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Tidbits About Care & Kindness
My activity in the care and kindness ministry has pushed me into staying active and even creative in actions and attitudes that fit the loving kindness theme. I'd like to share a couple of ways I am endeavoring to give a tiny spirit-lifting gift to people I meet and connect with in a typical day. When shopping in grocery stores or drugstores, or in a professional environment, like a medical center, I try very hard to read the employees' names, especially their first names, on
Jan 1
Uniformly and Consistently Friendly, Warm and Personable
The most outstanding phenomenon I took home from our first vacation cruise was about people. It was not the Alaskans, nor the Tlingit Indians; it was not our family, nor our fellow travelers. It was the paid help on the "Radiance of the Sea" cruise ship! This included waiters, room service folks, janitorial staff, greeters, clerks — everybody. There were no exceptions. They were uniformly and consistently friendly, warm, and personable. If you passed any of them under any cir
Dec 31, 2025
Don't Just Do Something. Stand There!
JUST BE THERE!! We must think of every human being as 'the walking wounded', but we are not to think of how we must fix them . Our fixing is already underway when we greet a stranger, or show up in a hospital room. But we leave the fixing to God. It is enough to stand there in love. We do not have to do much more than that. God surrounds us with His Presence. God is healing us every moment. And that is where we must be. Present! With people! We greet them. We touch them. We
Nov 20, 2025
Listening Is Not Easy
"Listening is easy. I want to know what to say." Those are the words of a frustrated student exasperated with such a big emphasis on listening in care ministry. Listening is not easy. Can you remember the last time someone really listened to you? It's a deep and memorable experience. It doesn't happen often. Most of us are so conscious of ourselves — our ideas, our answers, our experiences — that instead of listening, we are getting read to tell about them as quickly as we c
Nov 20, 2025
God Isn't 'Practical'
God isn't 'practical' about our world, skimping on things that don't pay. He's got mountains and deserts that seem to be a poor idea when he could have made the whole earth flat and fertile like Iowa . He's put sparrows and peacocks into the picture when he might have limited fowl to some plump fryer chickens. They're very practical! However, God knows what we really need. He gives us beauty because 'man' does not live by bread alone. Our deepest selves suffer and dry up some
Nov 19, 2025
Meekness Is Not Weakness
I don't think that the word meekness is used much in our culture. In our daily conversations, we don't speak of meekness, nor of being meek. Yet, as we come across the word in scripture, I suspect we often have a mistaken concept of what a desirable trait it actually is. Meekness is not weakness. It is not to be identified with niceness, softness, or passiveness. It is not like being timid or shy. It is important that we in no way see meekness as something we can equate with
Nov 19, 2025
What Prayer Looks Like
I visualize the shape of prayer like an enormous triangle. Looking at the triangle, I imagine that the top, the peak, is God. The left bottom angle is myself—the one speaking the prayer. The third angle, the extreme right corner, is the man or woman for whom a prayer is being said. Next I visualize two lines going out from myself, the one offering prayer, from that left-handed angle corner. One line goes up from me to God. The other extends, on the horizontal level from my he
Nov 18, 2025
Properly Understanding Humility
Humility means doing what has to be done. Yes, humility includes "not thinking oneself greater than others." However, the evidence of carrying such an attitude is a willingness to step forward instead of hanging back. It means offering a helping hand rather than waiting for others to ask, or for them to lead the way. It is often pride, not humility, which causes us not to speak up, not to ask a question, not to volunteer, not to express opinions. Often shyness, staying on t
Nov 18, 2025
Your Smile Can Heal
I was walking in the mall, pondering a couple of discouraging encounters earlier in the day. A young boy suddenly was blocking my path, and I slowed to step around him. He greeted me with a warm smile and a wave of his hand. Naturally, I couldn't help but smile back —and suddenly I realized my mood had lifted ! I also noticed that the youth was a youngster with Downs Syndrome. To many people, that limitation in a person signifies that they are somehow diminished. But, he had
Nov 18, 2025
More About Rejoicing
I have a bit more to say on this topic of entering into the joy and excitement of others who have good news. In my previous post, I made...
Aug 21, 2025
How To Help Others Rejoice
A good friend's son recently achieved a measure of greatness in music by winning an international competition. I asked this friend, a...
Aug 21, 2025
It's Easier To Live By Faith If You've Had A Good Night's Sleep
Sometimes cutting short your sleep to commune with God may undermine your ability to live close to God. A tired person is more vulnerable...
Aug 20, 2025
The Gift of Tears
Jerry Bronsma told how he once shared a painful emotional wound with a friend. She began to cry as I shared my situration with her, he...
Aug 20, 2025
Positive Proof About Prayer
Finally, someone did some 'care'-ful scientific research on prayer. I was quite excited when I read of this research. I, of course,...
Jul 10, 2025
Loving-Kindness Built the Church
There is convincing historical evidence, recently discovered, that proves it was the loving kindness of the early church that overwhelmed...
Jul 10, 2025
A Compliment is Manna from Heaven
The man had done something very helpful for me, so I gave him a small gift in appreciation. He took it, wadded it up, dropped it on the...
Jul 10, 2025
Thank Someone This Week
I think it would be a good idea if someone promoted Thanksgiving cards. No doubt Hallmark is trying, but people don't buy the idea...
Jul 10, 2025
That's Phony!
One of the difficult things that I strive to help people overcome is saying, or doing something, that would definitely bless someone, but...
Jul 9, 2025
Check Your Story at the Door
You've heard me say this before. But . . . it is advice that I find needs repeating, again and again, even to myself, because we find...
Jun 17, 2025
Possibility of Miracles . . .
Over the years I have heard stirring stories from people of impeccable sanity. Often these stories recount edge-of-the-cliff rescues....
Jun 12, 2025
Keep an Open Mind
In the small town of Cordova, in northern California, a Roman Catholic Church one day became the center of some excitement: a glowing...
Jun 12, 2025
Memories to Cherish
Enjoy with me here a unique memory shared with my son. It's quite a story: I jumped crisply out of bed on a Friday at midnight when...
Jun 12, 2025
Big People Mean a Lot to Little People
Children are always formed by those a step or two ahead of them. Young ones watch their brothers and sisters and the friends these older...
Jun 12, 2025
Practical Advice to Comforters
We encounter people who are grieving the loss of someone. What do you do? What should you say? Here are some simple suggestions to guide...
May 14, 2025
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