President & CEO of HOPE International
Around this time last year, I celebrated another birthday—and not just any birthday. This was the big one. The 4-Ohhhhnoooo. I went to bed a sprightly 39-year-old and woke up looking like the guy who can’t sleep in a cold medicine commercial. I was finally 40—statistically, my life’s halftime. I’ve played enough soccer...
At the end of Christmas day, my son looked up from his sugar-coma on the couch and sadly lamented, “I can’t believe that Christmas is already over.” I understood how he felt. In between the untangling and stringing lights, the gift-shopping, and cookie-baking, there’s so much sweet anticipation of Christmas. Hallmark and the cheerful...
In the Bible, 40 plays a prominent and recurring role. It crops up everywhere. Many of the best-known stories have the number 40 associated with them: It rained 40 days on Noah. Moses spent 40 years in Egypt, 40 years in Midian, and 40 years post-exodus. When he went up on Mt. Sinai, he...