Steve Massey

Do you have a plan? Most of us plan things that matter most to us. We plan to get important work done, we plan our next vacation, and – I trust – we plan to vote next week.

Would you be in favor of giving away your cash if it helped lower the number of thefts in your community? Most of us would answer no.

Now that both Democratic and Republican presidential conventions are behind us, a little self-reflection is in order. Both candidates made a case for how they’ll deliver what we all seem to want: lower taxes, improved public services, enhanced national image and, in short, a better life for all.

Cornfields, brown and brittle, stretched for miles in all directions, their promised bounty stifled by drought. As I drove through parts of the Midwest last week, the effects of a heat wave cooking the region stunned me. Crops withered everywhere, warning of dire consequences just around the corner.

If you feel like the future is bleak, I’ve got a suggestion for you. Go to a graduation ceremony.

I don’t always do well with unwanted surprises. This became clear recently as I stared incredulously into the face of an airline gate agent who had just declared: “I’m sorry. This flight is closed.”

KOTTAYAM, India – Perspective is everything. My friend Johnson Mathew demonstrates this truth as he shows me around his small plot of land in Kottayam, India. The din of children playing cricket nearby threatens to interrupt, but for now he is showing off a long-uncompleted expansion to his orphanage.

Do you trust in God? It’s easy for Christians to speak of trusting in God while living a life that says otherwise. When the world sees a gap between our words and reality, our testimony for Jesus Christ is tarnished.