hate your family?
I was invited to be a guest on a radio show last year to take part in a discussion with someone who called herself an ex-Christian. Rebekah had been brought up as a Christian, had attended Bible colleges and been on mission trips. But after growing doubts and a series of life events, she had given up on her faith.…
river in the sand
With our swimsuits on and the sand between our toes, my family and I decided to try a beach experiment. We picked a spot about 20 feet from the shoreline and set to work digging with plastic spades. Our goal was to hollow out a mini riverbed that would extend all the way back down to the sea. After some…
money and happiness
How much money does one need to be happy? According to a study from Princeton University, it’s $75,000 (US dollars) a year. The study claims that the lower a person’s annual income falls below that benchmark, the unhappier he or she will be.
At a recent trip to a rural district in Thailand, however, I saw a lady peddling snacks…
extravagant devotion
What is Jesus worth to you? Most Christians would answer, “Everything.” But if He were here in the flesh, would you sell all your possessions and throw Him a $50,000 party? Would you sell a prized family heirloom to fill His house with a million roses?
We can hardly imagine Jesus accepting such generosity, especially in a world of hungry people.…
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…
free solo
A recent article in National Geographic Magazine published remarkable images of climbers as they scaled the sheer rock face of Yosemite’s 2,916- ft. (889 meters) El Capitan. Astonishingly, some of the climbers make portions of the ascent without safety ropes in a death-taunting exercise known as “free solo.” These guys literally live on the edge.
Some of the most hard-core climbers…
only one thing
I shared this prayer with some people last week. Based on the feedback I’ve received, it has touched a raw nerve. It makes me suspect that there are more people out there who feel the same way. Taken from my review copy of Jesus Calling Devotional Bible, the prayer is from a person named Wanda:
All of life seems foggy…
the right heart
Having grown up in a musical home, I started writing songs at an early age. Some have taken months—even years—to compose. Others have come together in minutes, as the lyrics leaped onto the page. One day, after contemplating what God truly desires from us in worship, I experienced one of those “instant song” (just add melody) moments as these lyrics…
the real Jesus
In 2001, the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen presented an investigation into the historical Jesus. He said, “The important thing is not what He was or what He wasn’t—the important thing is what people believe Him to have been.” The apostle John would disagree. He intimated that the testimony about who Jesus really is, not what people believed Him to have been,…
i need God
The other night in my Bible study group we talked about something that touched me. My sweet sister asked how many times throughout the day we say, "I need a drink," "I am craving this food," or "I need this or that." Probably often. Now, how many times in the day do we say, "I need God"?
I need God…
sacred scarecrows
I wandered around at the annual Scarecrow Festival in a neighboring town, the smell of fried dough, popcorn, and hot dogs filled the air. Multitudes of scarecrows masquerading as different characters—athletes, pirates, farmers, cheerleaders—were arranged on platforms for everyone to admire. I thought of Jeremiah as he commanded the Israelites not to admire the gods of the surrounding nations. He…
revealed
My list of projects to accomplish this weekend is somewhere near the level of insanity. As a teacher, I thrive on learning new things and finding innovative ways to communicate ideas to my students. So I have this nasty habit of creating projects for myself. Most times, I live somewhere on the continuum between order and chaos. Unfortunately, life doesn’t…
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…
google and grace
"For the Internet that brings connection has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘Yes’ to YouTube and Facebook, and to live me-controlled, self-indulgent and quick-fix lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed ‘beep’—the glorious appearing of our friend on MSN.”
When a friend created this quote, by replacing some words in the NIV…
adrenaline for the soul
Using contemporary language, while attempting to capture the depth and vitality of the original words that moved and inspired early believers in Jesus, Eugene Peterson translated Hebrews 12:2-3 this way: Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how He did it. Because He never lost sight of where He was headed—that exhilarating…
