May 11

The fridge that wasn’t there

Every morning (ok, almost every morning) the first thing I do is get my wife a glass of OJ and put it on her night table. She really appreciates that! This morning I walked to the kitchen and turned towards the fridge, but the fridge was not there! No, I was not dreaming. This morning we are having a new fridge delivered and we had the old one taken away last night. I chuckled when I turned to the fridge and, half asleep, reached for the door, finding nothing there. So, I went to the basement to our small fridge and got my wife her OJ.

As I type this, sitting in the dining room, I am looking across where we have certain family pictures. There are pictures of my father-in-law and mother-in-law, God rest their souls. About six months ago my mom passed away and we placed her picture alongside. I miss her so much! Just last week my dad passed away and we added his picture to the “memorial.” My heart is sad. Both my parents gone in a matter of months. I am 62, however, and blessed to have had them for as long as I did.

Not to compare a missing fridge to missing parents, but it occurred to me that there is something worth noting. The fridge was there every single morning. Every morning I would reach out to it. Every morning I would open it’s door. But this morning the fridge was not there. I could not reach out and open it’s door, although I did reach out. This morning, the fridge was no longer there.

My parents are no longer here. I am not able to go to them. I am not able to reach out to them. I am no longer able to “open their doors,” the doors to their hearts and minds. It was so much a part of my life, being able to do that. It was the most natural thing to do. There might not be anything more natural in life. And the thing is, unlike my fridge, I am not waiting for new parents to be delivered.

My message to kids of all ages is to enjoy your parents. Always reach out to them and look to open the doors to their hearts and minds. The day will come when you will no longer be able to do that. When that time comes, you will feel like you are dreaming or like you are half-asleep. You will want to reach out to them, but they will no longer be there. Love them, cherish them, and be there for them, now, while you can.

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May 29

A Second to Pray…

This morning I got myself ready for another day of working from home, like many of us. Sadly, however, so many folks have lost their jobs.  I plugged my work laptop into the charger and booted up.  I also plugged in my cell phone charger.  So, I was charging my laptop and cell phone.  I went to get some OJ and Belvita breakfast biscuits to charge myself up too.  😊 All charged up and ready to go!  That got me thinking.  I said to myself: “I charged up my laptop, my cell phone, and my body, but was I really ready to go?”  I was not.  I was forgetting something.  I needed to take a second to pray, so I did.  Now I was ready to go!  Sometimes a second to pray is all you need… Pray for all impacted by COVID-19 — that would be the entire world — for those who are sick and those who have lost loved ones. Pray for yourself! Nothing wrong with that. Here is a little poem I wrote years ago that talks about that “second” of prayer…

“One Second, Please”


God speaks to you and wants you to pray
But you do not even give Him the time of day
You say, "One second, please, I'll be right with you, Sir"
As if you were a salesman and He your customer

There is nothing you could sell Him, though
This is the truth, you ought to know
It is you who needs His guiding hand
You need Him now, please understand

One second is all you need
To meet the Lord and plant the seed
A second now can mean eternity later
Give Him the time, He is your Creator

So get down on your knees in prayer
Take that second and meet your Savior
You won't regret it, you won't look back
That second with the Lord is all you lack

Oh, and let’s “not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” 2 Peter 3:8.

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April 11

Cold Feet

This morning I was a little chilly.  “It will get warmer” I told myself.  After all, it is Spring.  I walked by the wooden cross my wife and I have been placing on the kitchen table the last few Easters and lit the candle beside it.  I began to pray, but my feet felt a little cold. I stopped and said “excuse me Lord” – I chuckled as I said that – and went to get my sandals.  I came back and finished my little prayer.

This made me think about cold feet.  You know, about how people get “cold feet” – especially when they are about to embark on a new adventure.  The online Cambridge Dictionary defines cold feet as follows: “to suddenly become too frightened to do something you had planned to do, especially something important such as getting married.”  Hence, the gift of socks for the bride or groom.  😊

What also came to my mind was the following verse from the Bible: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”  Rev. 3:15-16.  I know, that sounds a bit harsh.  The point here is that God wants us to seek him wholeheartedly, fervently, and not have cold feet about our pursuit. 

My prayer today is that during these extraordinarily difficult times more and more people seek God wholeheartedly, fervently, and not have cold feet about it.  And, if we get cold feet, imagine ourselves wearing the sandals Jesus wore when he walked on this Earth, bringing the good news and healing people.  God knows we all need healing these days. 

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and that, my friend, is my prayer this Holy Saturday. Amen.

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