you choose Q: how do I deal with job loss?
Q: There are many people who are looking for a job and are frustrated with the way our economy has changed in the past few years. What is some Bible-based advice for these situations? —Gerald
A: Many people are struggling to make sense of today’s transitional work world. Any time there is a change in an organization—new leadership, merger, acquisition, downturn…
thanks, but no thanks
A Christian school for autistic children received a donation from a corporation. After making sure that there were no strings attached, the school accepted the money. Later, the corporation requested to have representation on the school’s board of directors. The head of the school returned the money. She refused to mix school governance with secular values. She said, “It’s more important to do God’s work in God’s way.”
May 14, 2012
How does the news affect your spiritually? Positive effects? Negative effects?
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…
the trap of offense
Hebrews 2:9-11: What we do see is Jesus, who was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because He suffered death for us, He is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And…
each and every day
On March 31, 1979, Jamie Livingston took out his Polaroid camera and took a photo. He continued snapping at least one shot a day until the day he died, October 25, 1997. There are pictures of friends and dinners and quaint artifacts of Jamie’s life. By viewing Jamie’s photographs, we discover that he was a Mets fan and a filmmaker.…
misunderstood
Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked, “Is it so bad to be misunderstood?” He went on to point out, “Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh.” Apparently, being misunderstood puts us in some pretty good company.
Consider Jesus, the only person to ever…
today #21
Today . . .
Discouragement is no longer my friend,
Fear, no longer my bedmate,
Doubt no longer food for thought,
Worry no longer my heart’s desire.
Instead of giving in, (crumbling from the pressures of Life)
I will stand.
Instead of giving up, (stopping at every obstacle)
I will walk on.
Instead of falling apart, (throwing up my hands)
I will trust.
Instead of looking back, (giving up, going…
covered
Springtime in Georgia rarely arrives without fanfare. While many anticipate the brilliant pink and white azaleas, others stock up on antihistamines and await the onset of the sneezing season. This past spring, the pollen was especially intense. One morning, my husband and I were amazed to see an ominous cloud of pollen visibly hanging in the air. Our noses and…
waiting for rain
Competing against the thwap-thwap sound of the windshield wipers, the rain beat a rhythmic pattern against the car. Driving out of town for a retreat with our youth leaders, I was thankful for the chance to spend time with them.
The rain outside, however, fell in contrast to the desert condition inside my heart. His presence real, I felt that Jesus…
hooks to hang your hopes on
Pastor Tim Keller says that, in life, “Fifty percent of the reason we get so discouraged and despondent is we’re shocked when something bad happens. We say, ‘This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.’ ” In other words, we tend to believe that since we’ve placed our faith in Jesus, and because we’ve tried to be “good” Christians, a comfortable…
cement sky
My hometown is nestled between emerald cow pastures, meandering roads, and tree-covered foothills. It’s most charming on bright, sunny days, but there aren’t many of those. The Finger Lakes region of New York State has one the highest ratios of cloud cover in America. The locals call it “cement sky.”
Many of us struggle with cement sky in our daily…
lost
Soon after Charles Lindbergh completed his monumental transatlantic flight in the Spirit of St. Louis, the US Ambassador to Mexico asked Lindbergh to make another flight in order to foster positive US-Mexico relations.
Taking off from Washington DC on December 13, 1927, Lindbergh began the 24-hour flight to Mexico City. After navigating through dense fog, Lindbergh lost his bearings. With only…
yielded and still
Adelaide Pollard, born in 1862 in the US, had faithfully served God for many years through her gifts of teaching and writing. Her longtime desire, however, was to be a missionary in Africa. Finally the details were worked out and she was ready to set sail. But then, unexpectedly, she was forced to cancel her plans. Not being able to…
in the tent
As I was sorting through the daily mail, my life suddenly merged with the lives of fellow believers thousands of miles away. As I looked at the simple foldout from a magazine, the brown and white colors of the map muted the violent attacks these persecuted Christians endure. The map, pinpointing places where the gospel goes forth with great struggle,…
