Mark Yaconelli writes about a little girl who received no affirmation at every stage of her life. At her high school graduation the audience clapped for every graduate but not for her. The silence stabbed her emotional heart. She feared her college graduation. She saw three young men at the back of the auditorium. She offered them $20 each if…
Category: Devotional
Wonderfully Simple-Simply Wonderful
An elderly friend of mine called about a troubling book she was reading. It was a compilation of quotations, none of which came with context. Listed were dozens of requirements for entrance into heaven. Given a thousand years she could not meet the necessities. I told her to chuck the book and focus on the life of Jesus. The Gospel…
Don’t Look Back!
A new family moved to the farm next to ours. The father was tired of factory work. He bought new machinery and proceeded to plant his fields. One day he walked over to our fence. Young man, I have a problem. I can’t make straight rows to save my life. Can you help me? I tied my team to the…
Wait. Wait. He’s Coming!
We’re an impatient lot sometimes. We want faster internet. Microwaved food. Same-day delivery. Minutes. Seconds. Nanoseconds. That’s why one of my favorite characters in the “Christmas Story” is Simeon. Kind. Older. Steady. Devout. A fixture in the temple. And the Bible says he was patient. And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man…
BEST. PRESENT. EVER.
Thanksgiving was and is my favorite holiday, but that’s not to say Christmas doesn’t have it’s own traditions and fond memories. From the cozy wood-burning fireplace that left us Webb kids cologned with a smoky scent, to the Christmas tree me and my Daddy would hunt and then cut down, Christmas was wonderful. We would strategically place the inevitable big…
Are You Running on Empty?
I love my sister-in-law Jen. She’s nice. She’s pretty. She’s fun. She has that sweet, kind, gentle-teacher way about her. But bless her heart! She has a dirty little secret. She lives on E. Well at least her gas tank does. She’s always empty and it’s a problem. For real. If we were all betting sorts, she’d be a sure…
I Just Wanna Be a Sheep
Perhaps you’ve heard the kids at church sing this song: I just wanna be a sheep, Baa baa baa baa baa. I just wanna be a sheep, Baa baa baa baa baa I pray the Lord my soul to keep. I just wanna be a sheep, Baa baa baa baa baa! “I Just Wanna Be A Sheep” hardly seems like…
Crank Up the Volume!
Two years ago I attended a Vocal Majority concert. They sing barbershop style. When the curtain went up their red blazers and white trousers dazzled. Those 144 men sent chills up my spine. I felt like singing with them. Almost every song featured the high tenors. Just when I thought they had reached their highest note, they went higher. When…
Who ARE You?
Have you ever been disappointed? Let down in a situation you thought you had a pretty good handle on? Have you ever been disappointed in someone who you thought you knew? At the least, have you ever incorrectly sized someone up and put them in the wrong box? We have never routinely done homework or obsessed with our kids’ school…
Right On Time . . . at 7:08
We went on a local adventure over the weekend to a place called the Cliff House Inn overlooking the Arkansas Grand Canyon. It’s known for its sunrises and the Company’s Comin’ Pie – although I’d skip that (weird), but highly encourage the sweet potato fries (yum!) Before we went to bed we googled the sunrise time to be 7:08. That night,…