preparing the way
On July 21, 2013, media outlets worldwide held their collective breath as they waited for the birth of the child of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The baby was third in line to the British throne, and so when Prince George was born the next day there was hardly a newspaper or news program that didn’t herald the announcement front and center.
stuff of legends
The 2012 film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit tells the story of a band of dwarves seeking to recapture their lost mountain kingdom from an evil dragon.
front to back
At the start of the movie Walk the Line, young Johnny Cash is talking with his older brother Jack who is hoping to become a preacher. Johnny is sad because he doesn’t know the Bible like his brother, who said, “If I’m going to be a preacher one day, I gotta know the Bible front to back. I mean, you can’t help nobody if you can’t tell them the right story.”
making room
Our voices resonating throughout the living room, last Christmas Eve was like many others as we read Scripture, took communion, and sang together. However, the words of one song took on new meaning. Having recently sold our home, we had been living for the past month and a half with my husband’s parents. Graciously, they had not only offered us the use of their home as they traveled but had even thinned out closets and emptied dresser drawers for our use.
shamed and disarmed
Hospital chaplain Matt Marino received a call to go to a patient’s room. He expected to find someone gravely ill, fearful, or clinging to life. Instead, he was surprised to find a “strikingly attractive 23-year-old sitting up cheerfully in the hospital bed, holding her infant daughter and chatting with family and friends.” Confused, Matt quietly asked the nurse why he had been called.
the King’s speech
The film The King’s Speech is based on the true story of England’s King George VI. After his brother abdicated the throne in the late 1930s, the new king enlisted the help of an unconventional speech therapist to overcome his problem with stuttering. Together, they worked to find the king’s clear voice and his ability to deliver a stirring speech that his nation could stand behind as it prepared to stand against Nazi aggression.
El-Shaddai
El Shaddai, a worship song written by Michael Card and John Thompson, features many Hebrew words in its lyrics. It won “Song of the Year” and Michael Card won “Songwriter of the Year” at the 1983 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards. The title of the song came from Genesis 17:1 and Exodus 6:3.
a king born for all
Scene one: A stable in Bethlehem, Judea. There, a group of shepherds kneel before a baby sleeping in a feeding trough (Luke 2:8-20). The society of the day despises these grimy, unclean shepherds, and they can’t believe they’re here. How could they have been given such a privilege?
identity tags
In 2010, an estimated 10.8 million babies were born every month—meaning 362,000 babies were born every day, four babies every second. So if the future king of the world was born today, how would you know where to find this newborn monarch among the thousands of other little bundles of joy? Thankfully, in most hospitals, a baby is given a tag that identifies who the baby belongs to.
queen for a day
Following a meeting at Mildmay Uganda—a specialized center that provides holistic outpatient care for HIV and AIDS patients—I was summoned by Mildmay’s public relations director. “We are welcoming the Queen of England to Mildmay tomorrow,” she said. “Our pediatric patients are preparing to demonstrate their native costumes and traditional dances for Her Majesty. Would you kindly serve as the queen for the children’s final dress rehearsal?”
no money down?
Some people suppose that the offer of salvation is similar to other big-ticket items. Beds, refrigerators, and automobiles cost more than most people can afford, so stores often offer these products for no money down. Customers can enjoy these products for a year or so before beginning the dreaded monthly payments that slowly but surely drain their bank account. Likewise…
I am who?
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey the week before His crucifixion. On that day, which we now call Palm Sunday, the crowd proclaimed Him to be the Son of David (Matthew 21:9). On the following Tuesday in the temple, Jesus asked the Pharisees a question: “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose Son is He?” They replied, “He…
