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The Power of Delight: Four Ways to Experience It
When I think of the power of delight, I think about my mother’s mission trip to China. In 1980, China opened its doors to the Western world to tourists. My mother took part in the first Christian envoy into China after decades of exclusionist policies. The difference in the quality of life between the Chinese and the Americans was striking. Of course, this phenomenon is still not unusual when one travels. The little group was only the second American group allowed in; the first honor going to Bob Hope, the late actor, and his entourage. The Wretched Power of Complaint: The Minister of Tourism, Mr. Woo accompanied each group, presumably…
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Prayer as a Competitive Sport
Sometimes it is possible to read too many books on one subject. One’s head gets filled with all theory and no practice. I found myself in this position a number of years ago when I had read as many books on prayer as I could get my hands on. I became very sensitive to the various approaches to prayer and observed carefully the people around me as they prayed. Some seemed to be in earnest, actually too earnest, as if trying to prove their sincerity. Others shouted at the devil, and still others read long and eloquent prayers out loud. The cool pastors were all very casual as if talking…
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How Do I Know God Will Listen to Me?
For years I believed that I needed to make God listen to me. We have this unfortunate tendency to overlay the image of our parents onto our beliefs about God. So just like my father, I imagined God as benevolent but distant and preoccupied. But also like my father, once you got His attention, it was a laser focus where you would discover all your previous misconceptions. This was both good and painful. Having a bonafide genius for a father has its benefits and drawbacks. The only fight I remember my parents had on a regular basis was the one where my mother was trying to get him home…
Healing Through Art & Words
