have you experienced that in your own life? Perhaps you’re excited for your kids or friends knowing that what they’re heading out to do will be life-changing. I can’t wait to see the faces of others traveling with me when they see Jerusalem for the first time, walk the Via Dolorosa or step into the River Jordan.

I think God feels that way about us. He already knows how wonderful our future ...

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, a day set aside to say “Thanks!” for the bazillion things moms do for us. A one day celebration seems lacking considering all we should be thankful for!  

Does your mom live nearby or are you separated by distance? Perhaps the most amazing thing about a mom is that even when she’s not close by, most of us ‘feel’ our mother’s love for us, as if she is right beside us.  

For the last 16 years, my mother lived just down the street. I had the joy of spending time with her in her later years.  This year though, I won’t be buying her a gift. She went home to our Heavenly Father on New Year’s Eve.   But, I have to say, I can still feel her love in spite of the separation.  And that’s all it is, a short time of separation ...

I LOVE SNOW! Last fall, weather forecasts predicted a very cold winter and a HUGE snow storm. I could hardly wait! I raced to the store, stocked up on food, settled into my warm, cozy house and waited… and waited some more, but sadly no big snow that day or all winter.

Now, glimpses of spring are popping up all over my garden and I’m hoping it DOESN’T snow so my baby tulips won’t be damaged while waking from this gentle winter. Whether it’s tulips or snow that I’m hoping for, God is teaching me contentment; to enjoy each season I’m in instead of going overboard with planning for something in the distant future that may or may not happen.

So, instead of wishing for snow… again… I’ll smile when I walk along my sidewalk, see my baby tulips coming to life and remember God always gives me what I ...

Is spring really here or is today’s sunshine just a tease of things to come? I don’t know the answer to that question, but my roses seem to. My wife, Sharon, always tells me it’s time to prune the roses on President’s Day. Well, yesterday I headed out to prune our roses and discovered I may be too late!  They seem to think most of winter is over.

You know, in some ways we really are like roses. Pretty in place, yet able to inflict pain on those who come in contact with our thorns. Left un-pruned, we grow wild and out of control. When pruned, we become the visual representation of love, just like a beautiful red rose. Through God’s loving pruning and the wisdom of His Word, we can go from wild and out of control to become the visual representation of God’s love to those around us. Has ...

Here we are already in 2013! It happened so quickly for me… maybe you, too? Christmas was a wonderful time sharing memories with family and friends and anticipating what is to come with the New Year.

Okay, I will be honest with you. I want the ‘feeling’ of Christmas to last as long as I can get away with it. Remnants of wrapping paper, bows and even some holiday goodies can still be found around the house. I even secretly hope to find a straggling Christmas card or two in my mail box when I get home today.

Who says Christmas has to end on the 26th! I have decided to try and make that Christmas ‘feeling’ continue the whole year long. Despite my own circumstances or personal challenges, I want to offerr some much needed kind words, an extra hug or even spend some special time with a long ...