Write down the revelation...

When I travel, I always take Oswald Chambers with me. He’s been dead for nearly 100 years but his most popular book, My Utmost for His Highest, a 365-day devotional is timeless. It’s not the Bible, but I do put it on the same shelf. (*wink) I correspond my daily reading (while travelling) with the correct calendar date, and it never seems to fail but the words usually confirm a lesson the Lord is already teaching me. Last weekend, when I was in San Francisco, Oswald spoke to me again. He said, “Never make a principle out of your experience; let God be as original with other people as he is with you.” I’m different from you, and you are different from me. It’s a no-brainer, right? Wrong. It’s the hardest thing to understand (and keep understanding) that we are different than each other. As Danny Silk teaches: most often what we like or understand about someone is the part of ourselves we see in other people. We view and judge others by our values, gifts, experiences and p...

I finally watched Son of God last night with my family. I’ve read the book, so the storyline wasn’t a surprise but I usually like the visual of the drama-come-to-life and this movie was no exception. The account of the woman caught in adultery was particularly impacting for me. It’s familiar to many so I’ll spare the details but whenever I read it (or in this case see it portrayed), I put myself in place of the woman. I may have not committed adultery but there are plenty of sins I’ve been caught red-handed; I’ll assume I’m not alone in this experience. The woman expected stern punishment; certainly she knew nothing of kindness when it came to sin. She was taken to the Rabbi, the current media sensation whom everyone was talking about. She may have heard he was different than the other teachers and religious leaders but how different could he be? Sin was sin and it needed to be reprimanded and punished – severely.   She was ashamed and she wouldn’t raise her eyes to the ...

I’ve stayed at 2-star hotels and I’ve stayed at 5-star hotels. I like 5-star hotels better but it’s not just because the beds are better quality, or the bathroom is big enough to fit my entire master bedroom. It’s not even because when I make a call to any of the hotel service areas, my call is personalized by their greeting, “Good afternoon Mr. & Mrs. York, how may I assist you?” I like all those reasons (especially the personalized greeting), but the one reason that stands out the most is that all the staff, from the General Manager to the new immigrant hired in housekeeping, are working toward a higher purpose. They are building a company; everyone and every role is important. They have a common goal, and they believe it can be accomplished together. The staff in a 2-star hotel is simply doing their job; they aren’t building anything, and it shows. I’ve been thinking about building vs. doing for the better part of the last school year. In years prior, I was quite inv...