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As we sat on my deck talking, Jim’s comment caught my attention: “What’s really important to me is to live a margined life.” The term puzzled me. “What’s a margined life?” I asked. “A margined life is having enough margin in my schedule to be available for people when they’re available. I want people to feel they’re welcomed and not interruptions.” “Wow!” I thought to myself, “I’m a long way from this type of life.” Time is a precious commodity for me. I find myself…

“My business is circumference,” wrote the poet Emily Dickinson. How can a nineteenth-century poet act as an insider? Using a geometric measure, Dickinson creates an analogy to show how her poetry encompasses — draws a circle — around life’s experiences. This circumference was the picture for her poetry. This is fascinating since Dickinson was a bit of a recluse who seldom left her home and upstairs writing room. Her circumference was small, but it was rich. Here’s the insider connection to this analogy. Like this…

A new neighbor moved in across the street from my parent’s home. Stopping his lawnmower, my dad walked across the street to meet him. Repeated street crossings produced an amicable friendship and then the discovery was made. The new neighbor was a widower and had lung cancer. My dad began to help him do odd jobs around his home and my mom took over meals. Over time they had several gospel conversations. Mom and dad invited him to their home Bible study and then to…

The doomsday countdown had begun. Living in captivity, without official representation, Israel faced extermination (Esther 3:8-11). The situation seemed helpless. But wait, there was an “insider” in the king’s palace — someone who was close to the king and shared his trust. Her name was Esther and she was providentially appointed “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). Esther’s insider influence with the king helped save Israel (Esther 7:3-10). God’s mission is achieved through everyday insiders — people like you and me. We don’t…