If you are like me, when we pray faithfully for a long, long time and we see no results, we tend to get discouraged, for it is our human nature. However, there is Someone Who is above our human nature, Whose schedule we cannot even … Read more

To give something away signifies generosity, or at least that is what we assume. Is it always true? Once, I heard it said, "Don't give away more than you can afford to lose." I pondered this, for it did not make sense. Later, I was … Read more

I have sometimes been confronted with this accusation: "You only believe in God because your parents ground it into your head when you were young." The implication is that our parents taught us their beliefs, and we have quietly accepted … Read more

While I was working as a ward clerk in the hospital surgical unit, I had an encounter concerning a patient and the hand of God which has stayed fresh in my mind. Being careful to maintain confidentiality, a doctor expressed grave concern … Read more

Sometimes, we happen upon valuable lessons. Bless the Lord that He sends them to us. A case in point: I inadvertently took something home from the store that did not belong to me: a packet of aspirins. I had fully intended to pay for it, … Read more

What was that old adage about turning lemons into lemonade? How easy that is to say. The problem is that when you are down, you don't want to get up! Emotions run high and low. Some people have a legitimate reason for their sorrow, it is … Read more

Today's title sounds like a contradiction in terms, doesn't it? At first, it appears to be a contradiction, but if we break it down into two parts, first comes the discipline, and then comes the result, which is indeed a delight. "Stretch … Read more

The reality is that there is a kind of green-eyed monster of envy in the world, which is not self-sacrificing, but rather self-serving and filled with self-motivation. Envy is evident when we want what others have, and it becomes … Read more

I often think of the story about the farmer who went to borrow a shovel. My children and I refer to this story often, when we see a similar situation building and we or others are taking on a negative attitude. The story goes that a … Read more

A news item one night was about parents who lost a child through another teen's weakness and grave error in judgment. The parents, being interviewed a couple of days after their daughter's death, made a public statement that they not only … Read more

What does this mean? We could use it in many contexts. I was sitting, sipping my tea, and reflecting on an older movie that I have in my entertainment library, starring James Garner and Larry Fishburne, called "Decoration Day". It is the … Read more

How often we have prayed for something good, like the salvation of a loved one, firmly believing that our prayers would be answered. Have we not been told that "nothing is impossible for God"? (Luke 1:37 CEV) And yet, like Peter, we, … Read more

Are we indeed our brother's keeper? Many may think not, but as in our biological family, we do not survive well unless we help each other. Many of our brothers and sisters carry loneliness around with them like a blanket. What can we do … Read more