Father and Friend
“You are my friends if you do what I command.” John 15:14A short clip on the evening news recently featured a suburban high school’s attempt to address the spiraling epidemic of teenage drinking. The...
View ArticleUpside Down Toast
“Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near’.” Matthew 4:17Have you ever made a piece of toast, slathered it with butter and strawberry jam, and just as you’re about to take the...
View ArticleWhat to Do Until the Stars Fall
“Accept what I say… I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.” Proverbs 4:10-12My biology...
View ArticleReliable Grace
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody." Romans 12:17Do you ever pay much attention to bumper stickers? I find them fascinating! You can be driving...
View ArticleChin Up!
“Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.” Ephesians 2:4-5One of my all-time favorite kid’s stories is...
View ArticleBreaking The Spin Cycle
"[Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. . . . He is a liar and the father of it." John 8:44 Politicians are adept at “spinning”...
View ArticleIn Your Head
"I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel." Galatians 1:6 I love the prayer that begins, “God be in my head.” When I first heard...
View ArticleLife on Level One
"Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer.” Ruth 4:14In an ancient form of Chinese drama, plays were often performed on a two-level stage. On the first level, the...
View ArticleGrace and Truth
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14It’s a grandfather’s...
View ArticleCelebrate Winter
"Why are you cast down, O my soul? . . . Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance. Psalm 42:5"I love living where there are four seasons. But even though I love settling...
View ArticleOnly Jesus Satisfies
“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water...
View ArticleYour Brilliance Factor
“For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.” Proverbs 8:11Adrian Grasselly was used to working with precious material. As an expert diamond cutter, he was...
View ArticleExploratory Procedure
"The Word of God is living and powerful, . . . a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 I have a friend who recently underwent a laryngoscopy. I winced as he explained how...
View ArticleThe Person Makes The Place
"God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Revelation 21:3-4Engaged couples often spend hours poring over travel brochures and vacation Web...
View ArticleDon’t Just Celebrate…Imitate!
"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children.” Ephesians 5:1I can still remember my dad standing there, coat on and hat in hand on Christmas afternoon asking me, “Joe, do you want to come...
View ArticleHolding Your Hand
"Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand." Psalm 73:23 One of the joys of being with kids is holding their hands. We do it to keep them safe while crossing the street, or...
View ArticleInterruptions
“But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus’. ” Luke 1:30-31Interruptions...
View ArticleDirty Windows
“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” 2...
View ArticleThe Hope of Christmas
“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 42:5We talk a lot about hope. We hope the weather will be...
View ArticleSave the Paper
“[Jesus] made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” Philippians 2:7Above the joyful sounds of Christmas morning, as children open their presents in attack...
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