Why John Edwards Stays in the Race

Posted by on 3.23.07 in Personal

Yesterday the world learned that Elizabeth Edwards’ cancer has returned. What started in late 2004 as breast cancer and then went into remission, has come back, this time as cancer in the ribcage. The condition is treatable but not curable. Put simply, this means that, barring a miracle or some unforeseen accident or …

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A Journey, Not a Destination

Posted by on 3.9.07 in Personal

Recently I reflected on the events of the last seventeen months and what God has been teaching us since we moved from Chicago to a cabin in the woods north of Tupelo, Mississippi. One thing is for sure. I’m no prophet. Before we moved, I told our friends that we would be moving to Mississippi for “four or five months, …

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“I love that man”

Posted by on 2.25.07 in Marriage and the Family, Personal, Travel, Word of Life

It’s 5:54 PM and I’ve been sitting in the San Jose airport for almost four hours. Marlene left on a flight for Phoenix and then on to Memphis three hours ago. Mark and Vanessa at this moment are somewhere over the Pacific Ocean on their way back to China. In about an hour I fly to Los Angeles, then have almost f …

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Merced, California, 7:25 AM

Posted by on 2.23.07 in Personal, Travel

Two people have written me asking where we are at the moment. One friend said, “All I know at this point is that you are somewhere in the United States.” That’s very true. Yesterday morning I woke up at Cloudland Canyon State Park in north Georgia, near the Tennessee state line. This morning we’re at a motel in …

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Love on the Great Wall

Posted by on 1.16.07 in China, Personal

Shortly after midnight on Sunday night, the phone rang, jarring us awake. We had been expecting the call but it came as a surprise anyway because we were already asleep. On the other end of the phone, I heard Mark’s voice, “Mom and Dad, we’re engaged.” He was using a cell phone to call us from the Great Wall of …

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Sandy Spisiak

Posted by on 1.4.07 in Personal

When word came that Sandy Spisiak died last night, succumbing finally to the cancer that had dogged her steps for the last seven years, I was sad but not surprised. Nor, I suppose, was anyone surprised who knew her during the long years when she fought as hard as anyone could ever fight to stay alive. She was around 40 when …

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2192 Miles to Go

Posted by on 1.2.07 in Personal

. . . I finished the year riding my bike exactly 1800 miles. In order to hit that number, I rode 140 miles during our trip to Gulf Shores, including 24 miles on December 31. It’s been about eight years since I started riding my bike again. At the end of 2005, I had ridden 20,000 miles. When you add 1800, the grand tot …

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Christmas on the Redneck Riviera

Posted by on 12.23.06 in Christmas, Churches, Internet/Blogging, Personal

I am writing this note from a condo a few yards from the beach in Gulf Shores, AL. This particular area, a region that starts here and goes east into Florida—to Pensacola, Fort Walton Beach, Destin and then on to Panama City, is affectionately known at the Redneck Riviera. The beaches here are sparkling white, and outside …

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Saint Harry

Posted by on 12.11.06 in Personal, Theology, Word of Life

Tonight I got a call from a man whose voice I did not recognize. The Caller ID said he was calling from somewhere in Ohio, but I didn’t recognize the number or the location. “Is this Saint Ray?” I hesitated for a moment and then said yes. “Do you know who this is?” Having no idea, I suggested that it was President Bus …

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What’s a Shout Out?

Posted by on 12.9.06 in Keep Believing Ministries, Personal, Shout Outs

Last night Duane Follman asked me to explain a “shout out.” It’s means to shout out “hello” to a friend. It’s like when you’re walking down a crowded street and see a friend on the other side so you raise your voice and shout out, “Hello!” to him. A shout out is a heartfelt Hello! to friends across the dis …

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