EARLY MORNING SPRING Edward Fudge Now that Springtime 1997 has come to Houston, I am trying a new exercise regimen. Rather than walking in the evening, I like to face the outdoors head-on at about 6:00 a.m. My neighborhood trek takes about an hour and covers three miles. The first mile is thoroughly residential. The next passes a couple of schools separated by soccer fields and baseball diamonds, then fades into open road surrounded by the Gulf Coast version of woods. The final mile completes an approximate circle through a different residential area and back home. At 6:00 a.m., God's … [Read more...]
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH Edward Fudge Cedar logs crackle in the stone fireplace as their unmistakable scent wafts throughout the cabin. Firelight shadows dance on the ceiling and walls. Human voices speak softly concerning loved ones and matters of mutual concern. Somewhere outside, a pack of coyotes howl at the moon. We step onto the front deck and gaze upward. Millions of stars bespeckle the heavens, bearing silent witness to the Creator's power and presence. From the distance comes the wind's soft whisper, increasing in volume as it crosses the mountain forests of majestic Douglas firs and … [Read more...]
WHAT GOD TOLD ME, BESIDE A LAKE IN MAINE
WHAT GOD TOLD ME, BESIDE A LAKE IN MAINE Edward Fudge Around me, red, orange and yellow leaves flutter silently to the ground, contributing their variegated tones to the multicolored October carpet. The blue sky and white clouds appear twice this morning, first in the sky and then in the mirror stillness of the lake. I hear a splash. A fish breaks the water's surface to snatch some breakfast morsel. A wild goose circles in majestic observation overhead. From the small island in the center of the lake comes the unmistakable cry of a loon. Behind me up the hill a thin column of smoke … [Read more...]
MYSTERY OF THE WIND
We welcomed recent days of steady rain in these west Houston suburbs. Now I welcome this break in the rain for a neighborhood hike. Scattered rain-clouds, flung in a wide sweep across the sky, hide the evening sun on this Texas Gulf Coast. Developers planted our Katy prairie land with trees two and three decades ago, and they now form a trekker's pleasant canopy overhead. Around and below me, the gentle wind rustles through the grass and flowers and trees. Overhead it moves the clouds across the half-darkened sky. I think of Jesus' comparison of God's Spirit to the wind. Both are invisible … [Read more...]
LENGTHY SERMONS
A parishioner in one state wants to tactfully suggest that his minister shorten the sermon, while a preacher in another state inquires how to make his sermons more effective. Both invite my opinion on the subject. * * * I am instinctively sympathetic toward preachers, having personally delivered two sermons each Sunday for about 20 years and still enjoying the pleasure of preaching from time to time. The truth is that a few listeners are bored by a sermon of any length and they need our love and prayers. However, preachers also need to remember the truth discovered by an … [Read more...]
LAW AS A CALLING
A gracEmail subscriber writes that his son is interested in becoming an attorney. "Many people have a negative view of lawyers," notes the dad, "considering them to have but little concern for truth and justice if those things do not further their own agenda or personal gain." Can I offer any advice as a Christian attorney? * * * I know many lawyers who try to follow Jesus Christ and to do what is right. I know some others who do not. The same may be said concerning salespeople, business folk, industrialists, financiers and even career clergy. The practice of law offers unique opportunities … [Read more...]
WORKING FOR THE LORD
I pull into the urban strip center and enter the storefront with the sign "Anchor Box Co." I have run out of mailing bags and have come to buy a quantity supply at wholesale. This is a warehouse operation, not an air-conditioned store. Yet the young man who greets me seems genuinely happy. He even responds to grumblers with a smile. He never appears frustrated or angry, even when the line is long and patience is short. I have observed him now for more than a year. "You have really made an impression on me," I say. "Yours is not a particularly pleasant job, yet you always seem polite. Your … [Read more...]
WEARINESS, WORK AND WEALTH
A Christian professional student writes, "Proverbs 23:4 says not to weary yourself to obtain wealth. Does that rule out my accepting a job with a large firm that requires its associates to work 60-80 hours per week?" * * * I commend you for raising this question. God will help you decide the answer for yourself as you prayerfully consider some fundamental spiritual principles. Success in any endeavor is God's gift. "Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it" (Psalm 127:1). For that reason, it is futile to seek ultimate fulfillment in one's work. "It is vain for you to … [Read more...]
TWIN TYRANTS
A gracEmail reader who works hard to do good and to help others feels sad and frustrated because his work often goes unnoticed, while others who seemingly do less work and do it less well receive public attention and praise. He asks how to find freedom from his disappointment and dismay. * * * Your experience and struggle are common for God's people. Perhaps the key (which I do not always properly use myself) is in doing our work "for the Lord" in the first place and at each step along the way. Then we need only his approval -- of which we may be sure when we have done our work with love and … [Read more...]
MY PROFESSION AND MY PROVIDER
Yesterday I had two "new client" conferences. These are introductory sessions with clients whose cases my law firm has been unable to settle without filing a lawsuit and whose cause I will be representing as attorney through the process of litigation. In both cases, these clients seem clearly in the right, although their damages are so relatively small that litigation expenses will likely prevent any "in-pocket" recovery after paying medical bills. When the case is over, I will probably substantially reduce my contractual fees so the clients can net something for their trouble. The clients … [Read more...]