Poem: By Your Side
By your side
There is peace,
A quiet place
Of beauty and realization,
Where wisdom
Seeks reason and understanding,
Where myth is laid to rest
By the reality of knowledge.
Lessons for Little Ones
When my daughter described a problem she was having in the school lunchroom, I immediately wondered how I could fix the issue for her. But then another thought occurred. Maybe God had allowed the problem so she could see Him at work and get to know Him better. Instead of running to the rescue, I decided to pray with her. The trouble cleared up without any help from me!
This situation showed my little one that God cares for her, that He listens when she prays, and that He answers prayers. The Bible says there’s something significant about learning these lessons…
When Our Church Leaders Fail
Lately, news of church leaders’ failures have become common. We hear of pastors committing fraud, embezzling church money, or getting involved in scandals involving pornography or extramarital affairs.
5 Signs that We are Preoccupied with Ourselves
Let’s just be honest here: We’ve all got some narcissistic tendencies. No one’s exempt. That being said, I don’t mean to offend anyone with the points below; hopefully, they serve as useful indicators to help us identify these tendencies and nip them in the bud.
A Prisoner No More
A middle-aged man approached me after I led a workshop at his place of employment and asked this question: “I’ve been a Christian nearly my whole life, but I’m constantly disappointed in myself. Why is it that I always seem to keep doing the things I wish I didn’t do and never seem to do the things I know I should? Isn’t God getting tired of me?” Two men standing next to me also seemed eager to hear the response.
That’s a common struggle that even the apostle Paul experienced. “I do not understand what I do,” he said, “For what…
3 Ways To Stop Self Pity
I threw a pity party recently. It all began a few days before Christmas, when my dad suffered a stroke and had to be hospitalized.
Welcome Home!
When we were going through a particularly challenging time with our son, a friend pulled me aside after a church meeting. “I want you to know that I pray for you and your son every day,” he said. Then he added: “I feel so guilty.”
“Why?” I asked. “Because I’ve never had to deal with prodigal children,” he said. “My kids pretty much played by the rules. But it wasn’t because of anything I did or didn’t do. Kids,” he shrugged, “make their own choices.”
I wanted to hug him. His compassion was a reminder, a gift from God, communicating to me…
A 7 Year Wait for God’s Answer
My parents separated when I turned seven. It did not occur to me, however, that a broken family was not the norm; in any case, I never hated my life. My maternal grandmother, who brought me up, was a fervent Christian who taught me to pray before I went to bed.
