sydnie & me
Last year I went through a bone marrow transplant (BMT). By God’s grace, I didn’t go it alone. Family and friends walked with me through the procedure and subsequent months of recovery. But there was someone else who shared the journey—Sydnie. This precious little girl, a daughter of friends of ours, needed to have a BMT at the same time…
gator aid
When Alexis Dunbar returned home, she received a huge surprise. A living, breathing alligator was lurking in her guest bedroom! The 6-foot gator had crawled out of a pond in her backyard and somehow squeezed through a small, swinging door used by Alexis’ cats. Wildlife crews trapped the wounded reptile in a bathroom and subsequently released it back into the…
reversal
The Erie County Correctional Facility recently experienced a role reversal in guard-inmate relations. It took place when an inmate broke up a fight between two correctional officers who were fighting over a bag of potato chips!
For many years, storytellers and audiences have enjoyed stories that include reversals—tales that follow characters from one extreme to the other. The Bible is…
phantom lions
When I was a child, my dad would scare my brother and me by hiding in a thicket and growling like a lion. Living in the bush country of Africa, the possibility of encountering a carnivorous feline was real to us. Regardless, we would laugh delightedly whenever we heard the growl—thrilled by Dad’s act.
One day, a young friend came…
are you prepared to die for what's right?
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31 NIV).
Do you see an injustice? Than have confidence in God and stand up to defeat it. I have many times. You know what; you might be surprised who will stand up with you.
One time in a tree planting camp, a foreman was treating rookies very bad.…
bold as a lion
William Seeker, a 17th-century clergyman, is quoted as saying, “Another singular action of a sanctified Christian is to prefer the duty he owes God to the danger he fears from man. Christians in all ages have prized their services above their safety. ‘The wicked flee when no man [is pursuing]; but the righteous are bold as a lion.’ ”
After…
my three sons
Okay, I admit the title of this devo is misleading. I don’t have sons. I am the proud father of three lovely girls! And by the grace of God, I strive to be the kind of parent God wants me to be.
Now since I have raised only daughters, I’ve been told that my parenting expertise is restricted to raising…
he who hesitates
In 2005, amid the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the US, a leading politician summed up the response to the disaster with these words: “One of the problems that we’re facing at the federal level and at the state level and at the local level is a total system-wide failure, because people making decisions hesitated.”
This was a clear…
amazing guide
Marion Cotillard, an actress in Christopher Nolan’s movie Inception, says of the director, “Things that I didn’t really get while we were shooting, I knew were maybe not to be understood. I found it very interesting to allow myself to be lost, because I knew that I had this amazing guide who would take us to a place where you…
fearing God
Several years ago, I went to the doctor for a checkup. I’d been feeling poorly for a while—tired, blue, and lethargic. I knew I needed to lose weight and return to exercising. However, sitting in that sterile medical room, across from a serious-looking doctor, my predicament finally sank in. My cholesterol was high, and my weight was out of control.…
something good
Last April in Johannesburg, South Africa, large crowds lined up to purchase tickets to the World Cup—the first Cup ever to be held in the African continent. One man (the 565th person in line) passed away as he waited to purchase tickets. A FIFA official told reporters that there was a “massive demand for tickets.” Energy and excitement had struck…
david and the dwarf
The towering enemy strides into the Valley of Elah. He stands more than 9 feet tall, with shining armor made of several hundred small bronze plates that glimmer in the sunlight. His spear is several inches thick, with a 15-pound spearhead (1 Samuel 17:7). It’s wrapped with cords so it can be thrown farther and more accurately through the air.…
idols
I knew of a young couple living in Togo, West Africa. As followers of Jesus, they occasionally encountered disapproval from family members who still practiced the old tribal rites.
One day the husband was tragically killed in a traffic accident. It was then that the clash between faith and tradition came to a head. At the funeral, the wife’s family…
chameleon
Nicodemus is a man I can relate to. You may recall him as the religious leader who came to see Jesus “after dark one evening” (John 3:1-2). Some scholars say the time of his visit is simply how meetings were done back then. Others say he wanted to keep the meeting hidden from his colleagues, men who saw Jesus as…
bold faith
Recently, a 6-year-old boy missed his morning bus to school. Determined not to miss his school breakfast or gym class, the tyke grabbed the keys to his parents’ car, crept out of the house as his mother slept, and drove nearly 6 miles toward his school. The Associated Press report gave amazing detail of the boy’s remarkable jaunt: “He made…
