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…
beyond limitations
Mark 11:23-24: I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, “May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,” and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be…
promises and praise
Ever made a promise you didn’t keep? Yeah, me too. It makes me wince to think of my broken promises over the years. The shame comes from the realization that I had given my word to do something for someone and then backpedaled upon further review of what my vow would require of me. Ouch.
We’re all guilty of being…
the promise
Expectations . . . a Promise . . . a Light shining in the darkness. If ever there were a recurring theme during December, it's that of looking forward. Kids anticipating holiday vacation . . . and presents under the tree . . . times of celebration . . . the family gathering . . . special treats, just to name a…
a thousand words
In a cartoon strip, a typist asks an artist: “Why is a picture worth a thousand words?” The artist replies, “Hmm, how fast do you type?” “About 25 words per minute,” answers the typist. “That’s it! When I finish my drawing in 40 minutes . . . you would have already typed 1,000 words.” That’s funny, but (obviously) it’s not…
God does what He says
Galatians 6:7-10: Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what…
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…
let it (all) go
Karl Rabeder is an Austrian millionaire, but not for much longer. He’s giving away his entire fortune, more than 3 million pounds. His 3,455-square-foot villa overlooking the Alps, his six gliders, his expensive Audi A8, his country estate—all will be sold. As Rabeder told The Daily Telegraph, “My idea is to have nothing left. Absolutely nothing.” The money will fund his…
October 18, 2010
What promise from Jesus, recorded in God's Word, most encourages you today?
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…
hopeful
Carefully patting the dirt around the base of the seedling, we stepped back to observe our work. Six years old, I was helping my dad plant a small weeping willow in the center of our otherwise barren backyard. When we moved soon afterward, I didn’t understand why the tree couldn’t go with us. I thought it was for me. Ten…
sisera's surprise
Taking online quizzes is popular on Facebook. The quizzes range from “What Disney character are you?” to “What Bible character are you?” I wonder how a person would react if the Bible character quiz revealed that they are most like Jael.
Who’s Jael? She’s the woman who drove a tent peg into an army general’s head. While we could debate…
one-hit wonders
A recent TV special on one-hit wonders—pop music performers who had one hit and then disappeared—fascinated me. Old footage from their prime showed them to be arrogant, bold, confident, outrageous, and young!
Now, 20 to 30 years later, the TV crew caught up with many of them. Some had moved on with their lives, raising families and enjoying obscurity. But…
cravings
For our family, vacations are treasured getaways from the demands of regular life. We enjoy visiting a variety of places, but one particular theme park has been a staple. Not wanting to exhaust our children when they were little, we limited our visits to one-day passes. We recently embarked, however, on the coveted multi-day experience. After 5 days of park…
knowledge isn't enough
The preacher asked his audience whether they believed he had a $20 bill in his closed hand. After a woman said that she believed he did, the speaker announced that he would destroy her faith by opening his hand and showing the money. “Now that you know I have a $20 bill,” he said, “you can no longer have faith…
