Hold On
After reaching the top of Dog Tooth Peak in the Sierra Nevada National Forest in the US, Larry Bishop began his descent. On his way down, he took a tumble off the trail and landed on a slim ledge of granite. Staying on that perch required him to cling to the side of the mountain for 52 hours—the alternative was a 10,000-foot drop! Eventually, Larry was airlifted to safety when a member of a rescue team risked his own life to reach him.
everlasting splendors
C. S. Lewis grasped the essence of humanity and captured it in these choice words found in The Weight of Glory: “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.” He then penned the poignant, biblically accurate fact that each of us will either become an “immortal horror” or an “everlasting splendor.”
rejoicing in thorns
Amy McDonaugh, a 34-year-old mother of three who is completely blind in her right eye and has severely impaired vision in her left eye, fought off 1,775 competitors to win the Flying Pig Marathon—a popular and enjoyable race. Participating in only her fourth contest, McDonaugh not only beat her fellow runners, but she also showed that her physical challenge would…
snitch!
A snitch is someone who freely gives up information about a friend or acquaintance. Because he volunteers information that often gets people arrested, evicted, or even killed, a snitch is considered one of the lowest people on the neighborhood food chain. People have a hard time forgiving a snitch.
John encouraged believers to snitch on themselves. For when they did,…
perhaps today
When will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?” (Luke 21:7). Over the centuries, Christians have asked these two questions. And in every generation they’ve believed that Jesus was coming back in their lifetime because of signs and events that they observed during their day. Yet, 2,000 years later, we’re still…
counterfeit faith
After waiting in line at a local store, it was finally my turn to pay. The clerk took my money, held the bill up to the light and then disappeared to confer with her manager. When she returned, she explained that the store had recently received several counterfeit bills. Then she looked at me and added, “You don’t look like…
lambs on the lam
Last year, two convicts broke out of a maximum-security prison in Argentina, only to find that they could be easily spotted in the spacious sheep pastures surrounding the penitentiary. So what to do? The duo sneaked into a local ranch and stole some wooly hides that included sheep heads. The fake lambs remained on the lam by hiding among the…
share your story
Michael Dinsmore is a relatively new Christian. One day he was given an opportunity to share his testimony in a prison. It had a tremendous effect on the inmates—some of the toughest guys broke down and started crying as Michael talked. Later, a few came up to him and said, “This is the most exciting meeting we’ve ever been to!”…
aim of instruction
Every so often, it’s good to ask yourself: “Why do I do what I do?” It’s so easy to get caught up in simply getting things done, while forgetting the ultimate purpose for our tasks.
In 1 Timothy 1:4-7, Paul presents three failures of false teachers that—if we’re not careful—can become our failures too: (1) Their teachings promote meaningless speculations…
escape
Seventeen-year old Shirin arrived at Afghanistan’s Heart Regional Hospital with 90 percent of her body covered in third-degree burns. The official story given to hospital staff was that Shirin had suffered a cooking accident. Later in private, however, the teenager told doctors that she had set herself aflame.
Sadly, such acts are not rare. Many young Afghan women feel powerless…
compartments
I was talking with a friend the other day about how easy it is to live our life compartmentally. For instance, on Sundays we can enter the compartment of going to church and worshiping God. But the rest of the week we might ease out of church-mode and enter compartments that deny God’s presence and His commands.
The prophet Jeremiah,…
our chief task
What’s so funny ’bout peace, love, and understanding?” sang Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello a generation ago. That ageless rhetorical question still lacks a satisfactory answer in the 21st century.
A religion scholar suggests, “The chief task of our time is to build a global society where people of all persuasions can live together in peace and harmony.” She claims…
healing the wounds
Jesus prays on the mountain, His anguish heightened as His death draws near. The disciples, having fallen asleep, are startled as Judas and his angry crowd charge toward their friend. Judas plants his ghastly kiss on Jesus' cheek, the guards step forward, and fear ripples through the disciples' chests.
I wonder what I might've done if I were in the…
