Of Apricots and Christians Summertime ... some people think of ocean beach vacations, or anticipate those two scoops of homemade ice cream on the front porch. I think of apricots.Try to understand my handicap. I was raised in a central California housing tract carved out of... Read more
An Encouraging Word Bruce was a failure. That's what he'd overheard the fifth-grade teacher say. Another strike against him. Times were rough at school and home. His mom, attempting to raise three kids alone on a nonexistent budget, was barely coping with an emotiona... Read more
A Virtual Blessing It's an early Sabbath morning as I write this. My favorite time to sit quietly and absorb the presence of God. An open Bible, a challenging book, a thoughtful article, a heartfelt song—they all inspire and uplift me.Earlier, I risked distraction a... Read more
King John Henry III Since Let's Talk has a button link right on the front page of this site, it does not appear again here. Click on the Let's Talk button in the left panel on the home page to see Steve Vistaunet's message and follow the discussion it sparks.King Joh... Read more
Almost "Almost" is the galvanizing moment in a compelling story as the words of Paul the apostle cut straight to the heart.The one who listens is Marcus Julius Agrippa Herodes II. The Bible simply refers to him as King Agrippa, the last of the Jewish Her... Read more
It's All in How You Slice It If you showed me a waffle and offered me half, I would reply, "It depends on how you slice it." Here's why.I was the youngest of three boys—the baby of the family, the rambunctious one, the pill. Ten years stretched between us. My two older siblin... Read more
Integrity for Such a Time We were smitten. The new slick-dressing young minister in town had all the "street-cred" I and my high school friends valued. He'd messed with drugs and led his own rock band, but told us he'd left it all behind for Christ.He strummed the guitar l... Read more
Things I've Learned I don't often tout this fact, but I was an early advocate of gender equality. My chubby 3-year-old fingers turned page after page of our family's heirloom photo album, blue ballpoint pen in hand. The irreplaceable, stern visages therein, male and ... Read more
Jesus Wept Perhaps they had spent hours together swapping stories and experiences, carpenter stuff like mortise and tenon joints. Maybe Lazarus was pretty handy with tools too.Whatever the history, when the Master stood before the tomb, my Bible simply says,... Read more
