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Confessions of a Christian Life Hacker
I watch, impressed, as a friend tears open a bag of crisps, tucks in the bottom corners of the packet and keeps rolling the sides under until he’s created an instant snack bowl from nothing but the original packaging—ingenious!
The favored son
Most parents try not to play favorites with their children. But that wasn’t true for some famous families in the Bible. Today on “Discover the Word,” we will discuss, along with our guest Carolyn Custis James, how Jacob’s obvious preference for his younger son, Joseph, created a deep father-wound in his son, Judah. It’s an overlooked “side note” in the Bible that’s critical for us to learn from. A revealing conversation today on “Discover the Word”!
How To Get Over a Breakup
My boyfriend broke up with me in the last week of the last term of journalism school and it was ugly. I received his text message on a Sunday evening, and I spent a better part of the night crying over the phone to my best friend.
God’s purpose for his sons and daughters
We often hear that “It’s a man’s world.” And it’s easy to see why both men and women feel that way. But really, it’s God’s world isn’t it? And so today on “Discover the Word,” the group and guest Carolyn Custis James explore how the creation story helps us understand God’s purpose for His sons and daughters. Discover why “it’s a man’s world” is a distorted way of looking at God’s world, today on “Discover the Word”!
His Plans or Ours?
When my husband was 18 years old, he started a car-cleaning business. He rented a garage, hired helpers, and created advertising brochures. The business prospered. His intention was to sell it and use the proceeds to pay for college, so he was thrilled when a buyer expressed interest. After some negotiations, it seemed that the transaction would happen. But at the last minute, the deal collapsed. It wouldn’t be until several months later that his plan to sell the business would succeed.
It’s normal to be disappointed when God’s timing and design for our lives do not match our expectations. When…
3 Life Hacks from Moses’ Life
Have you ever been asked to do something you didn’t want to do? Was it because you were afraid and felt it was beyond your capabilities, or because there were too many restrictions?
Wisdom and Grace
On April 4, 1968, American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was assassinated, leaving millions angry and disillusioned. In Indianapolis, a largely African-American crowd had gathered to hear Robert F. Kennedy speak. Many had not yet heard of Dr. King’s death, so Kennedy had to share the tragic news. He appealed for calm by acknowledging not only their pain but his own abiding grief over the murder of his brother, President John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy then quoted a variation of an ancient poem by Aeschylus (526–456 bc):
Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon…
The Prodigal Son’s Father
The story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-31) is a familiar one. Its three main characters could be the stars of a TV series: The rich patriarch, his elder son, and his youngest—the wild child. We know how it goes: The wild child takes off with his plentiful inheritance to enjoy life.
The Gallery of God
Psalm 100 is like a work of art that helps us celebrate our unseen God. While the focus of our worship is beyond view, His people make Him known.
Imagine the artist with brush and palette working the colorful words of this psalm onto a canvas. What emerges before our eyes is a world—“all the earth”—shouting for joy to the Lord (v. 1). Joy. Because it is the delight of our God to redeem us from death. “For the joy that was set before Him,” Jesus endured the cross (Heb. 12:2 nkjv).
As our eyes move across the canvas we see an…
Surprised by Grace
A woman from Grand Rapids, Michigan, fell asleep on the couch after her husband had gone to bed. An intruder sneaked in through the sliding door, which the couple had forgotten to lock, and crept through the house. He entered the bedroom where the husband was sleeping and picked up the television set. The sleeping man woke up, saw a figure standing there, and whispered, “Honey, come to bed.” The burglar panicked, put down the TV, grabbed a stack of money from the dresser, and ran out.
The thief was in for a big surprise! The money turned out to be…
God of My Strength
No one could have mistaken the ancient Babylonian soldiers for gentlemen. They were ruthless, resilient, and vicious, and they attacked other nations the way an eagle overtakes its prey. Not only were they powerful, they were prideful as well. They practically worshiped their own combat abilities. In fact, the Bible says that their “strength [was] their god” (Hab. 1:11).
God did not want this kind of self-reliance to infect Israel’s forces as they prepared to battle the Midianites. So He told Gideon, Israel’s army commander, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast…
Open My Eyes
Days have a way of blending into each other. The repetition of life dulls our senses until our world can become gray. But like refreshing rain, God gives us splashes of joy to color our world and to help us see with new eyes.
Never Forsaken
Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky said, “The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.” With that in mind, I read an online article describing “The Top 8 Deadliest Prisons in the World.” In one of these prisons every prisoner is held in solitary confinement.
We are intended to live and relate in relationships and community, not in isolation. This is what makes solitary confinement such a harsh punishment.
Isolation is the agony Christ suffered when His eternal relationship with the Father was broken on the cross. We hear this in His cry captured in Matthew 27:46: “About three…
What is the Mark of A Great Man?
Exactly a year ago, my country lost a remarkable man. Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding prime minister, passed away at the age of 91 on 23 March, 2015, after battling severe pneumonia.
Full Sun
I know better, but I still keep trying. The instructions on the label are clear: “Needs full sun.” Our yard has mostly shade. It is not suitable for plants that need full sun. But I like the plant. I like its color, the shape of the leaves, the size, the scent. So I buy it, bring it home, plant it, and take really good care of it. But the plant is not happy at my house. My care and attention are not enough. It needs sunlight, which I cannot provide. I thought I could make up for lack of light…
