Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. —Psalm 40:5 Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin declared war on bacterial infections. Penicillin became dubbed “the miracle cure.” Not to downplay Dr. Fleming’s revolutionary discovery, from which we’ve all benefited—but thousands of years earlier, God planted potent […]
Unacknowledged Blessings Read More »
A man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. —Isaiah 53:3 Portrait artist, Robert Henkes, wrote: “A portrait is not a photograph, nor is it a mirror image.” A portrait, he explained, goes beyond the outer appearance “to capture what the person is really about.” The first portrait I
A Portrait in Scripture Read More »
You do not know what a day may bring. —Proverbs 27:1 Hilary Lunke was a professional golfer. But in 115 LPGA Tour starts, her first—and only—win was on July 7, 2003, when, against all odds, she won the U.S. Women’s
Your Refuge and Fortress Read More »
Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor. —2 Corinthians 8:9 Police reporter Jacob Riis worked the impoverished ghettos of New York City. His personal experience of poverty—surviving on scavenged food and sleeping in foul-smelling public areas—combined with his observation of the poor in the city slums, led him
There is a remnant chosen by grace. —Romans 11:5 Jesus told his apostles, “I have chosen you out of the world” (Jn 15:19). When two men were put forward as prospects to fill the vacancy left by Judas, Luke used the same verb (eklegomai):
[Ruth] went out and began to glean in the fields. —Ruth 2:3 Jennifer Schuldt and her daughter were making brownies. When Jennifer poured the batter into the baking pan, her daughter asked her to leave some of it in the mixing bowl so she could lick some of
Being cheerful keeps you healthy. —Proverbs 17:22 In an analysis of 229,391 participants, cardiologist Dr. Alan Rozanski and colleagues found that optimists were much less likely to have a heart attack than pessimists—and had a lower mortality rate from any cause. Health columnist Jane Brody suggests assessing
A while back, I wrote a piece titled “What Will Matter?” I have continued to think about it—so here is a second batch. There will come a time when your book, This Is Your Life, will sign off with “The End.” A time when the last page on your calendar has been turned. A time
What Will Matter (Part Two) Read More »
It is this Good News that saves you. —1 Corinthians 15:2 Gospel means—and is—“Good News.” But before there is good news, there is bad news. The bad news is that we are sinners: transgressors and trespassers; derelicts and deadbeats; reprobates and renegades; frauds and phonies. No one
Here’s the Good News Read More »
Even in old age they will still produce fruit. —Psalm 92:14 In Illinois, citizens 87-and-older are required to take a driving test every year to keep their driver’s license. Lois Paulson passed hers with flying colors. She’s 105. “I
