The towering enemy strides into the Valley of Elah. He stands more than 9 feet tall, with shining armor made of several hundred small bronze plates that glimmer in the sunlight. His spear is several inches thick, with a 15-pound spearhead (1 Samuel 17:7). It’s wrapped with cords so it can be... read more »

One evening, while waiting for a friend at a church, I chatted with a security guard. He said, “This church just installed a new state-of-the-art sound system, and they spent a hefty sum on it.” Then he added, “But it’s a pity, the church doesn’t have many... read more »

Michael felt as if his prayers were simply bouncing off the ceiling. He couldn’t understand God’s silence. Day after day he pleaded with Him to deal with the injustice in his workplace. But evil persisted, and God seemed absent. Can you identify with Michael? Habakkuk could. He lived... read more »

Jason took a trip to New York during spring break. One afternoon, he piled into a cab with some friends and headed for the Empire State Building. The ride seemed totally chaotic and dangerous to Jason. After arriving at their destination, the group headed up to the observation deck. Once there,... read more »

My best friend’s mother just passed away. In an attempt to cheer my friend up, I brought her to a scenic spot in Singapore where we could watch the sunset. But upon arriving at my chosen location, I saw that the sky was overcast. The weather, it seemed, was as gloomy as our feelings. I... read more »

In Eugene Peterson’s Eat This Book, he tells the story of his 7-year-old grandson Hans who appeared to be devoutly reading his New Testament as he sat on a park bench. The boy’s eyes moved back and forth across the pages of the Bible, denying the fact that he had not yet learned how to... read more »

David was caught in a living nightmare. Once again, Saul was hot on his heels. The king had taken 3,000 of Israel’s elite troops and was hunting David down in the wilderness of Ziph. The events in 1 Samuel 26 have a sense of déjà vu about them—they’re remarkably similar... read more »

A heartbreaking story on the cover of the newspaper had everyone talking. A groom was found dead hours after his wedding dinner. One of his friends said: “He was a very cheerful person and had just gotten married. Nobody could believe he was dead just hours after celebrating his... read more »

The story is told about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to do and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry because it was Everybody’s job.... read more »

As a single woman, for years my view of marriage was based more on what it takes from a life than what it can add to it. But over time, I’ve been able to better understand marriage by studying God’s Word. In 1 Corinthians 7:8-9, Paul’s general advice is that it’s better to... read more »