Taking hold of the secret makes life easier. How far would five small barley loaves and two small fish go among so many people?” Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. – John 6:9,11 NIV This testimony of God’s miraculous power is told in every Sunday School class. I love the disparity between the needs–a hungry crowd of 5,000–and what little … Continue reading →
I am not a spider lover. I don’t hate them. They do have a purpose on earth, but they invade homes, drop off ceilings, and make scary movies scarier. Walking into their webs makes me do ninja moves I didn’t know I could. Then something happened. I felt compassion for one spider. …
Continue reading →Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ~John 15:13 ESV Bill stood at attention with his right hand raised as he repeated the enlistment oath. He didn’t know he would soon experience a sacrificial love story. Bill had volunteered to give his life to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies. After basic training, he would be shipped off to war. In August 1981, I took the … Continue reading →
Nan se sentó en su sillón reclinable admirando su regalo de Navidad. Sus nietos le habían regalado una tableta. Ella estaba intrigada de que podía leer sin voltear la página. “Nanna,” llamo Matt. Nan apenas oyó a su nieto mientras que ella jugueteaba con el teclado. “Nan, me voy a casa,” dijo Matt, “así que dame un abrazo”. Nan estiró un brazo hacia su nieto, balanceando la tableta sobre sus rodillas. “¡No, no! Quiero un abrazo de verdad. Vamos, levántate,” … Continue reading →
Nosotros amamos a Dios porque él nos amó primero. ~1 Juan 4:19 NVI Yo crecí con una familia, pero no crecí dentro de una familia. La palabra “familia” no tenía mucho significado para mí. Sí, había un hombre, una mujer, y niños en la casa, y tal vez yo les llamaba Mama y Papa, pero nuestra familia no era lo que se suponía debía ser. En una familia debe existir amor. Yo noté desde mi niñez cómo otras familias vivían, … Continue reading →
What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord. “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. ~Isaiah 1:11 NLT I’ve discovered I can’t entertain God. I suppose the first entertaining I did—other than as a child wanting attention—came at the first church I pastored. Someone concocted the idea we should have a womanless beauty contest, so a few deacons and I dressed as women, paraded before church members, and let … Continue reading →
A veces el corazón interno se pone zapatos para bailar. Y a veces el que cree es una niña pequeña, de cuatro años y medio, que sabe sin duda que Juan 3:16 es real.
Continue reading →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 →A fox would have been destructive enough, but a wolf? I knew I would be watchful that evening. I flooded the yard with lights, just to be sure the wolf knew there was no welcome mat at our homestead….
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