The writer F.W. Boreham wrote about an old Scottish woman who was very poor and living alone. “But she carefully tithed what little she had and gave to the church. When unable to attend service, she expected a deacon to drop by and collect her...

A student wanted to prove the point that what we believe, really believe in our hearts and minds makes a difference in our behavior. He decided to use a pendulum to prove his case. First, he reminded them that, a “pendulum can never return to a...

The expression “yada, yada, yada” became popular after an episode of Seinfeld back in 1997. Apparently, George’s girlfriend used the expression to fill in predictable, dull, repetitious details of various encounters. Since then, you and I have been...

A few weeks ago, I wrote on the idea of being “useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” (II Tim. 2:21). That concept of being useful is still rattling around in my mind. The term means to be serviceable, easy to put to good use, even...

The apostle Paul had several younger pastors that he was mentoring. In II Timothy 2:21, Paul told his protégé that if he wanted to be useful for the Master, he needed to be prepared for every good work. Paul was emphasizing the need for...

“The holidays…” now there is a term that evokes a certain amount of stress and strain. As we were all decking the halls with “FA, LA, LA,” anxiety and fear were running rampant in our homes and offices. And we are starting the new year with...

On my last trip to Israel, our group was able to visit the West Bank area.  We were allowed to visit the cathedral outside Bethlehem that marks the supposed birthplace of Jesus. I am told that Church of the Nativity is the oldest complete...

In general, most of us are poor listeners.  Here’s a good story to prove my point. It seems that Franklin Roosevelt didn’t really enjoy long receiving lines. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was being said. So, one...

When I was in the second or third grade, I got an unusual haul from Santa Claus. Before I indicate the actual gifts, I probably ought to tell a quick story. As a kid, I loved to work with my dad’s tools. I frequently would “borrow” them and then...

I love Christmas stories that give us insight into real people. One of my spiritual heroes is Martin Luther and a cool anecdote surrounds his family’s Christmas tree. It seems that Luther was in route home after a worship service in his hometown of...

I believe that Jesus loved to laugh. I think that as He and His disciples sat around a campfire at night, they rehearsed some of the silly things of the day. When someone remembered the squabble James and John had that day, everyone would laugh,...

When I was 6 or so years of age, my father got transferred to Hawaii (yea, Navy!). My brother was two going on three and he was a mover and a shaker. He never sat still, always on the go. Our mode of transportation was a special cruise ship for...