One holiday season, A Christmas Carol was the only Christmas play offered in our town, so Barry and I took our then eight-year-old son to a matinee performance. I tried to prepare Christian for the appearance of the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future so he wouldn’t be afraid. “I’m not afraid of any…
Healing for the Deepest Wounds
She just needed a little money to finish college. The price was steep, but she reasoned to herself that she wouldn’t pay it for long. She was only ten units away from earning her degree. But the price is always steeper than expected when the Enemy is offering the solution to our problems. Before she knew…
The Longing for That One Thing You Think You Need…
In his study on the life of King David, Chuck Swindoll wrote, “David, being a man with a strong sexual appetite, mistakenly thought, To satisfy it I will have more women. Thus, when he became king, he added to the harem, but his drive only increased. One of the lies of our secular society is…
The Longing to Be Chosen
Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And He chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God…
Thankful for the Greatest Gift
Nick Vujicic stood atop a table and faced a room full of mesmerized high school students. Some of them wept silently as they listened to this man who was born with no arms or legs proclaim joyfully, “I love life.”1 If there is anyone who would seem to have a good reason to…
Noise Pollution {5 Minutes with Jesus}
Noise Pollution Stop for a moment and just listen. What do you hear? Maybe the neighbor’s lawnmower… the barking dog a few houses down… a clock ticking… the cars on the street. Now stop for a moment and just listen to the noise inside. What is keeping your heart from being quiet and at peace?…
A Beautiful Ending
The emperor of China had a problem. Something was destroying his mulberry trees. So he did what any brilliant man does when faced with a problem he can’t handle: he turned it over to his wife! When Empress Ce Ling Shee looked at the trees, she noticed a moth laying eggs on the mulberry…
When You’re Not Doing-Just-Fine-Thank-You
A year before Mum’s death, I was sitting in a departure lounge waiting for my flight to board when that dreaded announcement graced our ears: “The 3:30 p.m. flight to Dallas, Texas, will now depart at 5:40 p.m. Thank you for your patience.” I looked at my fellow passengers and questioned the announcer’s gratitude for…
Choosing Gratitude
When Joshua Kaufman survived Hitler’s brutal concentration camp in Dachau, he had only one wish: he wanted to thank one of the United States soldiers who had liberated him. Joshua waited seventy years for that moment… Eighty-nine-year-old Daniel Gillespie was making his way across the street. The soldier who had entered Dachau as a strong,…
What Does the Bible Actually Say about Prayer?
To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. — Martin Luther Out of curiosity, I decided to Google the word prayer. I couldn’t believe the response — a smorgasbord offered in the name of communion with almighty God. One website detailed a free mini course that would…