Pastor Damian rsquo s schedule included hospital visits to two people nearing death who rsquo d chosen two different life paths In one hospital was a woman beloved by her family Her selfless public service had endeared her to many Other believers in Jesus had gathered around her and worship prayer and hope filled the room In another hospital the relative of a member of Pastor Damian rsquo s church was also dying His hardened heart had led to a hard life and his disheveled family lived in the wake of his poor decisions and misdeeds The differences in the [... more]

Though he didn rsquo t normally carry money with him Patrick sensed God was leading him to tuck a five-dollar bill in his pocket before leaving home During the lunch hour at the school where he worked he understood how God may have prepared him to meet an urgent need In the midst of the lunchroom buzz he heard these words ldquo Scotty a child in need needs to put on his account so he can eat lunch for the rest of the week rdquo Imagine the emotions Patrick experienced as he gave his money to help Scotty In Titus [... more]

The pictures coming from a friend rsquo s text stream were stunning Photos of a surprise gift for his wife revealed a restored Ford Mustang brilliant dark blue exterior sparkling chrome rims reupholstered black interior and a motor to match the other upgrades There were also ldquo before rdquo pictures of the same vehicle mdash a dull worn unimpressive yellow version While it may be difficult to envision it rsquo s likely that when the vehicle rolled off the assembly line in it was also an eye-catcher But time wear and tear and other factors had made it ripe for [... more]

Three days before a bomb blast rocked his home in January Dr Martin Luther King Jr had an encounter that marked him for the rest of his life After receiving a threatening phone call King found himself pondering an exit strategy from the civil rights movement Then prayers emerged from his soul ldquo I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right But now I am afraid I have nothing left I rsquo ve come to the point where I can't face it alone rdquo After his prayer there came quiet assurance King noted ldquo Almost at [... more]

Testimony time was the segment in our church service when people shared how God had been at work in their lives Auntie mdash or Sister Langford as she was known by others in our church family mdash was known for packing lots of praise into her testimonies On the occasions when she shared her personal conversion story one could expect her to take up a good bit of the service Her heart gushed with praise to God who had graciously changed her life Similarly the testimony of the writer of Psalm is packed with praise as he testifies about what [... more]

The protocols at the restaurant in my childhood neighborhood were consistent with social and racial dynamics in the late s and early s The kitchen helpers mdash Mary the cook and dishwashers like me mdash were Black however the in-restaurant patrons were White Black customers could order food but they had to pick it up at the back door Such policies reinforced the unequal treatment of Blacks in that era Though we rsquo ve come a long way since then we still have room for growth in how we relate to each other as people made in the image of [... more]

Fast-food restaurant worker Kevin Ford hadn rsquo t missed a shift in twenty-seven years After a video surfaced showing his humble gratitude for a modest gift he received to commemorate his decades of service thousands of people rallied together to show kindness to him ldquo It rsquo s like a dream a dream come true that nobody can even think of this rdquo he said when a fundraising effort brought in in just over a week Jehoiachin the exiled king of Judah was also the recipient of extreme kindness He rsquo d been incarcerated for thirty-seven years before the benevolence [... more]

At the pastor rsquo s invitation at the end of the church service Latriece made her way to the front When she was invited to greet the congregation no one was prepared for the weighty and wonderful words she spoke She had relocated from Kentucky where in December devastating tornadoes had taken the lives of seven of her family members ldquo I can still smile because God rsquo s with me rdquo she said Though bruised by trial her testimony was a powerful encouragement for those facing challenges of their own David rsquo s words in Psalm which point to [... more]

ldquo Wash me rdquo Though those words weren rsquo t written on my vehicle they could have been So off to the car wash I went and so did other drivers who wanted relief from the grimy leftovers from salted roads following a recent snowfall The lines were long and the service was slow But it was worth the wait I left with a clean vehicle and for compensation for service delay the car wash was free of charge Getting cleaned at someone else rsquo s expense mdash that rsquo s the gospel of Jesus Christ God through the death [... more]

Jimmy hadn rsquo t allowed the reality of social unrest danger and discomfort to keep him from traveling to one of the poorest countries in the world to encourage ministry couples The steady stream of text messages to our team back home revealed the challenges he encountered ldquo Okay boys activate the prayer line We rsquo ve gone ten miles in the last two hours Car has overheated a dozen times rdquo Transportation setbacks meant that he arrived just before midnight to preach to those who rsquo d waited for five hours Later we received a text with a different [... more]

In ad the early church father Polycarp was threatened with death by fire for his faith in Christ He replied ldquo For eighty and six years I have been his servant and he has done me no wrong And how can I now blaspheme my king who saved me rdquo Polycarp rsquo s response can be an inspiration for us when we face extreme trial because of our faith in Jesus our King Just hours before Jesus rsquo death Peter boldly pledged His allegiance to Christ ldquo I will lay down my life for you rdquo John Jesus who knew [... more]

ldquo The tent is tired rdquo Those were the words of my friend Paul who pastors a church in Nairobi Kenya Since the congregation has worshiped in a tent-like structure Now Paul writes ldquo Our tent is worn out and it is leaking when it rains rdquo My friend rsquo s words about their tent rsquo s structural weaknesses remind us of the apostle Paul rsquo s words regarding the frailty of our human existence ldquo Outwardly we are wasting away While we are in this tent we groan and are burdened rdquo Corinthians Though the awareness of our fragile [... more]

On a trip to Paris Ben and his friends found themselves at the one of the renowned museums in the city Though Ben wasn rsquo t a student of art he was in awe as he looked upon the painting titled The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Sepulchre on the Morning of the Resurrection Without words the looks on the faces of Peter and John and the position of their hands speak volumes inviting onlookers to step into their shoes and share their adrenaline-charged emotions Based on John ndash the painting portrays the two running in the direction [... more]

Many years ago a friend told me how intimidated she was while trying to cross a street where several roads intersected ldquo I rsquo d never seen anything like this the rules I rsquo d been taught for crossing the street seemed ineffective I was so frightened that I rsquo d stand on the corner wait for the bus and ask the bus driver if he rsquo d please allow me to ride to the other side of the street It would take a long time before I successfully learned to navigate this intersection both as a pedestrian and later [... more]

One of consequences of the COVID- pandemic was the docking of cruise ships and the quarantining of passengers The Wall Street Journal featured an article that included interviews of some of the tourists Commenting about how being quarantined provided more opportunities for conversations one passenger joked how his spouse mdash who possessed an excellent memory mdash was able to bring up every transgression he ever had and sensed she wasn rsquo t done yet Accounts like this make us smile remind us of our humanness and serve to caution us if we rsquo re prone to hold too tightly to [... more]

ldquo BROKE rdquo was the street name Grady answered to and those five letters were proudly emblazoned on his license plates Though not intended in a spiritual sense the moniker fit the middle-aged gambler adulterer and deceiver He was broken bankrupt and far from God However all that changed one evening when he was convicted by God rsquo s Spirit in a hotel room He told his wife ldquo I think I rsquo m getting saved rdquo That evening he confessed sins he thought he rsquo d take with him to the grave and came to Jesus for forgiveness For [... more]

A record rainfall more than tripled what was forecasted in Waverly Tennessee in August In the wake of the powerful storm twenty people lost their lives and hundreds of homes were destroyed Had it not been for the compassion and skill of helicopter pilot Joel Boyers the loss of human life would rsquo ve been even greater The pilot took flight in response to a phone call from a woman who was concerned about her loved ones In addition to seeing houses on fire and cars in trees Boyers noted ldquo It was nothing but muddy raging water below me [... more]

The gleeful shouts arising from our basement came from my wife Shirley For hours she rsquo d wrestled with a newsletter project and she was ready to be done with it In her anxiety and uncertainty about how to move forward she prayed for God rsquo s help She also reached out to Facebook friends and soon the project was completed mdash a team effort While a newsletter project is a little thing in life small and not so small things can bring about worry or anxiousness Perhaps you rsquo re a parent walking through the stages of childrearing for [... more]

After a customer at a grocery store self-checkout station had completed her transaction I made my way to the station and proceeded to scan my goods Unexpectedly a visibly angry person confronted me I rsquo d failed to notice that she was actually next in line for checkout Recognizing my mistake I sincerely said ldquo I rsquo m sorry rdquo She replied though not limited to these words ldquo No you rsquo re not rdquo Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were wrong acknowledged it and tried to make things right mdash only to be rebuffed [... more]

ldquo I had a dark moment rdquo Those five words capture the internal agony of a popular female celebrity during the COVID- pandemic Adjusting to a new normal was part of her challenge and in her turmoil she acknowledged that she wrestled with thoughts of suicide Pulling out of the downward spiral included sharing her struggle with a friend who cared We rsquo re all susceptible to tumultuous hours days and seasons Valleys and hard places aren rsquo t foreign but getting out of such places can be challenging And seeking the assistance of mental health professionals is sometimes needed [... more]

My trip to Simon rsquo s house was unforgettable Under the cover of a star-lit sky in Nyahururu Kenya we made our way to his modest home for dinner The dirt floor and the lantern light reflected Simon rsquo s limited means What was on the menu I don rsquo t recall What I can rsquo t forget was Simon rsquo s joy that we were his guests His gracious hospitality was Jesus-like mdash selfless life-touching and refreshing In Corinthians ndash Paul mentioned a family mdash the household of Stephanas v mdash that had a reputation for their caregiving They [... more]

When Warren mentioned during our weekly ministry team call that he was ldquo feeling dusty rdquo I sensed that this was his way of referencing the physical challenges associated with aging and ill-health For Warren and his wife both in their late sixties included doctors rsquo visits surgical procedures and the rearranging of their home to accommodate in-home care They were on the other side of the prime of life and they were feeling it One doesn rsquo t have to live long before sensing our inadequacies imperfections and weaknesses mdash physically intellectually emotionally and spiritually God in the person [... more]

Like the unraveling of a rope the threads in Doug rsquo s life were breaking one by one ldquo My mother had lost her prolonged battle with cancer a long-term romantic relationship was failing my finances were depleted my vocation was foggy The emotional and spiritual darkness around me and within me was deep and debilitating and seemingly impenetrable rdquo writes pastor and sculptor Doug Merkey These collective events combined with living in a cramped attic became the setting from which his sculpture The Hiding Place emerged It depicts Christ rsquo s strong nailed-scarred hands openly cupped together as a [... more]

The unresolved hurt between Simon and Geoffrey had persisted for years and Simon rsquo s attempts to reenter the relationship had been resisted Upon hearing the news of the death of Geoffrey rsquo s mother Simon traveled ldquo up country rdquo in Kenya to attend her funeral service Simon reflected on their encounter ldquo I had no expectations at all in terms of how the whole thing would turn out but after the service we opened up and had a fruitful talk We hugged shared the moment prayed together and planned to meet again rdquo If only Simon and Geoffrey [... more]

After Prem Pradham rsquo s ndash plane was shot down during World War II he was wounded in the leg by ground fire while parachuting to safety As a result he walked with a limp for the rest of his life He once noted ldquo I have a lame leg Isn rsquo t it strange of God that He called me to preach the gospel in the Himalaya Mountains rdquo And preach in Nepal he did mdash but not without opposition that included imprisonment in ldquo dungeons of death rdquo where prisoners faced extreme conditions In a span of fifteen [... more]

ldquo Son I don rsquo t have much to give you But I do have a good name so don rsquo t mess it up rdquo Those wise weighty words were uttered by Johnnie Bettis as his son Jerome left home for college Jerome quoted his father in his Professional American Football Hall of Fame acceptance speech These sage words that Jerome has carried with him throughout his life have been so influential that he closed his riveting speech with similar words to his own son ldquo Son there rsquo s not nbsp much that nbsp I can give you [... more]

J I Packer ndash in his classic work Knowing God spoke of four well-known believers in Christ whom he called ldquo beavers for the Bible rdquo Not all were trained scholars but each one exercised great care to know God by gnawing into the Scripture like a beaver digs in and gnaws away at a tree Packer further noted that knowing God through Bible study is not just for scholars ldquo A simple Bible reader and sermon hearer who is full of the Holy Spirit will develop a far deeper acquaintance with his God and Savior than a more learned [... more]

Robert was embarrassed when he showed up for a breakfast meeting and realized he rsquo d forgotten his wallet It bothered him to the point that he pondered whether he should eat at all or simply get something to drink After some convincing from his friend he relaxed his resistance He and his friend enjoyed their entrees and his friend gladly paid the bill Perhaps you can identify with this dilemma or some other situation that puts you on the receiving end Wanting to pay our own way is normal but there are occasions when we must humbly receive what [... more]

ldquo I don rsquo t understand His plan I turned my whole life over to Him And this happens rdquo Such was the message of a son to his mother when his dream to succeed as a professional athlete was temporarily derailed Who among us hasn rsquo t had some kind of unexpected disappointing experience that sends our minds into overdrive with exclamations and questions A family member cuts off communication without explanation health gains are reversed a company relocates unexpectedly a life-altering accident happens Job ndash records a series of tragedies and setbacks in Job rsquo s life Humanly [... more]

ldquo Uncle Arthur do you remember the day you took me to the barbershop and the supermarket I was wearing tan khakis a blue-plaid oxford shirt a navy-blue cardigan brown socks and brown Rockport shoes The date was Thursday October rdquo My nephew Jared rsquo s autism-related challenges are offset by his phenomenal memory that can recall details like days and dates and the clothes he was wearing years after an event took place Because of the way he rsquo s wired Jared possesses the kind of memory that reminds me of the all-knowing loving God mdash the Keeper of [... more]

During the course of a popular home renovation television program viewers often hear the host say ldquo Imagine this rdquo Then she unveils what could be when old things are restored and drab walls and floors are painted or stained In one episode after the renovation the homeowner was so overjoyed that along with other expressions of elation the words ldquo That's beautiful rdquo gushed from her lips three times One of the stunning ldquo Imagine this rdquo passages in the Bible is Isaiah ndash What a dazzling re-creation scene The future renovation of heaven and earth is in view [... more]

In a Peanuts comic strip the very enterprising character Lucy advertised ldquo psychiatric help rdquo for five cents Linus found his way to her office and acknowledged his ldquo deep feelings of depression rdquo When he asked her what he could do about his condition Lucy rsquo s quick reply was ldquo Snap out of it Five cents please rdquo While such light-hearted entertainment brings a momentary smile the sadness and gloom that can grip us when real life happens is not that easily dismissed Feelings of hopelessness and despair are real and sometimes professional attention is needed Lucy rsquo [... more]

The heroic deeds of US Army soldier Desmond Doss are featured in the movie Hacksaw Ridge While Doss rsquo convictions wouldn rsquo t allow him to take human life as an army medic he committed himself to preserving life even at the risk of his own The citation read at Doss rsquo Medal of Honor ceremony on October included these words ldquo Private First Class Doss refused to seek cover and remained in the fire-swept area with the many stricken carrying them one by one to the edge of the escarpment He unhesitatingly braved enemy shelling and small arms fire [... more]

ldquo God is crying rdquo Those were the words whispered by Bill Haley rsquo s ten-year-old daughter as she stood in the rain with a group of multiethnic believers in Jesus They had come to Virginia rsquo s Shenandoah Valley to seek God and make sense of the legacy of racial discord in America As they stood on the grounds where former slaves were buried they joined hands in prayer Then suddenly the wind began to blow and it started to rain As the leader called out for racial healing the rain began to fall even harder Those gathered believed [... more]

At local high school sporting events Ted was the largest and loudest cheerleader in the stands Before a degenerative condition took its toll on him he stood six feet six inches tall and weighed pounds Ted rsquo s crowd-stirring chants of ldquo Blue rdquo blue was the school color and candy-tossing at school events were legendary earning him the name ldquo Big Blue rdquo But Ted rsquo s reputation in his community wasn rsquo t just for cheerleading Neither was it for the alcohol addiction he experienced as a younger man No he will be remembered for his love for [... more]

In his book Breaking Down Walls Glen Kehrein writes about climbing to the roof of his college dorm in Chicago after the assassination of civil rights activist Dr Martin Luther King Jr in ldquo The sound of gunfire bounced eerily back and forth off the large buildings and soon my rooftop perch provided a near panoramic yet horrific view How in the world did I get from a Wisconsin cornfield to a war zone in the inner city of Chicago in less than two years rdquo Compelled by his love for Jesus and people whose backgrounds were different from his [... more]

Dennis rsquo life was transformed after someone gave him a New Testament Reading it captivated him and it became his constant companion Within six months two life-changing events occurred in his life He placed his faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of his sins and he was diagnosed with a brain tumor after experiencing severe headaches Because of the unbearable physical pain he became bedridden and unable to work One painful sleepless night he found himself crying out to God Sleep finally came at a m Bodily pain and affliction can cause us to cry out to God but [... more]

Mack having struggled with drug abuse and sexual sin was desperate Relationships that he valued were in disarray and his conscience was beating him up In his misery he found himself unannounced at a church asking to speak with a pastor There he found relief in sharing his complicated story and in hearing about God rsquo s mercy and forgiveness Psalm is believed to have been composed by David after his sexual sin He compounded his wrongdoing by devising a sinister strategy that resulted in the death of the woman rsquo s husband see Samuel ndash While these ugly incidents [... more]

After praying about what God was calling them to do in the next phase of their lives Mark and Nina determined that moving to the urban core of the city was what they needed to do They purchased a vacant house and renovation was well underway mdash then came the storm Mark wrote in a text message to me ldquo We had a surprise this morning The tornado that came through Jeff erson City took out our renovation mdash down to sticks and bricks God is up to something rdquo Uncontrollable storms are not the only things that surprise us [... more]

Within twenty-four hours of his mother Sharonda rsquo s tragic death Chris found himself uttering these powerful grace-filled words ldquo Love is stronger than hate rdquo His mother along with eight others had been killed at a Wednesday night Bible study in Charleston South Carolina What was it that had so shaped this teenager rsquo s life that these words could flow from his lips and his heart Chris is a believer in Jesus whose mother had ldquo loved everybody with all her heart rdquo nbsp In Luke ndash we get a front row seat to an execution scene that [... more]

Gripped by the gravity of the promises he was making to LaShonne Jonathan found himself stumbling as he repeated his wedding vows He thought How can I make these promises and not believe they rsquo re possible to keep He made it through the ceremony but the weight of his commitments remained After the reception Jonathan led his wife to the chapel where he prayed mdash for more than two hours mdash that God would help him keep his promise to love and care for LaShonne Jonathan rsquo s wedding-day fears were based on the recognition of his human frailties [... more]

Brittany exclaimed to her coworker at the restaurant ldquo There rsquo s that man There rsquo s that man rdquo She was referring to Melvin who first encountered her under different circumstances While he was tending to the lawn of his church the Spirit prompted him to start a conversation with the woman who appeared to be a prostitute Her reply when he invited her to church was ldquo Do you know what I do They wouldn rsquo t want me in there rdquo As Melvin told her about the love of Jesus and assured her of His power to [... more]

Three hundred children were dressed and seated for breakfast and a prayer of thanks was offered for the food But there was no food Situations like this were not unusual for orphanage director and missionary George Mueller ndash Here was yet another opportunity to see how the Lord would provide Within minutes of Mueller rsquo s prayer a baker who couldn rsquo t sleep the night before showed up at the door Sensing that the orphanage could use the bread he had made three batches Not long afterward the town milkman appeared His cart had broken down in front of [... more]

The early spring weather was refreshing and my traveling companion my wife couldn rsquo t have been better But the beauty of those moments together could have quickly morphed into tragedy if it weren rsquo t for a red and white warning sign that prompted me I was headed in the wrong direction Because I hadn rsquo t turned wide enough I momentarily saw a ldquo Do Not Enter rdquo sign staring me in the face I quickly adjusted but shudder to think of the harm I could have done to my wife myself and others if I rsquo d [... more]

After my conversation with Grady it occurred to me why his preferred greeting was a ldquo fist bump rdquo not a handshake A handshake would rsquo ve exposed the scars on his wrist mdash the result of his attempts to do himself harm It rsquo s not uncommon for us to hide our wounds mdash external or internal mdash caused by others or self-inflicted After interacting with Grady I thought about Jesus rsquo physical scars the wounds caused by nails pounded into His hands and feet and a spear thrust into His side Rather than hiding His scars Jesus called [... more]