honoring God's goodness
Romans 2:1-5: You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things.…
movies and reality
Psalms 91:5-8: Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes,…
all the time
When my friend Ashley’s remarkable parents, Dr. and Mrs. Evan Zeiger, died in a plane crash one year ago today, she wrote a message so beautiful it was circulated around the world.
At the heart of her letter were these truths: “God is good, all the time. And all the time, God is good” (see Psalm 34:8-10).
“I’ve never been…
when faith is weak
To say my Christian faith is unflappable would be untrue. It’s to the contrary. For even though I write devotions, engage in work on behalf of the poor in East Africa, and long for my confidence in Jesus Christ to be strong—often, too often, my faith is pathetically, embarrassingly weak. In the midst of personal hardships, I find it more…
when God ignores
Michael felt as if his prayers were simply bouncing off the ceiling. He couldn’t understand God’s silence. Day after day he pleaded with Him to deal with the injustice in his workplace. But evil persisted, and God seemed absent.
Can you identify with Michael? Habakkuk could. He lived during the final dark days of Judah—just before the captivity of her…
a different Christmas
With gifts wrapped and under the tree, Christmas Eve came to a close. God’s goodness had been evident, but this year was different. Unfolding blankets and sheets, my husband and I created beds of the two couches in our family room. My husband’s parents, who live in town, were using our bedroom upstairs. Three months earlier, their oldest son—and only…
sock puppet and frenemy
Do you use a sock puppet to secretly keep track of your frenemies? Plan to spend your staycation watching vlogs and webisodes?” If you’re not sure what all that means, turn to the latest edition of the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. The book of words has just added more than 100 new ones. Two new entries caught my attention: sock puppet and frenemies. A “sock puppet”…
revenge
I recently ran across a Web site that instructs you in ways to take revenge. Later, I was stunned to find many online sites that are dedicated to getting even. From “thepayback.com” to “makehimpay.net,” they feature stories and tips on how to get even with people who rub you the wrong way. The sites are obviously put together by folks…
June 1, 2010
How have you personally experienced God allowing tragedy to bring about good?
at His feet
Today I drank a peach milkshake and cried.
Far from being emotional over ice cream, I was flooded with memories. Though my dad has been gone 15 years, I still miss him. So when my kids and I went to get milkshakes, I couldn’t stop the tears as I sipped bits of peach through my straw. When he was in…
so we may live
"We decided we had to move or freeze to death.” Eleven-year old Norman Ollestad uttered these harrowing words to a newspaper reporter soon after being rescued in the San Gabriel Mountains. The small Cessna plane he had been traveling in had smashed into one of the range’s jagged peaks. Norman was the lone survivor—his dad and the pilot died immediately,…
perfect condition—please take
Allie is a new member of a small group of believers who meet weekly. She began visiting a few months ago when a friend invited her to come so they could pray for her and support her in her battle with cancer. Allie has since received significant healing, and she has taken steps toward discovering the God who heals.
Allie’s…
praise in the slum
More than a million people live in Kibera, East Africa’s largest slum, located in the heart of Nairobi, Kenya. A railroad track divides the massive area in half and, when no train is chugging through, also serves as a walking path for Kibera residents and visitors.
One day, as I was trekking down the track, a man in a shabby…
life's cliffsnotes
When I taught high school English, my students' use of CliffsNotes was an ever-present reality. I encouraged them to use these study guides along with reading the novel or play. While it's true that the literary interpretations found in the guides could help them understand difficult passages, nothing could replace a firsthand reading of the complete works. To read the CliffsNotes in…
