The invitation for dinner from my church leader Harold and his wife warmed my heart but also made me nervous I rsquo d joined a college Bible study group that taught ideas that contradicted some of the teachings in the Bible Would they lecture me about that Over pizza they shared about their family and asked about mine They listened as I talked about homework my dog Buchi and the guy I had a crush on Only later did they gently caution me about the group I was attending and explain what was wrong with its teachings Their warning took [... more]

ldquo Your job for the international book expo rdquo my boss informed me ldquo is to organize an onsite radio broadcast rdquo I felt fear because this was new territory for me God I rsquo ve never done anything like this I prayed Please help me God provided resources and people to guide me experienced technicians and broadcasters plus reminders during the expo of details I rsquo d overlooked In retrospect I know that the broadcast went well because God knew what was needed and prompted me to use the skills He rsquo d already given me When God calls [... more]

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]

For days the sickly cat cried huddled in a box near my workplace Abandoned on the street the feline went unnoticed by many who passed it by mdash until Jun came along The street sweeper carried the animal home where he lived with two dogs which were former strays ldquo I care for them because they rsquo re the creatures no one notices rdquo Jun said ldquo I see myself in them No one notices a street sweeper after all rdquo As Jesus walked toward Jericho on His way to Jerusalem a blind man sat begging by the roadside He [... more]

As a child I viewed grown-ups as wise and incapable of failure ldquo They always know what to do rdquo I rsquo d think ldquo One day when I rsquo m grown-up I rsquo ll always know what to do too rdquo Well ldquo one day rdquo came many years ago and all it has taught me is that many times I still don rsquo t know what to do Whether it rsquo s illness in the family problems at work or conflict in a relationship such times have wrested all delusions of personal control and strength simply leaving me [... 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]

When I was studying in seminary years ago we had a weekly chapel service At one service while we students were singing ldquo Great is the Lord rdquo I spotted three of our well-loved professors singing with fervor Their faces radiated joy made possible only by their faith in God Years later as each went through terminal illness it was this faith that enabled them to endure and encourage others Today the memory of my teachers singing continues to encourage me to keep going in my trials To me they rsquo re a few of the many inspiring stories of [... 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]

For over thirty years Lourdes a voice teacher in Manila had taught students face to face When she was asked to conduct classes online she was anxious ldquo I rsquo m not good with computers rdquo she recounted ldquo My laptop is old and I rsquo m not familiar with video conferencing platforms rdquo While it may seem a small thing to some it was a real stressor for her ldquo I live alone so there is no one to help rdquo she said ldquo I rsquo m concerned that my students will quit and I need the income rdquo [... more]

I needed two medications urgently One was for my mom rsquo s allergies and the other for my niece rsquo s eczema Their discomfort was worsening but the medicines were no longer available in pharmacies Desperate and helpless I prayed repeatedly Lord please help them Weeks later their conditions became manageable God seemed to be saying ldquo There are times when I use medicines to heal But medicines don rsquo t have the final say I do Don rsquo t place your trust in them but in Me rdquo nbsp nbsp nbsp In Psalm King David took comfort in God [... more]

Dizziness struck me in the stairwell of the office building Overwhelmed I gripped the banister because the stairs seemed to spin As my heart pounded and my legs buckled I clung onto the banister thankful for its strength Medical tests showed I had anemia Although its cause wasn rsquo t serious and my condition was resolved I rsquo ll never forget how weak I felt that day That rsquo s why I admire the woman who touched Jesus She not only moved through the crowd in her weakened state but she also showed faith in venturing out to approach Him [... more]

When my cat Mickey had an eye infection I put eye drops in his eyes daily As soon as I placed him on the bathroom counter he rsquo d sit look at me with frightened eyes and brace himself for the spurt of liquid ldquo Good boy rdquo I rsquo d murmur Even though he didn rsquo t understand what I was doing he never jumped off hissed or scratched me Instead he would press himself closer against me mdash the person putting him through the ordeal He knew he could trust me When David wrote Psalm he had probably [... more]

I held up a picture of people sleeping under pieces of cardboard in a dim alley ldquo What do they need rdquo I asked my sixth grade Sunday school class ldquo Food rdquo someone said ldquo Money rdquo said another ldquo A safe place rdquo a boy said thoughtfully Then one girl spoke up ldquo Hope rdquo ldquo Hope is expecting good things to happen rdquo she explained I found it interesting that she talked about ldquo expecting rdquo good things when due to challenges it can be easy not to expect good things in life The Bible nevertheless speaks [... 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 owner of the bookstore where Keith worked had been away on vacation for only two days but Keith his assistant was already panicking Operations were smooth but Keith was anxious that he wouldn rsquo t do a good job overseeing the store Frenetically he micromanaged all he could ldquo Stop it rdquo his boss finally told him over a video call ldquo All you have to do is follow the instructions I email you daily Don rsquo t worry Keith The burden isn rsquo t on you it rsquo s on me rdquo In a time of conflict with [... more]

I sat in the stillness of a workday rsquo s end my laptop in front of me I should rsquo ve been exhilarated about the work I rsquo d finished that day but I wasn rsquo t I was tired My shoulders ached with the load of anxiety over a problem at work and my mind was spent from thinking about a troubled relationship I wanted to escape from it all mdash my thoughts wandered to watching TV that night But I closed my eyes ldquo Lord rdquo I whispered I was too tired to say more All my weariness [... more]

I rsquo m a worrier Early mornings are the worst because I rsquo m alone with my thoughts So I taped this quote from Hudson Taylor on my bathroom mirror where I can see it when I rsquo m feeling vulnerable ldquo There is a living God He has spoken in the Bible He means what He says and will do all He has promised rdquo Taylor rsquo s words came from years of walking with God and remind us of who He is and all He can do through our times of illness poverty loneliness and grief He didn [... more]

Sara lost her mother when she was just fourteen years old She and her siblings lost their house soon after and became homeless Years later Sara wanted to provide her future children with an inheritance that could be passed down from generation to generation She worked extremely hard to purchase a house giving her family the stable home she never had Investing in a home for future generations is an act of faith mdash taking steps toward a future you don rsquo t yet see God told the prophet Jeremiah to purchase land just before the violent siege of Jerusalem [... more]

One early evening while I was jogging near a construction site in our neighborhood a skinny dirty kitten meowed at me plaintively and followed me home Today Mickey is a healthy handsome adult cat enjoying a comfortable life in our household and deeply loved by my family Whenever I jog on the road where I found him I often think ldquo Thank You God Mickey was spared from living on the streets He has a home now rdquo Psalm speaks of ldquo dwelling in the shelter of the Most High rdquo v making our home with God The Hebrew word [... more]

My friend Ruel attended a high school reunion held in a former classmate rsquo s home The waterfront mansion near Manila Bay could accommodate attendees and it made Ruel feel small nbsp ldquo I rsquo ve had many happy years of pastoring remote rural churches rdquo Ruel told me ldquo and even though I know I shouldn rsquo t I couldn rsquo t help but feel envious of my classmate rsquo s material wealth My thoughts strayed to how different life might be if I rsquo d used my degree to become a businessman instead rdquo ldquo But I later [... more]

Olive watched her friend loading her dental equipment into his car A fellow dentist he rsquo d bought the brand-new supplies from her Having her own practice had been Olive rsquo s dream for years but when her son Kyle was born with cerebral palsy she realized she had to stop working to care for him ldquo If I had a million lifetimes I rsquo d make the same choice rdquo my friend told me ldquo But giving up dentistry was difficult It was the death of a dream rdquo We often go through difficulties we can rsquo t understand [... more]

The year was At only twenty-three years of age Nelson had just graduated from medical school in his native Virginia And yet here he was in China as the new superintendent of the Love and Mercy Hospital the only hospital in an area of at least two million Chinese residents Nelson together with his family lived in the area for twenty-four more years running the hospital performing surgeries and sharing the gospel with thousands of people From once being called ldquo foreign devil rdquo by those who distrusted foreigners Nelson Bell later became known as ldquo the Bell who is [... more]

As a child there was a time I dreaded going to school Some girls were bullying me by subjecting me to cruel pranks So during recess I rsquo d take refuge in the library where I rsquo d read a series of Christian storybooks I remember the first time I read the name ldquo Jesus rdquo Somehow I knew that this was the name of Someone who loved me In the months that followed whenever I rsquo d enter school fearful of the torment that lay ahead I rsquo d pray ldquo Jesus protect me rdquo I rsquo d feel [... more]

It was a Monday morning but my friend Chia-ming wasn rsquo t in the office He was at home cleaning the bathroom A month unemployed he thought and no job leads His firm had shut down because of the COVID- pandemic and worries about the future filled Chia-ming with fear I need to support my family he thought Where can I go for help In Psalm the pilgrims to Jerusalem asked a similar question about where to find help The journey to the Holy City on Mount Zion was long and potentially dangerous with travelers enduring an arduous climb The [... 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]

Loving God thank You for Your gentle nudging correction With my shoulders slumped over my desk I murmured those difficult words I rsquo ve been so arrogant thinking I could do it all on my own For months I rsquo d been enjoying successful work projects and the accolades lulled me into trusting my capabilities and rejecting God rsquo s leading It took a challenging project for me to realize I wasn rsquo t as smart as I thought My proud heart had deceived me into believing that I didn rsquo t need God rsquo s help The powerful kingdom [... more]

Lea was about to start a job as a nurse in Taiwan She rsquo d be able to provide better for her family more than she could in Manila where job opportunities were limited On the night before her departure she gave instructions to her sister who rsquo d be taking care of her five-year-old daughter ldquo She rsquo ll take her vitamins if you also give her a spoonful of peanut butter rdquo Lea explained ldquo And remember she rsquo s shy She rsquo ll play with her cousins eventually And she rsquo s afraid of the dark rdquo [... more]

For several months I coped with intense workplace politics and intrigues Worrying is second nature to me so I was surprised to find myself at peace Instead of feeling anxious I was able to respond with a calm mind and heart I knew that this peace could come only from God In contrast there was another period in my life when everything was going well mdash and yet I felt a deep unrest in my heart I knew it was because I was trusting in my own abilities instead of trusting God and His leading Looking back I rsquo ve [... more]

In my dad was diagnosed with a neurological disease that robbed him of his memory speech and control over body movements He became bedridden in and continues to be cared for by my mom at home The beginning of his illness was a dark time I was fearful I knew nothing about caring for a sick person and I was anxious about finances and my mom rsquo s health nbsp The words of Lamentations helped me get up many mornings when the light was as gray as the state of my heart ldquo Because of the Lord rsquo s great [... more]

Seated at the dining room table I gazed at the happy chaos around me Aunts uncles cousins nieces and nephews were enjoying the food and being together at our family reunion I was enjoying it all too But one thought pierced my heart You rsquo re the only woman here with no children With no family you can call her own Many single women like myself have similar experiences In my culture an Asian culture where marriage and children are highly valued not having a family of one rsquo s own can bring a sense of incompleteness It can feel [... more]