Month: August 2015

Turn It Off

When our kids were young, we took a trip to northern Wisconsin to visit my grandparents. They didn’t get very good reception on their television, but TV wasn’t much of a priority with them. After I had seen our son Scott fiddling with the TV set for a while, he asked with frustration, “What do you do if you can get only one channel and you don’t like what’s on that one?”

“Try turning it off, ” I said with a smile. Not exactly the advice he was hoping for. It’s even more difficult to do now, especially when there are…

It’s What We Do

My father was critically injured when he took a bullet in the leg as a second lieutenant leading his men on Hill 609 in North Africa during World War II. Dad was never again 100 percent physically. I was born several years after this, and when I was young I didn’t even know he had been wounded. I found out later when someone told me. Although he felt constant pain in his leg, my dad never complained about it, and he never used it as an excuse for not providing for our family.

My parents loved the Savior and raised us…

Take a world-famous runner and U.S. Congressman teamed with a passionate firecracker whose mission is to tell the world about Jesus, and you get a dynamic duo—Jim and Anne Ryun.

In 1964, Jim broke the 4-minute mile in high school male track and four years later won a silver medal in the 1500-meter run in the Olympics. Anne has been by his side for nearly 50 years as his biggest cheerleader and as an even bigger cheerleader for God. Early in their marriage, they began a relationship with Christ and started reading Our Daily Bread. Not only does this devotional serve…

A powerful exchange between Jesus and a religious lawyer

The parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the greatest short stories Jesus ever told. Today we take a look at the stirring conclusion to a powerful exchange.

Unshackled From My Sin For Good

Sin. This three-letter word dominated my life. Although I called myself a Christian, I committed the same sins over and over again: watching pornographic movies, smoking, and drinking strong liquor.

Continuing with Christ

As a child, my favorite week of the summer was the one I spent at a Christian youth camp. At the end of the week, I’d sit elbow-to-elbow with friends in front of an enormous bonfire. There, we would share what we had learned about God and the Bible and sing. One song I still remember focused on deciding to follow Jesus. The chorus contained an important phrase: “no turning back.”

When Elisha decided to follow the prophet Elijah, Elisha did something incredible that made it difficult, impossible really, for him to return to his prior occupation of farming. After going…

SG - Music & Majesty Backup

MM - Geo Page Banner

The Music & Majesty Christmas CD is designed to help you celebrate the meaning and glory of Christmas. 10 beloved songs of the season are featured with rich, uplifting instrumental arrangements from the Our Daily Bread: The Best of Christmas CD. This Christmas CD is perfect for family get-togethers, church pre-services, and of course, for your personal times of prayer and reflection…

A narrow-minded heart exposed

Teachers cringe at this question from their students: “Is this going to be on the test?” This question reveals to teachers that the students have focused their interest on getting a good grade, rather than learning. Join us on “Discover the Word” as we discuss why Jesus told the classic story of the Good Samaritan.

Why Live with Purpose?

It is not uncommon to hear people asking these questions: What is my purpose in life? What can I do to improve my life? These are important questions. Before I found my true purpose, I felt that something was missing in my life.

Who Is My Neighbor?

Mary enjoyed her midweek church group meeting when she and several friends gathered to pray, worship, and discuss questions from the previous week’s sermon. This week they were going to talk about the difference between “going” to church and “being” the church in a hurting world. She was looking forward to seeing her friends and having a lively discussion.

As she picked up her car keys, the doorbell rang. “I’m so sorry to bother you,” said her neighbor Sue, “but are you free this morning?” Mary was about to say that she was going out when Sue continued, “I have to…

One of the most familiar stories Jesus ever told

Questions and answers. Sometimes we ask questions we already know the answer to. Sometimes we ask questions to reveal what the other person does not know! Today on “Discover the Word,” we explore how Jesus used questions and answers to reveal a man’s heart. Don’t miss this insightful conversation.

Me and My Alter Ego

Have you ever watched Disney shows as a kid? Well, I have. One of the shows I remember watching was Lizzie McGuire, an American teen sitcom about the alter ego of the title character.

Reflecting God’s Glory

The 12th-century Chinese artist Li Tang painted landscapes animated with people, birds, and water buffalo. Because of his genius with fine line sketches on silk, Li Tang is considered a master of Chinese landscape art. For centuries, artists from around the world have depicted what they see in God’s art gallery of creation: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Ps. 19:1). The Bible tells us that our creativity as human beings comes from being made in the image of the Master Creator (Gen. 1:27).

God chose artists who worked with wood, gold, silver, bronze,…