Iron Sharpens Iron

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. — Proverbs 27:17 NIV Have you ever tried rubbing the edges of two table knives together?

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Fatherlike

I once heard a story about twin sons of a drunken bum. One became a highly successful businessman, an elder in the church, admired by

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I Hate Book Signings

Years ago, I led a writer’s group that met in a Christian bookstore. When I drove up for the meeting, I felt lucky to find

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Earth Is Flat

Those who believe seem ignorant to those who don’t believe. Why do we think the world is round? What a stupid question. Since kindergarten, we’ve

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Blind Stitches

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to

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Iron Sharpens Iron

I sometimes hear a person say, “Iron sharpens iron,” to encourage men to get together more often. Supposedly, we can improve our character just by

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Toastmasters

Make good on your commitment to the Lord by preparing to share your experiences with those who might not understand how you have survived your

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New Tricks

I praise you, Lord, because of the awesome, unique way that you created me. You did wonderfully well, and my whole being knows and declares

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My Best Friend

When I was in the third grade, I had a best friend at church. We ran and played together. Not inside the church, of course.

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God Is So Beautiful

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” That saying has been around for a long time, dating back to at least the late 1800s.

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God Helps Those Who . . .

In an evening Bible study, the topic turned to faith and prayer and what we can do to gain God’s favor. The leader said, “Doesn’t

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Excited about the Gifts

If I paused long enough to think about what God has given to me, I should be overwhelmed with gratitude. Unfortunately, my focus on what

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Home for Christmas

When I was a kid, Santa came to our house, which was the most fun when my grandparents were there. After I was married, gifts

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Give Thanks

Every morning, I spend an hour with the Lord, but not for any religious reason. That is, it’s not a liturgy. I just enjoy the

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Thanksgiving Plans

Since the Thanksgiving holiday is only a week away, it’s past time to plan where you will be and what you will do. Airplane will

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The Fun of Falling — Part 2 of 2

If you’ve ever shopped at Aldi, you know that to get a cart, you put a quarter in the slot and get it back when the cart is returned. After just a few trips, I learned how to make the math work in my favor.

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The Fun of Falling — Part 1 of 2

If you’ve ever shopped at Aldi, you know that to get a cart, you put a quarter in the slot and get it back when the cart is returned. After just a few trips, I learned how to make the math work in my favor.

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Strange Math — Part 2 of 2

If you’ve ever shopped at Aldi, you know that to get a cart, you put a quarter in the slot and get it back when the cart is returned. After just a few trips, I learned how to make the math work in my favor.

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Strange Math — Part 1 of 2

The most important thing I learned in school was to think and ask questions even if it got me into trouble.
If my thinking wasn’t weird, it was at least unusual, different from the other kids.

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Time to Pray

As a kid, I wondered about the sign hanging on my wall: Prayer Changes Things. I understood that promise to mean my prayers would always produce results.

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Pandering Prophets

How people respond to our thoughts and questions tell us a lot about what they’re thinking. With a little practice using this “sixth sense,” we might have others believing we are clairvoyant or psychic—even divinely prophetic.

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Something of Value
— Part 4 of 4

Apart from microscopic inspection, cubic zirconia gems look just like diamonds, but they aren’t worth nearly as much. Why? Because perception of value determines the amount people are willing to pay.

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Something of Value
— Part 2 of 4

The week before Easter, I went to the drugstore and bought an ice cream cone in exchange for an egg, which was possible because eggs were in short supply, of more value to the store than an ice cream cone. Life was so simple back then.

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Something of Value
— Part 1 of 4

What was that $500 bill worth? Nothing, I decided, because he had no intention of ever spending it. The value of anything is determined by what people are willing to pay and why.

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Father’s Day

Father’s Day is not a happy time for everyone. Some people don’t know who their father is. Others lived in an abusive environment where they were told they would never amount to anything good.

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Selfies

I can’t seem to find the right focus that will show my best side. I promise to keep trying, because God is still making me better.

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Fact versus Faith

Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” Maybe he had a good reason to ask. Is our planet flat or round? Does the sun and moon

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Exception to the Rule

Does “all” mean everything, without exception? I heard the preacher say it did, and then I noticed some exceptions. When Mom said I had eaten

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Successful Game Plan

First down and goal to go, just a yard from the end zone. The call came from the sideline: quarterback sneak. Anticipated by the defense,

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Cost Conscious

An ancient writing has been translated, which appears to be of a biblical nature. And Adam gave names to all the animals, birds, and wild beasts.

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God’s Word
(Part 2 of 2)

I’ve often wondered about King Saul. How could he so badly miss God’s voice? After being counted among the prophets (1 Samuel 10:11), he didn’t recognize

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Thanksgiving Day

Today is the day. Ask a dozen people what the holiday means to them, and every answer might be different. It’s a day for family,

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Thanks Giving

When I was a kid, people seemed to have a different attitude toward life. Why? Maybe because those days were soon after the Great Depression,

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Wonderful Words

During Civil War days, we worked by the light of the sun and read books at night by lamplight. Light bulbs were no more than

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Make the Connection

In the fall of 1955, my family moved from Kansas to a small town about thirty miles southwest of Houston, a place called Alvin, the

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Canned Vegetables

As a youngster, I got to help Grandma in the kitchen when she brought in a bushel of green beans from the garden. Snapping off

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One of a Kind

For several years, I carried a small stone in my pocket. It wasn’t a diamond or ruby, but it served an important purpose, which made

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The Ineffable Name

I don’t know that we want to study linguistics or Jewish history. Instead, let’s see if we can bypass boring details about ancient cultures and

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