Lesson From A Toothache
When I was a child I often had a toothache,” wrote C. S. Lewis in his classic book Mere Christianity. He continued, “and I knew that if I went to my mother she would give me something that would deaden the pain for that night and let me get to sleep. But I did not go to my mother—at least not till the pain became very bad. . . . I knew she would take me to the dentist the next morning. . . . I wanted immediate relief from pain, but I could not get it without having my teeth set permanently right.”
What Do We Want?
My friend Mary tells me that she doesn’t always sing all the words to the hymns and choruses in a church service. She says, “It doesn’t seem honest to sing, ‘All I want is Jesus’ when my heart wants many other things too.” I appreciate her honesty.
Discover ways to help those who are hurting
You may not recognize it immediately, but it’s entirely possible that the person standing right next to you is really struggling. It starts with being willing dispensers of God’s grace.
D-Day
Recently I asked my older sister, Mary Ann, if she remembered when our family moved into the house where we lived for many years. She replied, “You were about 9 months old, and I remember that Mother and Daddy stayed up all night packing boxes and listening to the radio. It was June 6, 1944, and they were listening to live coverage of the Normandy Invasion.”
I Said A Prayer For You
By B. Sim I said a prayer for you today And know God must have heard I felt the answer in my heart Although He spoke no word I didn’t ask for wealth or fame I knew you wouldn’t mind I asked Him to send treasures Of a far more lasting kind I asked that […]
Discover how to accept comfort from the Lord, and extend comfort to others
Where is God when painful circumstances lay us low? We can see God’s response to pain and suffering through the way Jesus interacted with the people around Him.
Reframing The Picture
For 3 months I had a ringside seat— or should I say a bird’s-eye view—of God’s amazing handiwork. Ninety feet above the floor of Norfolk Botanical Garden, workers installed a webcam focused on the nest of a family of bald eagles, and online viewers were allowed to watch.
Let’s be dispensers of God’s grace, to both the oppressed and the oppressors
If you’ve grown up in church you’ve likely heard the story of Zacchaeus, the unpopular tax collector of short stature who regularly took advantage of others. A challenging discussion about the universal need for us to be dispensers of God’s grace to both the oppressed and the oppressor like Zacchaeus.
Room And Board
On a recent trip to England, my wife and I visited Anne Hathaway’s Cottage in Stratford-upon-Avon. The house is more than 400 years old, and it was the childhood and family home of William Shakespeare’s wife.
Whistler's Painting
By Tin Hubilla Whistler’s Mother is a painting of a woman dressed in black with a painting in the room. The painter James McNeil Whistler said, “Don’t fit the picture in the room but fit the room for the picture.” But that’s not how we normally behave. Remember that moment when you go out shopping […]
How to love those we disagree with
It’s a little easier to extend grace to those who share our beliefs. But accepting those who think or act differently than us is far more difficult! How God’s grace can bridge that gap.
The View From The End
Over the course of one year, Richard LeMieux’s lucrative publishing business collapsed. Soon, his wealth disappeared, and he became depressed. Eventually, LeMieux began to abuse alcohol and his family deserted him. At the lowest point in his life, he was homeless, broken, and destitute. However, it was during this time that he turned to God. He later wrote a book about what he learned.
An eye-opening discussion about becoming dispensers of grace
In order to offer grace to others, we first need to receive that same grace ourselves! Let’s study the interactions Jesus had with people to show how He extended grace to those who seemed to deserve it the least.
The Careful Walk
One of my favorite places to visit in Jamaica is Ocho Rios, home of Dunn’s River Falls—a spectacle that never ceases to amaze. Water cascades down a long series of rocks as it makes its way to the Caribbean Sea. Adventurers can climb the falls, scrambling over rounded rocks on an invigorating trek to the top. The flowing water, the potentially slippery surface, and the steep angles make the going slow and a bit treacherous.
Jettisoned!
By Lay Hsuan, Lim On 21 April 2014, passengers on board flight MH192 bound for Bangalore, India sang praises of the pilot who executed a smooth emergency landing at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It was found that the plane had experienced landing gear mechanical problem and a burst tire earlier (See New Straits Times). […]
