vg@volkhardgraf.com
Walking The Good Road
Following Jesus: "Creator-Sets-Free"
I am walking the Good Road is written to encourage other followers of Jesus to grow in “long obedience in the same direction,”* enabled, nurtured, and sustained by His grace. Let’s follow Jesus, “Creator Sets Free!”
Joe had it made. He was the youngest of ten brothers and his Dad’s favorite. He was talented, smart, and had the good looks. He also was a dreamer, at least in his brother’s eyes. One time he had a dream that he would become boss over all his brothers, which he unwisely shared with …
Beginning with next Sunday, Followers of Christ around the world are celebrating Advent, the season of expectation of his first coming to earth. In God’s epic plan this event was long planned out and when the set time had fully come, it took shape right before our eyes. Let’s consider the human circumstances surrounding Creator’s Son’s coming …
“I was in my early forties, with a lot of life before me, and a moment came that stopped me on a dime. I spent most of the next days looking at the x-rays…” So begins Tim McGraw’s popular song about dealing with the surprise of sudden bad news and finding oneself at death’s door. …
I sat in stone silence looking at the white man sitting a few feet away from me. My heart was cold toward him, and I assumed he felt the same about me. “This is the way it has always been and the way it will always be,” I thought to myself, “the Indian and the …
Growing up, especially during my teenage years, I could have bet with you, hat I was the shyest person on the planet. I felt like a big “L” for “Loser” was stamped on my forehead for everyone to see. Starting a conversation with anyone, especially girls, seemed impossible, and if it happened, my face would …
That’s easier said than done—isn’t it? It seems like being scared comes much more natural, because there is so much to be afraid of. On a daily basis we are inundated with bad news. Wars, terrorist attacks, random violence, stock market and economic downturns, unemployment, corruption at all levels of society, new diseases despite of …
If you have ever experienced injustice, you know the feelings that take hold when it happens. Maybe you were wrongly accused of something, stolen from, or attacked because of the color of skin. Injustice can lead you to the brink of losing it. Frustrated and angry, embarrassed and without recourse, you stare helplessly into the …
Many people today engage in over-the-top activities in search of the next adrenaline rush. No longer is it enough to just do something, it all has to be “extreme!” Extreme sports may include skiing down nearly impossible terrain or jumping off a cliff into the ocean many feet below. Cars have to be extreme too …
I will never forget the evening I came home from work to find my young wife very sick. Just weeks before, the happy expectation to soon welcome our first child had been dashed. Our unborn child had not developed correctly and caused my wife to contract a rare but aggressive form of cancer. Hoping that …
Have you ever wondered why common sense seems to be in such short supply? Is it possible that “Common Sense is not all that common,” as the French philosopher Voltaire said, or could there be a different reason why we often think that way? As it turns out, Common Sense is cultural, meaning whatever is …
Vishal from India was visiting in Holland. One day his Dutch host invited him to come along while he was getting some fresh milk. The cleanliness of the dairy immediately impressed Vishal. It had about hundred cows but there was hardly any smell. Even more surprising to him was the fact that there were no …
Most people in America know the story of the first Thanksgiving, at least the Pilgrim version. But do we know it from the view of the host people of this land? As a nation that prides itself on having been founded upon recognizing everyone’s inalienable rights, given to us by the Creator of all, it …
The origins of this graphic are unknown, but this eagle asks an important question. Watching television news these days makes it quite clear that we are entering the end phase of another election and the attack ads from either political party remind me more of opening season for hunting than honest, constructive discourse. Where is …
“Watch out,” my friend shouted, telling me in no uncertain terms to pull the car over. He had noticed that I had drifted toward oncoming traffic, warning me just in time to move back to the right lane. Our families were returning from a few days of vacation after Christmas. Unfortunately, I had not felt …
On a recent visit to my “old” home country, Germany, I drove my now elderly mother to the local bank. Waiting in the car for her to return, I looked down the street at the sign of a small Mom and Pop store selling toys, magazines, books, and many other small things. As I thought …
The artist places a carefully prepared and kneaded chunk of clay onto his wheel, skillfully centers it, and slowly begins forming it with his wet hands, as the wheel begins turning. The non-descript lump of clay slowly takes shape. The outline of a bowl becomes visible, but faster than the eye can see; one slight …
If you knew a visitor was arriving at your house shortly, you would most likely get ready by cleaning your house, in order to present yourself as someone well prepared and hospitable. This season celebrates the arrival of God’s Son on earth. About two thousand years ago, he became “one of us,” he “moved into …
If you knew a visitor was arriving at your house shortly, you would most likely get ready by cleaning your house in order to present yourself as someone well prepared and hospitable. This season celebrates the arrival of God’s Son on this earth. About two thousand years ago, he became “one of us,” he “moved …
The doctor entered the room, preparing to give me an exam required by US Immigration authorities. Quickly his questions turned personal. Why was I here, what was my job? I briefly stated that I was working with a Christian non-profit organization seeking to walk with and work among Native people in the area. His reply …
Who can expect to receive help from God? A common saying states that “God helps those who help themselves!” The authority with which this assertion is made sounds as if these words are taken straight from the Bible. But is it really a true and biblical statement? If we look at Scripture, we find that …
The young man had asked for and received half of his Dad’s considerable wealth. Finally, he would be able to do what he wanted, without the father’s concerned eyes on him. For a while now, he had made plans for all the things he wanted to do but never before was allowed to do. Spending …
Maybe you too have seen the recent commercial, where a bearded explorer sporting a pith helmet, excitedly calls his head office and announces with apparent pride that he has found “better stuff!” The good news gets passed on from president to managers and then to assembly line workers, all of them brimming with exuberance. One …
Have you ever been asked a question by someone that left you immediately with the impression that it was asked in a manipulative or leading way? Jesus often seemed to be the target of those kinds of inquiries. This one began with a lawyer asking him how to receive eternal life—a legitimate and important question. …
Samuel warned the people of Israel that their desire to be like any other nation, to have a king rule over them was tantamount to a rejection of God’s rule in their lives. They would have to pay taxes and give their sons and daughters for service in the king’s court and army. But the …
