The Daily Memo

Last year was a terrible summer for roses in our area. It started in early spring with an aphid infestation the likes of which I had never seen before. After I eradicated that problem which took weeks, fungus set in. This was an even more difficult foe that I fought for the rest of the summer. My roses would set buds but never bloom fully as they were encased in disease. This year, I started early so I did not repeat the previous year's drama. Everything looked great…

Confidence is a term widely used, personally and professionally. We talk about confidence in ourselves. Confidence in others. What is confidence? It represents that feeling of certainty or trust. One of those classic examples is the Trust Fall. A person falls backward into the waiting arms of another, i.e. a fellow colleague. You are supposed to demonstrate your confidence in your work partner that they will catch you.A greater example was written by John in the New.…

In a recent Gallup poll, when asked about the overall state of moral values today, only 15% of Americans see moral values in the U.S. as “excellent” or “good,” while a significant 49% view the state of morality as “poor.”[i] In many ways, I’m not surprised; are you? Just look around us, at least from a media perspective. When I talk to my neighbors or friends, it’s not as obvious. Maybe I am hangin’ out with people that…

I have been watching coverage of the 2024 Summer Games in Paris over the past few weeks. Something about the Olympics always draws me in, despite the inevitable controversies and politics which create headlines. For me, it's about the struggle - the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. And the human stories of athletes overcoming all obstacles to achieve life-long goals, then basking in the joy of seeing them to fruition. The culmination of that joy happens on…

The longing for things to be good again is making us vulnerable to all sorts of compromises. I can help you with this. First, let’s remove the shock and shame of those moments when hard-pressed you suddenly rage, binge, go faithless, or simply show up as a very unappealing version of you. Salvation is a process, not an event. Oh yes — salvation is a homecoming to be sure. That is the event. Our salvation begins when we first turn toward Jesus with an open heart.…

Repentance. The act of turning away from self and toward God. Keep reading. I promise you’ll want to hear this. Some read the word “repentance” and cringe. Others roll their eyes and shrug it off as Bible-thumping lingo. But let’s consider what’s actually happening when that word takes action. The hurting heart turns from the temporary highs of the world and clings to the supernatural joy of the Holy Spirit. The troubled mind finds peace with…

One scorching day in June, I set off for an intake with a new chiropractor scheduled for two hours. I will not get into the details, but the meeting was a disaster and I left after 30 minutes. On my way home, I got stuck in traffic at a local Amish farm holding an auction to benefit Haiti. Between the tourists in our area, and now even slower traffic from the auction, I was annoyed, to say the least. And this is when I usually realize I should be grateful for such 1st world…

We’re havin’ a heat wave. At tropical heat wave. At least here in Pennsylvania, USA. For those in the Southern Hemisphere experiencing something quite a bit different, sorry! It’s hot, hot, hot up here. I’m reminded of the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in the Gospel of Luke verses 19-31. Laid outside the gate of a rich man’s house was an extremely poor man named Lazarus who simply hoped “to eat what fell from the rich man&rsquo…

I watched from a distance as my 4-year-old sat on her new bike at the top of the driveway, taking off her helmet and trying to hang it on the handlebar. I shouted, “Put your helmet back on!” Her reply was that of what I imagined would come from a teenager…”ugh!”. She begrudgingly put it back on her head and snapped the buckle.How many times in life do we take a couple practice runs with God before we think we have it all figured out and don&rsquo…