Jesus told many parables, and one of my favorites is the prodigal son. Every time I think about that father watching from the window, hoping for a glimpse of his beloved child, then running to greet the boy who’d rebelled and disappointed him, I get choked up. That boy had…
You’ve heard it said ’tis better to give than to receive. There’s a lot of truth to the saying. I’m sure you can recall a time you found the perfect gift for someone and it gave you tremendous joy to offer it to them. God experiences tremendous joy when one…
HYMN DAY! “Just When I Need Him Most” by William C. Poole isn’t one I recall singing frequently when I was growing up, but as soon as I started reading it, the music came to memory. It’s such a wonderful reminder of where we should turn when we’re in need.…
The last sentence of this verse—“You are my God”—gives me the happy kind of chills. MY speaks of a personal relationship. When something belongs to us, we take care of it. It’s important to us. My relationship with my Father-God is most important relationship I have or ever will have.…
When my girls were little and they had a question, they would tug at my hand. I’d lean down to their level, listen to whatever troubled them, and respond accordingly. Even now that they’re all grown and have children of their own, I still get an occasional phone call: “Mom,…
When I was a girl, I liked to read at night. And I liked to snack while I was reading. I developed the habit of tossing the “leftovers” of my snack behind my headboard when I was done. When we prepared to move to another house, my bed was taken…
In Ecclesiastes, we travel along with Solomon’s journey to satisfaction and purpose. As we’ve established, he tried it all! And he found that even the best this world has to offer was futile. He came to a conclusion: possess a reverential awe for the Maker of humanity and do what…
HYMN DAY! “Living for Jesus” by Thomas Obadiah Chisholm (that name would make a great story hero, don’t you think?) makes a beautiful prayer of commitment. 1 Living for Jesus a life that is true, Striving to please Him in all that I do; Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free, This…
My mother lived 82 years. In her family, with its history of heart disease, that was a long life. But truthfully, in light of eternity, 82 years is a very brief period of time. All of us are mortal; we’re here, as they say, on borrowed time. Thus it’s wise…
Several years ago, I was speaking to a group of women in the basement of a small-town Kansas church. A tornado touched down near the town and put out the electricity. Being suddenly plunged into complete darkness in an unfamiliar setting raised a wave of panic. Then someone lit a…
