Lessons From The Raft

By Peter Lundell

Recently I went whitewater rafting with my friend Ronnie. Our group of seven shoved into the river for what became a living parable of life.

Though we wore helmets and lifejackets, nothing kept us in the raft but our feet jammed into the toeholds. In life, we can get all the insurance and security we want, but whether we avoid danger or disaster is partly out of our control in the churning world through which we travel.

At one point the raft went vertical on its side and all but one of us fell out. In life, from beginners to experts, we all get thrown for tizzies. And when we do, it’s critical that we look out for each other and help each other get back in the boat.

Read more

Cross Country in the Rain

By Cynthia Ruchti

Rain? More sleet than rain.

As I drove with the heat cranked up as high as it would go and the vents blowing on my feet and face at the same time, huddled over the steering wheel as if it were a glowing log in the fireplace, I noticed a handful of young people in shorts and t-shirts running along the side of the road. On this ugliest day in the history of ugly, the high school’s cross country team members showed up for practice and ran…in the sleet.

Behind the handful of runners came another bunch, and another. While I bent over my steering wheel in the comfort of my vehicle, they leaned into the wind and rain, their legs pumping, arms slick with the precipitation that coated the sidewalks and roadway. One foot in front of the other. Silent. Focused. Plodding forward despite the Terrible, No Good, and Awful Day.

Read more

Blessed Are The Persecuted

By Cheri Cowell

You have experienced the final beatitude, haven’t you? My professor asked rhetorically after hearing my tale of persecution. He then went on to explain to the class that although the last beatitude says we are blessed if we are persecuted for His sake, when it is happening, we won’t feel too blessed. While I was experiencing the worst of the persecution, I found the psalms to utter what I could not express to God in my prayers—the pain and alienation was too great. Within the psalms, those who are persecuted will find an echo of their deep emotions.

Seventy-two psalms, almost half of the book, are about persecution at the hand of enemies. If you are a Christian and doing God’s bidding, you will experience persecution. The persecution is never enjoyable, but Jesus did promise us we would be blessed. How? One of the ways is through the closeness of Christ during these dark days. I do not want to experience the pain of persecution again, but I am almost willing to do so, if I could be that close to Him again.

Read more

Spiritual Creatures on a Physical Journey

By Peter Lundell

Most people don’t think much past what they can see—especially if it’s bills to pay or the car ahead of them. But if asked, they might agree that they’re physical creatures who may or may not be on a spiritual journey.
Read more

Stepping Out On Glass

By Peter Lundell 

On a recent trip to Minnesota, my friend took me to visit the world-famous Guthrie Theatre. Along the Mississippi River side of the building is a four-by-six foot cutout in a floor four stories above ground. The cutout is fitted with an inch-thick, heavy-duty glass. (Unlike that in the Sears Tower in Chicago, this one’s free).

I walked to the edge, stopped, and shivered. My brain was programmed to know that I should never stand so close to a precipice. But it wasn’t a precipice; it was a glass floor. Still looking down, I stepped to the middle. My body jittered from foot to head. My brain insisted I was standing in midair or that at least the glass would give way, and I would plummet to my death. I knew it was okay—it had obviously been tested and built according to a code. But it didn’t feel okay. And that was the architect’s whole point.

Read more

Next Page »