My song leader and I were perched on the front pew, prepared to lead the congregation in song and sermon after communion, which was being served from the platform seven steps up. Beginning his descent with trays of filled cups, our server tripped and launched into a headfirst dive, zeroing in on two petrified parsons […]
You Stumbled . . . Now What? Read More »
So Jesus went with him. —Mark 5:24 Mark 5:1–17 journals Jesus’ healing of a demon-possessed man, the drowning of a herd of pigs, and the reaction of the citizens. The citizens couldn’t have cared less about the man who was healed but were so agitated about the loss of the pigs that
He Comes When He Is Wanted Read More »
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! —Philippians 4:4 “How’s it going?” “Not so hot! I’ve had better days. If it’s not one thing, it’s another.” You’ve heard these down-in-the-dumps grumbles; maybe even growled them yourself. English churchman and historian Thomas Fuller rightly described many when he said,
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She came up behind him . . . and touched his cloak. —Mark 5:27 Jesus was moving through the crowd on the heels of a father whose daughter was dying. Suddenly he stopped! “Who touched my clothes?” he asked. A woman whose dozen-year illness had the doctors stumped, had reached out a
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. —Psalm 139:14 Bob Hope once said, “According to something I just read: Today my heart beat over 103,000 times; My blood traveled 12 thousand miles; I breathed 23,400 times; I inhaled 438 cubic feet of air; I perspired 1.43 gallons,
As for the saints . . . they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight. —Psalm 16:3 Today’s newspaper serves up an overdose of hype for bigwig politicians . . . with whom I have no hankering to hang out. I enjoy
Sisters and Brothers! A Gift from God Read More »
A friend loves at all times. —Proverbs 17:17 No birth certificate is issued when a friendship is born. But when it is forged life takes on new meaning: pleasure is increased; pain is diminished; life is enriched. Our friends are always there for us, even when we’re separated by miles. They accept us
Just Between Friends Read More »
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. —John 10:10 “Can I help you find something?” “Yes, thank you. I need a carton of kindness, a package of peace, a sack of self-control . . . and a supply of gentleness.” You won’t find these on Walmart’s
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The seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. —Mark 4:27 Paul pictures a farmer who scatters seeds, but is stumped about what makes them grow. Here’s something to think about: Every watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind. Every orange has an even number of
In love he predestined us to be adopted. —Ephesians 1:5 The adoption agency called and said they finally had a baby for the childless couple. When the mother-to-be goes to pick up the infant, imagine her asking the Social Worker these questions: Will this child always
