river in the sand
With our swimsuits on and the sand between our toes, my family and I decided to try a beach experiment. We picked a spot about 20 feet from the shoreline and set to work digging with plastic spades. Our goal was to hollow out a mini riverbed that would extend all the way back down to the sea. After some…
weeds
As a child growing up in Ghana’s Upper Region, I used to help Mom and Dad in their garden. To this day, the aroma of tomatoes ripening on the vine makes me nostalgic for tropical climes and simpler times.
Dad, who had attended an agricultural school, used to coach me as I worked. “A weed is any plant that’s not…
unforgettable five – preparation for life
1) WHO AM I? (IDENTITY)
Declaring that I am a child of the living God, who is saved by His grace, sanctified, satisfied, Holy Spirit filled, more than a conqueror in Jesus Christ the Anointed One, a winner, special, and originally designed, one who is blessed, highly favored and empowered to prosper, anointed and appointed by God to go forth and…
is it worth it?
Lou Gehrig may not have died from Lou Gehrig’s disease. The Hall of Fame pro baseball player is the namesake for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a debilitating neurological disease that slowly paralyzes its victims and ultimately leads to death. New research reveals that Gehrig may not have had ALS, but exhibited similar symptoms due to blows to his head.
Gehrig…
divine purpose
Ephesians 2:10: For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.
Do you seek to live the life that God has planned for you as a Christian? Do you seek to please Him by your faith? One day, all Christians will stand before the…
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…
from eden to here
Recently my 5-year-old son, Seth, came running into the room. “Daddy, you have to teach me a superpower.” Apparently, Seth’s 7-year-old brother Wyatt had convinced Seth that I had already bequeathed to him a superpower—how to be invisible. Now, here Seth stood, waiting for his own bit of the birthright.
Each of us desires to have a unique purpose. We…
May 10, 2010
What is your top motivation in life? How does it affect the way you live?
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,…
groundhog day
Groundhog Day, one of my favorite movies, is a comedy featuring Phil Connors, a self-centered, arrogant TV weatherman. After being forced to take on a much-hated assignment—covering the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney—he suddenly finds himself caught in a time loop, repeating the same day over and over again. At first, he pursues every hedonistic escape he can think of.…
your role is needed
One of my daughter’s high school teachers appeared in the 1986 movie Hoosiers. The film is based on the true story of a small-town high school basketball team in the US and their improbable run to the Indiana state championship. He didn’t have a big role. He had no lines. His name doesn’t even appear in the credits. He was…
carpe diem
Carpe diem! Seize the day, boys! Make your lives extraordinary!” urged English teacher John Keating in the movie Dead Poets Society.
I like that motto: Carpe diem (a Latin phrase for “seize the day”). It impels me to live each day meaningfully and not waste a single moment. After watching a Hong Kong TV drama recently, I gained an expanded understanding of…
transformers: revenge of the fallen - movie review
This big-budget sequel to the first Transformers movie has all the ingredients of a summer blockbuster. It has fast-paced action, lots of special effects, and a couple of kids trying to save the world. Steven Spielberg's fingerprints are all over it. It has everything you would want, except, perhaps for a compelling story or a satisfying conclusion (it leaves the door…
purpose of life
Recently, a popular local radio personality unexpectedly died of a heart attack at the age of 54. Rick Beckett, who abused alcohol for most of his adult life before quitting for good in 2002, regularly warned his listeners of the dangers of excessive drinking to himself and others.
I personally don't know where he stood with God, but in his…
