When I was young and thought I was smart, I prayed to be a miracle. I wanted God’s glory to be revealed in my life. Then I realized how dangerous...
Read More
Daredevils take risks that can be fatal, but playing safe all the time is a boring way to live. If we discover the best path to walk, we can get...
Read More
Many jokes have been written about what is required to pass the pearly gates and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. If there really is a condition for admission, and I...
Read More
Five dollars and reciting the “sinner’s prayer” will buy a cup of coffee. It won’t buy salvation, so I’m bothered when preachers say, “If you said those simple words, you’ve...
Read More
As a child, I was given blank pages with a scattering of numbered dots. I drew a line from one dot to the next until I could see the mystery...
Read More
When searching, do I know what I’m looking for? If so, where do I look? Will I recognize it when I see it? I could be looking for diamonds and...
Read More
I’ve learned the hard way. Before I sign a contract, I must be sure I know what I’m agreeing to. Even a comma can change the meaning, so I must...
Read More
When Susie was a toddler, she didn’t understand relationships and kept calling her grandfather, “Unkly Chili.” Ever since, no matter what the relationship was, people always called him Uncle Charlie.
We fall down the stairs by focusing on the goal and miscalculating the next step. So which is more important, the goal or the next step? Careful, don’t fall. I’ve...
Read More
Without beginning, you can’t reach the end. Garrison Keillor once said we don’t know how to tell a story until after we’ve told it a dozen times. That was saying...
Read More
Prior to the year 2000, few people had ever heard of Jabez. But after The Prayer of Jabez book became a bestseller, almost all Christians had heard of him. Why...
Read More
Few people have what they would call a “best” friend, someone who understands them completely and appreciates their value. Those who have such a friend may still risk being “unfriended.”...
Read More
High-risk investments are made with the hope for a greater return. If we forgive an offense, what will we get in return? Maybe nothing. Or maybe the life we save...
Read More
My mother used to say, “People convinced against their will are of the same opinion still.” What did she mean by that? Maybe that’s a good topic for discussion. Being...
Read More
Some think prayer doesn’t matter, because God will do what he wants, anyway. Others pray and nothing happens, so they assume either God doesn’t care or he isn’t listening. What...
Read More
People only tell lies when they think it’s to their advantage. We offer social courtesies because saying what we really think might get us unfriended. Doctors will sometimes slant their...
Read More
Children naturally learn to play hide-and-seek. When they hide too well and can’t be found, the fun is lost. They want to be found. Why do adults want to hide...
Read More
Whatever can go wrong will go wrong. Is that true? Wouldn’t it be nice if everything that went wrong would actually wind up right? Joseph couldn’t conceal his brothers’ evil...
Read More
Perfection sometimes masquerades as a noble goal when it is actually an unreachable fantasy. It strains our relationships. What should we do when we think our work isn’t good enough?...
Read More
Our insatiable desire to be loved and appreciated can leave us dying of thirst in a desert of people who don’t really care. So how does God solve that problem?...
Read More
Names distinguish us from everybody else so when Jason is called in from the playground, everyone else doesn’t come running. Over time, names represent our nature and behavior—who we are...
Read More
What we don’t know can kill us, and that’s why we need help from God, who knows all things. Confident he could fix anything, an intelligent handyman crawled under the...
Read More
Matt listened intently while Miss Julia waved her arms as if she had visited the world she described. “Adam saw the animals,” she said, “and gave them names. In the...
Read More
We read about Zacchaeus in the Bible. People liked Zacchaeus about as much as we would be delighted to see an IRS agent for a tax audit. But was he...
Read More
A thin line separates fame from being an object of ridicule. Is it possible to turn our reasons for embarrassment into something to be admired? I was the oldest grandchild....
Read More
The typical recited line from The Lord’s Prayer is “lead us not into temptation.” Is God a controlling force in whether people are tempted to do evil? The difference between...
Read More
For years at work during lunch, I played double-deck military-style pinochle with the same three men. All were strong Christians. One day, I let it slip that I was praying...
Read More
Did Jesus say all I had to do was knock and the door would open? Supposedly, all we have to do is ask. I’d like to quote James 4:2, which...
Read More
Story books picture David as a child when he faced Goliath. Is that fable or fact? David was the youngest of eight sons. He was too insignificant to be considered...
Read More
Based on scientific fact, the biblical story of Jonah reads like a fairy tale. Could it possibly be true? To be thrown into the sea, Jonah had to beat the...
Read More
When the days get really hot, why do people call them “the dog days of summer”? Perhaps this term is no longer appropriate. We don’t want to offend the dogs...
Read More
The forecast called for temperatures in the mid-twenties and freezing rain. Most people would be smart enough to stay home. “Drive carefully. The life you save may be your own.”...
Read More
God has a sense of humor. We should know that since we were made in his image, and we love to laugh. God has a funny way of speaking to...
Read More
How do we decide which laws to obey and which laws to ignore? The Jewish Law includes more than The Ten Commandments. Honoring parents and having no other gods sounds...
Read More
Sometimes I hear people say all I have to do is believe and my dreams will be fulfilled. Is that true? No amount of believing can make the impossible possible....
Read More
That question was posed in The Field of Dreams movie in 1989, starring Kevin Costner. An Iowa farmer hears a mysterious voice in the cornfield saying, If you build it,...
Read More
I sometimes hear people talk about Satan as the “prince and power of the air,” having dominion on Earth. Supposedly, he’s present everywhere and not only knows our thoughts but...
Read More
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? The edges won’t sharpen. What’s...
Read More
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 all who knew him. The...
Read More
Before I started kindergarten, I was taught how to use a knife. While my friends were using blunt-nose scissors, I had a sharp pocket knife that could whittle a stick...
Read More
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 a place to park. Store...
Read More
Our High Priest is easily touched with the feeling of our infirmities, because he was tested in every area just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, we can boldly...
Read More
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 seen globes and pictures proving...
Read More
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 comfort the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty...
Read More
Graduating high school seniors remember very few events earlier than ten years ago. They can’t imagine what life would be like without cell phones and video games. I’m old enough...
Read More
