Sometimes Maybe Always

Sometimes and maybe indicate uncertainty. Occasionally, but only some of the time. There are more definitive paths. That there may be other options. A mere possibility or probability.

However, always means every time, on every occasion, without exception.

When we read the stories in the Bible, though definitive in their telling, they are often infused with a sense of sometimes maybe in their application.

Everything is All Right

Have you prayed so long for something, finally received it in a way you didn't expect, and after a time, the answered prayer is a disappointment? 

Your dream job finally appears after much prayer and effort on your part. Things are going well; you're learning new things, and you have a great rapport with your coworkers. You start to breathe. You've made it past the first year, but now there are rumors of layoffs. Typically you'd ignore these but see your coworkers falling left and right. Then one day, it's your turn.

Or you've just moved and met the friend you hoped for. You've spent significant time in prayer about this friendship. Things go smoothly until you hit a road bump - this relationship looks pretty one-sided. You're unable to salvage the relationship, so now you're friendless (again).

Coaching is not Optional

Tennis is an individual sport where the players' moves and cunning are displayed for their opponents and the fans. Though tennis players have coaches, until recently, a player could not be coached during a game. There have been many instances where a player appears floundering and looks up to the coach's box while the coach remains stone-faced; if a player was caught receiving coaching during a game, it was a violation, affecting the score.

I'm watching Wimbledon, one of the four Grand Slams in tennis. It's unreal and a bit voyeuristic to see a player come undone without input from his coach. Even in other individual sports, such as track and field, the runner can receive guidance from his coach. So what made tennis so special? It was simply a matter of tradition.

I've Been Thinking - Part 1

I started writing this post approximately two years ago. I've never shared anything this personal but now feels like a good time to do so. I don't know when Part 2 will be published.

I became a Christian at the age of eight. It was during our church's annual crusade. One particular night the words of Pastor Tom Roberts pricked my heart. At the end of the crusade, all who made a decision to follow Christ were baptized at a local beach. To this day, I still remember being at the beach (I assumed my parents took me) and being baptized. I remember feeling like a "new" person, if that is possible for an 8-year-old. But more than that, I remember the next day at school, a classmate