give me the hill
I climbed 3 meters up the massive wooden pole and froze in fear. The platform was still 10 meters higher. From the ground, a small crowd was yelling encouragement. “You can do it!” they shouted. “I know I can,” I replied. “I’m just not sure I want to.”
But I knew I had to because two of the encouragers were Al and Thelma,…
upside down blessings
I traveled to Russia soon after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Tensions ran high, and I was still wary of the Soviet military and leadership. I flew alone from Kiev, Ukraine, into Moscow. Due to miscommunication, I failed to secure the necessary visa. I was detained in the Moscow airport and held overnight by Soviet guards. It was an…
spirit-wind
Soon after a tornado disaster in the US, I saw aerial photographs of its path. Entire neighborhoods were flattened. From the high angle of the photographer’s shot, all of the wood and debris looked like scattered, splintered toothpicks, tossed violently over a wide swath of city blocks. Devastation. Wind provides an immense source of power (which is why wind- generated…
the God who acts
Gloria Bentivegna has been a faithful Christian for most of her life, and she raised her son Sal the same way. Sal grew ambivalent about his faith, however. He required physical evidence to believe in God, and so he became an agnostic. One day, at the slot machines, Sal offered an “off the cuff” prayer: “God, I don’t know if…
octogenarian warriors
Not even Captain Jack Sparrow could have prepared the Somalian pirates for what they encountered when they attempted to storm a luxury cruise liner filled with retired tourists. As the buccaneers pulled alongside the ship and began pelting it with machine-gun fire, the octogenarian warriors used deck furniture to resist and fight off the armed sea robbers.
Eventually, the golden-agers…
age-old question
Last spring, two 48-year-old twin brothers chose not to help their mother after she fell and hurt herself. The duo simply left the injured woman in the entryway of the house they shared with her. Police were contacted after the mother hadn’t been seen by friends for several weeks. They found her body in the spot where she had fallen—3…
sandwiched
If you feel as if you’re a walking ham and cheese on rye, there might be good reason. More and more people are becoming part of the “sandwich generation.” They’re feeling the squeeze of caring for children while also supporting parents or parents-in-law. A recent report reveals that one in five working-age people in Asia are now officially “sandwiched.”
Boaz…
getting your way
Proverbs 16:25: There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
When children become rebellious, they sincerely believe in their hearts that getting "their own way" will lead to their freedom. Are you currently in a situation where you feel pressed into "getting your own way?" First of all, if you're feeling pressured into making…
August 22, 2011
What are some specific ways you (and perhaps your local church) are helping the poor and needy in your community—showing them God’s love?
defend this
Columnist Kathleen Parker recalls a defining moment from her high-school years. She had just transferred to a new school when her teacher asked her to diagram a sentence. Parker had never learned this aspect of grammar, so she didn’t have a clue how to do it. Her awkward response evoked derisive laughter from the class.
Instantly, the teacher spun away…
the model church
What church in the New Testament stands out as the model for the rest? This question was asked during a church growth seminar. It was no surprise that no one attempted to give the church in Corinth that honor. Understandably, everyone said it was the infant church in Jerusalem, described in Acts 2:42-47. But to the apostle Paul, the church…
what makes you happy?
In 1937, researchers began studying the health and happiness of 268 Harvard University students. For many decades, the condition of these men was tracked. Featuring many years of data, the research was a serious attempt to answer a simple question: “What makes us happy?”
In 2008, Dr. Vaillant, the director of the study, was asked what he had learned about…
from eden to here
Recently my 5-year-old son, Seth, came running into the room. “Daddy, you have to teach me a superpower.” Apparently, Seth’s 7-year-old brother Wyatt had convinced Seth that I had already bequeathed to him a superpower—how to be invisible. Now, here Seth stood, waiting for his own bit of the birthright.
Each of us desires to have a unique purpose. We…
