The buzz in the room faded to a comfortable silence as the book club leader summarized the novel the group would discuss My friend Joan listened closely but didn rsquo t recognize the plot Finally she realized she had read a nonfiction book with a similar title to the work of fiction the others had read Although she enjoyed reading the ldquo wrong rdquo book she couldn rsquo t join her friends as they discussed the ldquo right rdquo book The apostle Paul did not want the Corinthian Christians to believe in a ldquo wrong rdquo Jesus He pointed out [... more]

Everyone in high school admired Jack rsquo s easygoing attitude and athletic skill He was happiest in midair above a half-pipe ramp mdash one hand holding his skateboard the other stretched out for balance Jack decided to follow Jesus when he started attending a local church Up to that point he rsquo d endured significant family struggles and had used drugs to medicate his pain For a while after his conversion things seemed to be going well for him But years later he started using drugs again Without the proper intervention and ongoing treatment he eventually died of an overdose [... more]

I was exploring a library on the bottom floor of a new community center when an overhead crash suddenly shook the room A few minutes later it happened again and then again An agitated librarian finally explained that a weight-lifting area was positioned directly above the library and the noise occurred every time someone dropped a weight Architects and designers had carefully planned many aspects of this state-of-the-art facility yet someone had forgotten to locate the library away from all the action In life as well our plans are often flawed We overlook important considerations Our plans don rsquo t [... more]

Farming is difficult in areas that lack freshwater To help solve this problem The Seawater Greenhouse Company has created something new mdash ldquo cooling houses rdquo in Somaliland Africa and other countries with similar climates Cooling houses use solar pumps to drizzle saltwater over walls made of corrugated cardboard As the water moves down each panel it leaves its salt behind Much of the remaining fresh water evaporates inside the structure which becomes a humid place where fruit and vegetable crops can flourish Through the prophet Isaiah God promised to do a ldquo new thing rdquo as He provided ldquo [... more]

The country of El Salvador has honored Jesus by placing a sculpture of Him in the center of its capital city Although the monument resides in the middle of a busy traffic circle its height makes it easy to see and its name mdash The Divine Savior of the World mdash communicates reverence for His supernatural status The monument rsquo s name affirms what the Bible says about Jesus John He is the one who offers salvation to everyone Jesus crosses cultural boundaries and accepts any sincere person who wants to know Him regardless of age education race past sin [... more]

A wildfire in Andilla Spain scorched nearly acres of woodland When scientists entered the area they expected total devastation and they did indeed see miles of blackened oaks pines and junipers However in the middle of the wreckage a group of nearly bright green cypress trees remained standing The trees rsquo unusual ability to retain water had allowed them to safely endure the fire In the days of King Nebuchanezzar rsquo s reign in Babylon a small cluster of friends survived the flames of the king rsquo s wrath Shadrach Meshach and Abednego refused to worship a statue Nebuchadnezzar had [... more]