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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Prayer of Desperation
In 2011, Karey Packard and her daughter were packing boxes for a move to a new home. Suddenly, Karey collapsed, and her heart stopped—the beginning of a long nightmare. Doctors revived Karey, but her condition worsened through the night. Her husb…
Growing Up in God
In her early years as a Christian author, Gayle often received winsome gifts from her publisher. Bouquets of flowers, chocolates, boxes of herbal teas. All lovely. But over time, her publisher began to send gifts with lasting value. A one-year Bible, d…
Choices and Consequences
In 1890, amateur ornithologist Eugene Schieffelin decided to release sixty European starlings into New York City’s Central Park. While there were likely several introductions of the species, Schieffelin’s released starlings resulted in the …