Born with a Purpose
We are all born with a purpose, so don’t sell God short. His plan is beyond our wildest dreams and will lead to peace. …
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Awaken the Dawn
We can awaken the dawn in many ways, but incorporating some form of worship will change our perspective on the day. …
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Got It but Didn’t Want It
By the second day, he had figured out work was involved in this school thing. I dropped him off in his room and listened to him scream as I walked away. Although he soon quieted down, he was no more ready to go to school the following day than he had been the second day. He got what he wanted, but didn’t want it when he got it. …
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Taking the Chastisement
She knew what she’d done—and took her punishment willingly…
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Freedom to Fail or Succeed
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…
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Sniffing Temptation
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. …
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When God Forgets
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. …
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Martin Wiles: Down to Pennies
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. …
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Martin Wiles: Love Shows Mercy
Of all days for Dad to search for Mom’s dress, he chose Saturday. The only day I had to do nothing…
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Martin Wiles: Tend the World
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. …
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Martin Wiles: The Inside’s More Important
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. …
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