ldquo I knew that the only way to succeed was to forget about home and my wife son and daughter rdquo said Jordon ldquo I rsquo ve found I can rsquo t do that They rsquo re woven into the fabric of my heart and soul rdquo Alone in a remote area Jordon was participating in a reality show where contestants are asked to survive outdoors with minimal supplies for as long as possible What forced him to forfeit was not the grizzly bears freezing temperatures injury or hunger but an overwhelming loneliness and desire to be with his family [... more]

Jim and Laneeda were college sweethearts They got married and life was happy for many years Then Laneeda began to act strangely getting lost and forgetting appointments She was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer rsquo s at forty-seven After a decade of serving as her primary caregiver Jim was able to say ldquo Alzheimer rsquo s has given me the opportunity to love and serve my wife in ways that were unimaginable when she said lsquo I do rsquo rdquo While explaining the gifts of the Holy Spirit the apostle Paul wrote extensively on the virtue of love Corinthians He contrasted [... more]

While drilling for oil in one of the sunniest and driest countries in the world teams were shocked to uncover a huge underground system of water So in the ldquo great man-made river rdquo project was begun placing a system of pipes to carry the high-quality fresh water to cities where it was sorely needed A plaque near the project rsquo s inception states ldquo From here flows the artery of life rdquo The prophet Isaiah used the image of water in a desert to describe a future righteous king Isaiah As kings and rulers reigned with justice and righteousness [... more]

On New Year rsquo s Eve officials in Detroit carefully opened a hundred-year-old time capsule Nestled inside the copper box were hopeful predictions from some city leaders who expressed visions of prosperity and technology The mayor rsquo s message however offered a different approach He wrote ldquo May we be permitted to express one hope superior to all others that you may realize as a nation people and city you have grown in righteousness for it is this that exalts a nation rdquo More than success happiness or peace the mayor wished that future citizens would grow in what it [... more]

In the midst of some military camps across Europe during World War II an unusual type of supply was air-dropped for homesick soldiers mdash upright pianos These instruments were specially manufactured to contain only ten percent of the normal amount of metal and they received special water-resistant glue and anti-insect treatments The pianos were rugged and simple without frills but provided hours of spirit-lifting entertainment for soldiers who gathered around to sing familiar songs of home Singing mdash especially songs of praise mdash is one way that believers in Jesus can find peace in the battle too King Jehoshaphat found [... more]

I was so excited to plant our backyard fruit and veggie garden Then I started to notice small holes in the dirt Before it had time to ripen our first fruit mysteriously disappeared One day I was dismayed to find our largest strawberry plant had been completely uprooted by a nesting rabbit and scorched to a crisp by the sun I wished I rsquo d paid closer attention to the warning signs The beautiful love poem in Song of Songs records a conversation between a young man and woman While calling to his darling the man sternly warned against animals [... more]

The longest international border in the world is shared by the United States and Canada covering an incredible miles of land and water Workers regularly cut down ten feet of trees on both sides of the boundary to make the border line unmistakable This lengthy ribbon of cleared land called ldquo the Slash rdquo is dotted by more than eight thousand stone markers so visitors always know where the dividing line falls The physical deforestation of ldquo the Slash rdquo represents a separation of government and cultures As believers in Jesus we look forward to a time when God will [... more]

ldquo Don rsquo t be afraid of death Winnie rdquo said Angus Tuck ldquo be afraid of the unlived life rdquo That quote from the book-turned-film Tuck Everlasting is made more interesting by the fact that it comes from a character who can rsquo t die In the story the Tuck family has become immortal Young James Tuck who falls in love with Winnie begs her to seek immortality too so they can be together forever But wise Angus understands that simply enduring forever doesn rsquo t bring fulfillment Our culture tells us that if we could be healthy young [... more]

Researchers in Fujian China wanted to help intensive care unit ICU patients sleep more soundly They measured the effects of sleep aids on test subjects in a simulated ICU environment complete with bright hospital-grade lighting and audio recordings of machines beeping and nurses talking Their research showed that tools like sleep masks and ear plugs improved their subjects rsquo rest But they acknowledged that for truly sick patients in a real ICU peaceful sleep would still be hard to come by When our world is troubled how can we find rest Scripture rsquo s clear there rsquo s peace for [... more]

When my friend gave me a gift recently I was surprised I didn rsquo t think I deserved such a nice present form her She rsquo d sent it after hearing about some work stress I was experiencing Yet she was going through just as much stress if not more than I was with an aging parent challenging children upheaval at work and strain on her marriage I couldn rsquo t believe she had thought of me before herself and her simple gift brought me to tears In truth we rsquo re all recipients of a gift which we could [... more]

The horrific assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr happened at the height of the American Civil Rights Movement of the s But just four days later his widow Coretta Scott King courageously took her husband rsquo s place in leading a peaceful protest march Coretta had a deep passion for justice and was a fierce champion of many causes eventually becoming an internationally recognized civil rights advocate Jesus said ldquo Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled rdquo Matthew We know that someday God will come to deliver justice and right every [... more]

When the women in our newly formed Bible study faced a series of tragedies we suddenly found ourselves sharing deeply personal experiences Facing the loss of a father the pain of a wedding anniversary after divorce the birth of a child who was completely deaf the experience of racing to bring a child to the emergency room mdash it was too much for anyone to carry alone Each person rsquo s vulnerability led to more transparency We cried and prayed together and what started as a group of strangers became a group of close friends in a matter of weeks [... more]

A five-minute montage of snow-related mishaps was the central piece to one episode of a TV show Home videos of people skiing off rooftops crashing into objects while tubing and slipping on ice brought laughter and applause from the studio audience and people watching at home The laughter seemed to be loudest when it appeared that the people who wiped out deserved it because of their own foolish behavior Funny home videos aren rsquo t a bad thing but they can reveal something about ourselves we can be prone to laugh or take advantage of the hardships of others One [... more]

Picture a mighty oak tree that rsquo s small enough to fit on a kitchen table That rsquo s what a bonsai looks like mdash a beautiful ornamental tree that rsquo s a miniature version of what you find wild in nature There rsquo s no genetic difference between a bonsai and its full-size counterpart It rsquo s simply that a shallow pot pruning and root trimming restrict growth so the plant remains small While bonsai trees make for wonderful decorative plants they also illustrate the power of control It rsquo s true that we can manipulate their growth as [... more]

A treat we grew to love when we lived in England was Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bars When we returned to the States I was dismayed to discover the U S distributor of Cadbury chocolate uses a different recipe and does not allow for any importer to supply the original UK version You can buy Cadbury chocolate in the US but it rsquo s not the authentic version nbsp Authenticity It rsquo s something I can taste in my chocolate but earnestly long to be true of me as well as a believer in Jesus nbsp Authentic faith is a [... more]

In memorializing his grandfather rsquo s work Peter Croft wrote ldquo It is my deepest desire for the person who picks up their Bible whatever version they use to not only understand but experience the scriptures as living documents just as relevant dangerous and exciting now as they were those thousands of years ago rdquo Peter rsquo s grandfather was J B Philips a youth minister who undertook a new paraphrase of the Bible in English during World War II in order to make it come alive to students at his church Like Phillips rsquo students we face barriers to [... more]

Lean food rations waterproof boots and a map are some of the essentials carried by hikers on the John Muir Trail The John Muir Trail is a -mile path in the western United States that winds across creeks around lakes and woods and up and over mountains encompassing feet of elevation gain Because traversing this trail takes about three weeks carrying the right amount of supplies is critical Too much and you will run out of strength to carry it all too little and you won rsquo t have what you need for the journey nbsp Finishing well on our [... more]

In Hurricane Dorian was overwhelming the islands of the Bahamas with intense rain wind and flooding mdash the worst natural disaster in the country rsquo s history Sheltering at home with his adult son who has cerebral palsy Brent knew they needed to leave Even though Brent is blind he had to save his son Tenderly he placed him over his shoulders and stepped into chin-deep water to carry him to safety If an earthly father facing a great obstacle himself is eager to help his son think of how much more our heavenly Father is concerned about His children [... more]