breaking away
Say the word glacier and most of us think of something massive and slow-moving. One group of Alaskan tourists, however, witnessed a jaw-dropping surprise when a 200-foot-tall chunk of ice broke away from a glacier.
One passenger aboard the Tracy Arm Fjords Tours boat captured a video clip of the “mini” iceberg plunging into the water. It created forceful waves and…
what will your story be?
"A good name is better than a good ointment, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth" (Ecclesiastes 7:1).
I read this today during my quiet time with God. As I read it, the power of this verse hit me in a special way. Here's why . . .
As I was walking through…
failure isn’t final
Failure isn’t final. A man in the Bible who experienced that firsthand was John Mark—an assistant to Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:5). We don’t know all that his role entailed, but it likely involved doing behind-the-scenes work like buying supplies and cooking meals, along with some public ministry. He handled some of the day-to-day responsibilities…
clear, pure water
A tall, cold glass of water. The condensation on the glass cools my hand. Clear, pure, colorless, odorless; free of man-made chemicals and corruption. I lift the glass to my lips and drink this water that deeply refreshes.
A small, gurgling stream in the forest. Silky ripples, floating leaves, water flowing smoothly around rocks and branches. Liquid as clear as…
sinner or child of God?
2 Corinthians 5:14-17: Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.…
convinced
Someday I want to go skydiving. While I’m not overly fond of heights, I think there’s something incredible about jumping out of an airplane with a parachute (and an instructor soaring tandem with me!). As kids, my sister and I would jump off our second-story deck into the huge mounds of snow that covered our front yard in the dead…
new by faith
2 Corinthians 5:16-18: So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through…
today #12
Today . . .
This is the day that the Lord has made!
I will rejoice and be glad in it!
The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it!
I praise You, O God,
for I am a new creation!
A new creature!
Bless Your Name, O God!
No more destructive behavior!
No more negative thoughts!
No more self-loathing!
No more self-pity!
I am Your reflection, the very image of…
radical change
In a world where we so easily create virtual identities, we’re often tempted to paint ourselves in the best (exaggerated) light and to make ourselves appear as though we’re more accomplished or popular than we actually are. And if we want to start over from scratch, we can do so with just a few keystrokes. For instance, Seppukoo.com (with a…
precious marks
Maybe no one will notice. I turned the coffee table so that the flaw would be less visible to the members of our Bible study. Still, my friend Wendy spotted the little notches and I had to admit our son had cut his first teeth there earlier that week. She smiled and said, “Oh, now you’ll never be able to…
the untouchables
Yashwant Rao's life in Karnataka, India, included some personal vices that made him feel ashamed. Then a life-changing thing happened. Yashwant received Jesus as his Savior after a pastor in his village repeatedly and lovingly reached out to him.
Then God led this new believer to share his faith with the Dalits, or "untouchables," the lowest of the low in…
