Our kids often come home excited to tell us the interesting things they’ve learned in school. So when our 9-year-old asked me if I knew how to balance a book at least an inch high off the counter on just a sheet of paper, I knew there had to be a logical explanation though I couldn’t envision... read more »

Not even Captain Jack Sparrow could have prepared the Somalian pirates for what they encountered when they attempted to storm a luxury cruise liner filled with retired tourists. As the buccaneers pulled alongside the ship and began pelting it with machine-gun fire, the octogenarian warriors used... read more »

In his book The Evidence for God, philosopher Paul Moser offers a fascinating case for the existence of God. His basic argument goes like this: If there is a God, this God would need to be worthy of worship. (We can worship lesser gods like Thor, or money, but that doesn’t make them worthy of... read more »

The past several years have been a significant training ground in surrender. Confronted with the truth of God’s Word, my husband and I realized that much of the way we had been doing ministry previously did not reflect the call to discipleship so resonant throughout all of Scripture. Our hearts... read more »

With Thanksgiving just around the corner here in the US, what better way to remind ourselves of God’s unfathomable greatness and goodness than to remember that it is often easier to see His goodness when we get ourselves out of the frame. This old prayer from the pen of Elisabeth Elliott provides... read more »

Many of us are familiar with the story of Zacchaeus, the “wee little man” (as the Sunday school song goes) who climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus passing by. However, Luke sets Zacchaeus’ story in close context to the story of another rich man—a young and wealthy leader who visited... read more »

At the library, I noticed an elderly woman browsing in the large-print book section. She shuffled down the aisles with a walker, stopping frequently to drop a book into her bulging tote bag. Despite less-than- perfect eyesight, limited mobility, and failing strength, she was hauling home a hoard of... read more »

Wildlife officials in my town tried in vain to save a duck that had an arrow sticking through its breast. She flew away whenever their nets came close. It’s hard to blame the frightened fowl. She didn’t understand that the same self-reliance that normally kept her alive was now preventing her... read more »

Part of the joy of being a pastor is walking alongside of couples as they step into marriage. Few experiences touch the soul more than the wonder and joy (and fear) of embracing life with another person. At the center of the wedding ceremony is the moment when each person turns to the other and... read more »

I’m not going to join the track team again! I said that to myself countless times during my years in school. But every track season, there I was, back on the team. Why did I have a love/hate relationship with track? The training! During practice, we pushed our perceived physical limits and strove... read more »