you are loved
A counselor was conducting a family therapy session with the parents of a teenager who had been caught using drugs. The parents excused their daughter’s drug use, saying that it was no big deal and just a phase that most teenagers go through. After a while the counselor told the parents to leave the room and, turning to the daughter,…
a hard heart
2 Timothy 2:1-5: Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of…
shredding spaghetti
In a recent debate, Christian mathematician John Lennox argued for the reality of God with atheist scientist Richard Dawkins. In his writing and speaking, Dawkins will often talk about the “Flying Spaghetti Monster” as an analogy for belief in God. His point is that since God’s existence cannot be proven, it’s as ridiculous to believe in Him as in a…
always true
Walking past me with a noticeable lump in his shirt, my son tried to act nonchalant as he hurried through the room. Not realizing how obvious he looked, he dropped his head and pulled out a pair of scissors when I asked him what he was hiding. Because he had taken to “redesigning” things in his room, we had banned…
the way
I always assumed that Isaiah 30:21 had something to do with directions. My understanding was, if I stood at a crossroads and veered one way or the other, the Holy Spirit would let me know if I was going the right way. God would alert me if I was heading into trouble or beginning to venture outside of His will.…
wilderness experiences
God sometimes works in strange ways. Jesus is baptized, and the next thing He experiences is temptation. Led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, He’s tempted by Satan—His adversary. Such is the nature of our own wilderness experiences.
The wilderness stirred many emotions for the Jews of Jesus’ day, evoking memories of their 40-year journey out of Egypt. To…
criminally cute
Giddy with delight, my young son Elias slipped out of the room that served as a temporary nursery to newborn kittens. His mother had warned him not to touch them, so she asked, “Did you touch the kitties, Elias?”
“No!” he said earnestly. Mom wasn’t fooled, so she probed a bit further. “Were they soft?” “Yes,” he volunteered, “and the…
running from nineveh
Sixty-six-year-old Nita Friedman was not the sort of person you would expect to lead the police on a 15-mile car chase. But that’s exactly what police chief Mike Hutter encountered on US Highway 95 in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.
After receiving a call about a reckless driver, Hutter spotted Friedman and turned on his lights and siren. Rather than pull over,…
surprising life
Last August in Asuncion, Paraguay, Jose Alvarenga received the worst news a father can hear about a newborn child. The doctors came and told him his son, born prematurely (only 500g/17.6 oz), was dead. A little over 4 hours after the heartbreaking event, Jose opened the box that held his tiny son’s casket so that he could say his goodbyes—and…
trials and temptations
Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). Each test was a temptation or enticement to sin. It’s not a sin to be tempted. But there exists in every trial a potential for us to disobey God. Job, severely tested by Satan (Job 1–2), didn’t sin against God (2:10). Mrs.…
how are you?
How do you respond to the greeting, “How are you?” Most of us simply reply, “Fine. How are you?” Others develop trademark comebacks, such as “Better than I deserve.” I know of one fellow who answers, “I’m just the Lord’s prostitute.”
What?! This provocative reply is an inappropriate response to an innocuous greeting—too much information!—but it does make an important…
the slippery slope of sin
My friend had been a loving mother who put her Bible degree to good use by teaching Sunday school and participating in several Bible studies. But last month she informed her husband that she recently had two affairs and is open for more. After I recovered from the initial shock, I marveled at how quickly a person can destroy her…
the pilot seat
An F16 fighter jet is an amazing aircraft with incredible capabilities. But there’s one thing that a jet pilot requires above all else: The F16 must respond to his control.
God has much to say in Deuteronomy about why He must be at the controls of our life. The book is the story of Israel’s renewed covenant with God—one that…
u-turn
If you speak Italian, you know that “Monaco di Baviera” means Munich. If not, it’s easy to see how two women on a road trip confused Monaco with Munich. They started in northern Italy, intending to drive south to Monaco, but followed signs that took them north to Germany instead!
Being “directionally challenged” myself, I can sympathize with these wrongly…
who cares?
The book of Malachi was written around 420 BC as a warning to the nation of Israel. God accused the priests of offering "defiled" sacrifices (Malachi 1:7). Specifically, He was concerned with the nation's direct disobedience in not giving Him their best (v.8), and for withholding the tithes He had commanded them to give for His work (3:8-14).
So what…
