Russell Sedelmaier had cleaned Ivon and Eileen Harris’ home once a week for five years. He had the keys to their home. They trusted him. He was a man described by those who knew him as “easy-going, even friendly.” And while Sedelmaier had his share of trouble, hard luck, and minor skirmishes with the law, no one saw this coming. Certainly not the Harrises. Continue reading
Filed under Word of the Week
Earnest Hemingway, in The Capital of the World, tells a popular Spanish story about a father and his son named “Paco.”
Paco was rebellious. Disobedient. Defiant. And irresponsible. Unwilling to follow his father’s rules, he preferred his own way of living. One evening in the heat of an argument, Paco hurled some hurtful and hateful words at his father. Packed up his few possessions. Stomped out the door, slamming it behind him. And traveled to Madrid. Hoping to never see his father again. Continue reading
Filed under It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
Did you hear about the man who was sitting in a coffee shop, across from a woman who was engrossed in her newspaper. One of the headlines blared: “12 Brazilian Soldiers Killed.” She sighed and shook her head at the sad news.
Then, turning to the man, she quizzically asked, “How many is a Brazilian?” Continue reading
Filed under Forgiveness
“How many of you have lost a brother or sister as a result of violence?” asked Azim Khamisa the students at San Diego’s CorreiaMiddle School. About a third of the several hundred gathered in the school auditorium raise their hands.
“And how many of you would want revenge if a brother or sister was killed”? Khamisa probed. Almost every hand shot up. Then he asked, “Would revenge bring (my son) back? Continue reading
Filed under Forgiveness
Wendy Donahue, a staff writer for the Chicago Tribune, recently penned an article entitled “Give and take: The sport of apologizing.” Our local Tampa Bay Times (TBT) picked it up. While reading it, I was reminded of how difficult it is to simply say from the heart “I’m sorry.” It’s reminiscent of the 1976 hit by Elton John, when he crooned the mournful ballad “Sorry seems to be the hardest word.”
Filed under Apology, Discipleship
Robert Jeffress wrote in his fine book “Choose your Attitudes, Change your Life” “Guilt is one of the most debilitating of human emotions. It wreaks destruction in our relationships and our spiritual lives. It is also a major cause of depression”
Jeffress is right. Guilt accuses. Guilt condemns. Guilt convicts. Guilt is mentally draining. Physically demanding. And spiritually disastrous. Continue reading
Filed under Forgiveness, Guilt
It happened in a little church, in a little town. I was there; I saw it; I heard it. Toward the conclusion of the service, a trembling woman came forward and sat on the front pew, asking forgiveness. She had been an absentee for several years. The woman who sat directly behind her, shocked, grew pale and nervous. Several in the audience seemed bewildered and wondered if trouble would start all over again; for there had been trouble, lots of it, tragic and heartbreaking– two murders, court trials with opposing families, and one death in the electric chair. Continue reading
Filed under Forgiveness
ThePreachersWord 