Brutal Betrayal
In October of 2014, Italian authorities arrested a woman for the murder of as many as 38 victims. Most shocking was the revelation that she was the victims’ nurse. Police first charged the woman with the murder of a 78-year-old hospital patient. Later, however, they suspected her involvement in a string of suspicious deaths. News outlets posted a disturbing pic seized by police: a selfie the nurse took of herself (in her hospital scrubs) standing near the body of a recently deceased patient while smiling and making a thumbs-up gesture.
out of the abyss
Why did I repeatedly deny I knew Him? How could I have betrayed His trust?
gradual catastrophe
Scott and Robin began to worry when cracks appeared in the walls of their home. Over the course of 2 weeks, the fractures widened until their garage dropped away from their house. The rest of their property shifted and eventually sank 10 feet below street level. Then eight of their neighbors endured the same gradual catastrophe, linked to underground leakage from a county water system.
you choose Q: how do you deal with betrayal?
Q: I've been severely betrayed by someone who I thought was a true friend. Every time I see her at church I am reminded of how she hurt me and it angers me. I want to leave my current church now and move to another one. If has been almost a year since this happened and it has been the…
wounded
My daughter consistently teaches me that perspective is everything when it comes to relationships. Watching her navigate the ins and outs of adolescence, I see a mirror for my own misunderstandings —what I hear is not always what was intended. She finds it easy to understand the heart behind the words coming from friends she trusts. Even the most benign of statements from someone who has wounded her, however, can often become an arrow to her heart.
devoured
I’m sure you’ve heard your share of extreme weight-loss plans. But ingesting a parasite? The UK’s Telegraph reports that some people in Hong Kong have resorted to using parasitic worms to peel off the pounds. The worms allow people to keep eating what they want and still shed weight. But the giant intestinal roundworms, which can grow up to 15 inches in length, lay up to 200,000 eggs a day. They can also cause abdominal pain, flulike symptoms, and even death. Yep, this is one dangerous way to try and win the battle of the bulge!
never asleep
Several highway drivers phoned the police, reporting that a truck was erratically swerving down the road and jerking from side to side. About 6:30 a.m. the police spotted the vehicle and flashed their lights for the truck to pull over. When the officer approached the vehicle, he found an 8-year-old boy at the wheel. The boy’s father was asleep in…
betrayed by a friend
One of the most heart-wrenching scenes in the movie Braveheart occurs when William Wallace realizes his countryman, Robert the Bruce, has betrayed him by secretly aligning with the English at the Battle of Falkirk. Wallace, who has expended great effort fighting for Scotland’s freedom, is so overcome by grief that he physically collapses on the battlefield—even with English soldiers bearing down…
betrayed
If you were to name your newborn son, which of these three names would you choose: James, John, or Judas? You might select James or John, but—undoubtedly—you wouldn’t name your son Judas. You might name your dog Max or Buddy, but not Judas. Even a dog deserves a respectable name!
Judas means praise, but it has become an icon of…
exhaust forgiveness?
I had a listener call my radio show recently. “I’ve been a Christian for 5 years, but I haven’t always lived like one,” she said anxiously. “I want to know, does there come a time when God won’t forgive us anymore?” I recounted the following story to her: Jesus had arranged a secret location to eat the Passover dinner with…
abandoned by me
Things had started well enough. Crowds had flocked to Him—astounded by His miracles (Mark 1:27), amazed at His power and His teaching (Luke 4:36). Soon, however, public sentiment changed.
The religious leaders were first to question His credentials, offended by the company He kept (Mark 2:16) and the “blasphemous” claims He made (Mark 14:64), and stating that the power by…
this Christmas child
Watch Him. Watch Him. Watch this Child, who grows into a boy, who grows into a man and is found to be so much more.
Watch as He is born—among shepherds and angels and bright lights in the sky. Watch as He grows in favor and stature—as a youngster asking questions, giving answers, astounding teachers. Watch Him in the desert—a…
to the rescue
Back in the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve sinned and slinked off into hiding, God came looking for them. Commencing with these words spoken to Adam, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9), God launched the largest rescue mission known to man.
Though we—the human race—betrayed our Creator and fell into the grip of sin and Satan, God did not…
higher
Snuggling under the thick bedspread on a cold night, I tucked the blankets up to my face and tried to go back to sleep. But the comfort of a warm bed couldn’t chase away my unsettling dream.
Learning the hard way that relationships within the church are nothing short of complicated, I was obviously trying to work out my hurt…
"stay together"
Gladiator tells the story of Maximus, a once-celebrated general of the northern Roman armies who was betrayed and forced into slavery. The epic film captures his rise through the gladiator ranks, eventually to avenge injustices committed against him and his family.
Moments before Maximus's first battle against a powerful, unseen foe in a Roman coliseum, he tells his fellow gladiators,…
