God’s Plans? God’s People!

After I joined the board of trustees of a seminary, the long-term leader announced his retirement. I found myself among those tasked with searching for a new president. Together, we amassed a daunting list of qualifications. How would we find someone t…

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Loving Jesus Most

The members asked why their church was buying a steeple. Was this the best use of God’s resources? What about feeding the poor? The pastor replied that the funds came from donors and needed to be spent as they wished. “Besides,” he qu…

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Habits and the Holy Spirit

“Did you grow up around here?” It was difficult to answer my dental hygienist’s simple question because her teeth-cleaning tools were still inside my mouth. She explained that in 1945 our city became the first in the world to add fluo…

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The Prayers of Jesus

Jesus, how are You praying for me? I’d never thought to ask that question until my friend Lou shared the experience of his heart-cry to Christ when he was faced with a situation that required more wisdom and strength than he was able to muster. H…

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Digging for Meaning

We have a new puppy, Winston. He bites. Sleeps. Eats. (Does one or two other things.) Oh, and he digs. Winston doesn’t dig casually. He tunnels. Like he’s escaping from prison. It’s compulsive, ferocious, and filthy.
Why does that do…

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Running the Race with Christ

Tom, age seven, admired his dad’s shiny trophies from school track events sitting on a shelf. He thought, I want one of those for my bedroom. So he asked, “Dad, can I have one of your trophies?” The man surprisingly answered, “N…

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Serving God Each Season

After years of discipling Caleb by himself, Mark was dismayed to find out that a church leader had assigned another mentor to the young man. The leader remarked, “Finally, Caleb has a mentor.”
What did they think I was doing all these year…

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Life in Christ

A family who’d lost touch with their son and brother Tyler received an urn that was said to contain his cremation ashes. Just twenty-two years old, he’d apparently died of a drug overdose. For years, Tyler had dealt with the effects of drug…

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God Is There

When my grandmother was gently informed that my grandpa would likely pass on in the next few days, we were concerned that she’d be upset and anxious. “Are you worried?” someone asked her, thinking that she might have questions about h…

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Panic in a Cave

They were three adrenaline-fueled teenage boys, unleashed in the immense underground system connecting to Mammoth Cave. With them was their Uncle Frank, a veteran caver familiar with these parts. He knew the drop-offs and danger spots and continually c…

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