ldquo You rsquo re not what I expected I thought I rsquo d hate you but I don rsquo t rdquo The young man rsquo s words seemed harsh but they were actually an effort to be kind I was studying abroad in his country a land that decades earlier had been at war with my own We were participating in a group discussion in class together and I noticed he seemed distant When I asked if I had offended him somehow he responded ldquo Not at all And that rsquo s the thing My grandfather was killed in that [... more]

Hope Again When Life Hurts and Dreams Fade [... more]

Sometimes the words of children can jolt us into a deeper understanding of God rsquo s truth When my daughter was young I was telling her about one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith mdash that God through His Son and Spirit dwells in His children As I tucked her into bed I said that Jesus was with her and in her ldquo He rsquo s in my tummy rdquo she asked ldquo Well you haven rsquo t swallowed Him rdquo I replied ldquo But He rsquo s right there with you rdquo My daughter rsquo s literal [... more]

During an episode of the popular US television talent competition ldquo America rsquo s Got Talent rdquo a five-year-old girl sang with such exuberance that a judge compared her to a famous child singer and dancer in the s He remarked ldquo I think Shirley Temple is living somewhere inside of you rdquo Her unexpected response ldquo Not Shirley Temple Jesus rdquo I marveled at the young girl rsquo s deep awareness that her joy came from Jesus living in her Scripture assures us of the amazing reality that all who trust in Jesus not only receive the promise of [... more]