My father took aging in stride. He would laugh and say, “I don’t care what color my hair turns, long as it don’t turn loose!” In the end, most of his hair abandoned him. He would laugh about candles on his birthday cake and all the kind and sometimes unkind jokes. “Nothing wrong with aContinue reading ““Thou Art Old and Stricken in Years” Joshua 13.”
Category Archives: Aging/Long life
Be NUMBER ONE! … at Prayer. 2 Chronicles 35:3.
Image: New York City’s famous Chess Tables in Washington Square Park–one of many pastimes available to the recently retired. We raise children under constant talk of college and career: You need to read more so you can get into a good college. You need to practice your lacrosse so you can get a scholarship. YouContinue reading “Be NUMBER ONE! … at Prayer. 2 Chronicles 35:3.”
GOD CAN USE YOU IN YOUR FINAL DAYS. Isaiah 46:3-4.
In 2021, we moved my father into a memory care center because of Alzheimer’s disease. I found it difficult to watch him leave his home and his wife and move alone into the equivalent of a college dormitory—where he knew no one and, as independent as he was, would certainly be confused at first. ButContinue reading “GOD CAN USE YOU IN YOUR FINAL DAYS. Isaiah 46:3-4.”
Wisdom Has Built Her House.
Yesterday I watched a documentary about a talented athlete whose career fell apart because his life was a dumpster fire: parties, booze, drugs, and selfishness. This is the life of foolishness. Even though I published my first book Friday (!), the biggest event of this year will be the work involved in honoring the lifeContinue reading “Wisdom Has Built Her House.”
Owning vs. Renting.
Benny is a miser of legendary exploits. He buys NOTHING without a coupon. He spends hours fighting with customer service representatives. “Let me speak to your manager!” He stops at twenty restaurants on Veteran’s Day to collect free meals—all of them to-go. “Oh, I WILL get what’s coming to me.” His stories progress from amusingContinue reading “Owning vs. Renting.”
Famous Last Words.
In the spring of 1985, Willie Wales was dying. A child of another century, he was born in 1897. Now he was 88 and nearly bedridden. He picked up emphysema during a 40-year career at ESSO Baton Rouge, the world’s largest oil refinery. The lung disease wrecked his health. We went to visit. I wasContinue reading “Famous Last Words.”
Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin.
Preparing for my father’s “Celebration of Life” service gave me a lot of time to reflect on his long and active life. But one truth came to me after the work was done and the service concluded: Grandpa was successful because he DID NOT SPREAD HIMSELF TOO THIN. He flew radio-controlled planes rather than earnContinue reading “Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin.”
God Can Use You in Your Final Days.
We recently moved my father into a memory care center because of Alzheimer’s disease. I found it difficult to watch him leave his home and his wife and move alone into the equivalent of a college dormitory—where he knows no one and, as independent as he is, will certainly be confused at first. But God’sContinue reading “God Can Use You in Your Final Days.”
Are You Capable and Can You Be Trusted?
This morning I ran across an article from 1960 commemorating my grandfather’s 40 years of service at what was then the world’s largest oil refinery, Esso, Baton Rouge. His bosses reported: “He seems able to cope with almost any situation, no matter how critical. He has a level head, practical manner, and I think heContinue reading “Are You Capable and Can You Be Trusted?”
Is it Wrong to Desire Rewards?
Bruce Wilkinson wrote A LIFE GOD REWARDS, examining the statements of Jesus about rewards in Heaven. Wilkinson concludes Heaven will be loaded with rewards. God will lavish rewards on you for things you do for Him. But isn’t it wrong for you to WANT rewards? Wouldn’t it be better to serve God without thinking aboutContinue reading “Is it Wrong to Desire Rewards?”
Household Words: 