Martin Wiles is an author, pastor, English teacher, and editor who resides in Greenwood, South Carolina. He is the Associate Director/Editor for VineWords: Devotions and More and the Managing Editor for Christian Devotions. He is the Founder/Editor of the internationally recognized devotion site, Love Lines from God (www.lovelinesfromgod.com). He also serves as a freelance editor with several publishing companies. His most recent book is Don’t Just Live . . . Really Live (Ambassador International). He has also been published in numerous publications. He is the husband of one, the father of two, and the grandfather of six.
By the time high school arrived, I’d lost all interest in school. The wrong kind of friends, followed by the wrong type of actions, took over. My parents continued to goad me to do my best, just as they had in elementary and middle school. I didn’t listen. Regardless of their efforts to push me forward toward a college education, I continued to slide backward with a don’t-care attitude…
Continue reading →We call our little Chihuahua-terrier mix our cordless dust buster. Wherever we happen to sit to eat, she positions herself underneath our feet so she can retrieve any dropped crumbs. She particularly enjoyed standing beneath our daughter’s middle son when my wife kept him. Pig Pen, we call him—and for obvious reasons. The way he eats causes him to leave many crumbs behind. Sometimes, whole chunks of food. But, of course, our little mutt didn’t complain. …
Continue reading →When I was young, I had no trouble memorizing—anything, or a lot of things. Even in my twenties—while in college with a professor we called the “grocery list” professor because of the long list of items he made us memorize for tests—I sailed through the class with no problem, earning an A with ease. …
Continue reading →Finally, when his turn came, he twisted sideways, slid a Ziploc bag from his pocket, and dumped the contents on the hard counter. I heard the coins clang against the hard surface and heard them again as he scraped them two-by-two toward the cashier—all two hundred pennies and two dimes. …
Continue reading →Pues el Señor disciplina a los que ama y castiga a todo el que recibe como hijo. ~Hebreos 12:6 NTV Ella sabía lo que había hecho–y recibió su corrección con buen ánimo. Nuestra pequeña perrita que era una mezcla Chihuahua-terrier tenía una avidez por los dulces. Después de varias circunstancias en cual ella se comió los caramelos, los chupetes, y chocolates de diferentes clases, nosotros aprendimos a guardar el basurero, cerrar puertas, y remover cualquier dulce fuera de su alcance … Continue reading →
Of all days for Dad to search for Mom’s dress, he chose Saturday. The only day I had to do nothing…
Continue reading →While initially shocking, the question gave Meme and Pop an ideal scenario to discuss what words we should and should not use and why. The question also allowed us to discuss sin and how it affects our actions, attitudes, and words. And we didn’t have to bring the subject up. We merely used a normal conversation and turned it into a teachable moment. …
Continue reading →With his first badge under his belt, I looked for other things I could help him do. I came across planting a tree. I had watched a potted mimosa and crepe myrtle tree that lounged on our back patio for several months. They needed planting. …
Continue reading →I looked at the text: “Can you call me when you get a second.” It came from my father’s only sister. We hadn’t corresponded much over the years and had done so even less since my father had died. When I called, she told me she had a few items that belonged to my grandmother. She thought I might want them. Of course, I did. I love old things, especially if they belonged to a family member. …
Continue reading →Mom’s a sucker for a piano. She’s been playing since she was a small child. She dreamed of becoming a concert pianist—which she probably could have accomplished—but she married my dad and became a preacher’s wife instead. But she never lost her love for tickling the ivories—and showing off a little at the same time. …
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