“Thanks for dinner, Dad,” I said as I set my napkin on the restaurant table. I was home on a break from college and, after being gone for a while, it felt strange to have my parents pay for me. “You’re welcome, Julie,” my dad replied, “but you don’t have to thank me for everything all the time. I know you’ve been off on your own, but you’re still my daughter and a part of the family.” I smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”
In my family, I haven’t done anything to earn my parents’ love or what they do for me. But my…
Written By Dr. Mano Emmanuel, Sri Lanka
A truck drove down our lane where we have been confined to our homes now for almost a week. It contained bags of vegetables for sale. Another truck followed with bags of dry rations such as rice, lentils and sugar. A neighbor called to tell me what was happening. I went out in haste to…
Scripture reference: Mark 4:35–5:1
'You may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that…
Scripture Reference: Psalm 27
'Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You' ~ Psalm 56:3
Few of us are traveling to heaven in…
'Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You'. ~ Psalm 56:3
No believer is immune to panic or terror. Christians caught in natural…
Scripture reference: Habakkuk 3:16-19
'Though the fig tree does not bud . . . yet I will rejoice in the Lord.' ~ Habakkuk 3:17-18…
Scripture reference :2 Kings 6:8–17
'Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.”'~ 2 Kings 6:17
Stephen Cass, an editor…
Scripture reference : Psalm 91:1-16
'He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow…
We hear sermons all the time in church and online, and it's an important part of our walk with Christ. Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:2, "Preach the word, be ready in season and out of season..."
From time to time, we will feature sermons here for your reading, that you may grow in Christlikeness as you seek to understand…
Many people are now confined to spending time…
When our oldest child became a teenager, my wife and I gave her a journal that we’d been writing in since her birth. We’d recorded her likes and dislikes, quirks and memorable one-liners. At some point the entries became more like letters, describing what we see in her and how we see God at work in her. When we gave it to her on her thirteenth birthday, she was mesmerized. She’d been given the gift of knowing a crucial part of the origins of her identity.
In blessing something as common as bread, Jesus was revealing its identity. What it—along with…
A thrift-store bargain, the lamp seemed perfect for my home office—the right color, size, and price. Back at home, however, when I plugged in the cord, nothing happened. No light. No power. No juice.
No problem, my husband assured me. “I can fix that. Easy.” As he took the lamp apart, he saw the trouble immediately. The plug wasn’t connected to anything. Without wiring to a source of power, the “perfect” pretty lamp was useless.
The same is true for us. Jesus told His disciples. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you,…
One year, when I was in college, I cut, stacked, sold, and delivered firewood. It was one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever done. So I have a good deal of empathy for the hapless logger in the 2 Kings 6 story.
Elisha’s school for prophets had prospered, and their meeting place had become too small. Someone suggested they go into the woods, cut logs, and enlarge their facilities. Elisha agreed and accompanied the workers. Things were going remarkably well until someone’s axhead fell into the water.
Some have suggested that Elisha simply probed in the water with his stick until he…
