Dr. Batsell Barrett Baxter once told me about a cute kid who edged in next to him one Sunday after his sermon and whispered, “I wisht I wuz you!” It’s not just kid stuff. Many adults have enviously eyed someone who seemed to have it all and thought, “I wish I was you!” For some […]
Read MoreI have never met Sue, but her letter made me wish I had. She had reason to be bitter but wasn’t. Sue wanted children—four of them. Instead, in her first six years of marriage, she had four miscarriages. The fifth pregnancy was problem-free. Sue was going to have this baby! And she did. Baby Robby […]
Read MoreThey had expected so much and walked away with so little. They had thought that by now they would be cabinet members in a new administration, wrecking Rome’s rule and restoring Israel’s independence. Instead, they were jobless, and Rome was having her way. With heavy hearts and sluggish steps, they had come home to Galilee. […]
Read MoreThey had expected so much and walked away with so little. They had thought that by now they would be cabinet members in a new administration, wrecking Rome’s rule and restoring Israel’s independence. Instead, they were jobless, and Rome was having her way. With heavy hearts and sluggish steps, they had come home to Galilee. […]
Read MoreI stood with a grieving mother and father in the cemetery, where we stared at a casket and an open grave. They were each holding a toddler. Their daughter, the children’s mother, had lost her battle with cancer. The heartbroken couple was left with memories, bills, and two babies. It isn’t suffering that troubles us; […]
Read MoreWhen Roman historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus started recording the history of the first century AD, he wrote, “I am entering upon the history of a period rich in disaster, gloomy with wars, rent with seditions.” He went on to write of the devastation of the era: war, murder, adultery, hate, terror, betrayal. Concerning politicians, he […]
Read MoreIt has always been “Open Season” on the church—and there are a lot of sharpshooters nested in the hunting blinds. That’s to be expected from those on the outside, but it’s disappointing when shots are fired by those on the inside. I recently read an article by a preacher who went off on his boyhood […]
Read More“We become what we think about. A man’s life is what his thoughts make of it.” —Marcus Aurelius “You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.” —James Allen “Thought is the parent of the deed.” —Thomas Carlyle __________________ The above quotes echo Solomon’s words: “Above […]
Read MoreResolution [rěz ǝ-looʹ shǝn] 1. a decision or determination; a resolve; 2. firmness of purpose; the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute. Irresolution [ǐ- rěz ǝ-looʹ shǝn] 1. lack of resolution; lack of decision or purpose; vacillation. The life of each of us is defined by one of those words. A major […]
Read MoreWait! Now there’s a word that makes you want to scream. You’re busy from dawn ’til dark. Places to be. Things to do. Not enough hours in the day. There’s no room for “Wait” on your to-do list. What’s the longest you’ve ever had to wait for something? I’m guessing it was waiting for an […]
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