Continual Praise to God
On a road trip to Montana one summer, we stopped at a rest area to stretch our legs. Inside one of the buildings was a young man who was singing a familiar praise song as he mopped the floor. Then he started singing the hymn, “It Is Well with My …
Working Together in Christ
“No matter where you are, what you’re going through; use what you have and make the most of it,” said the young woman in a TV interview. Her words prompted me to listen carefully to the full story. I learned that she was one of six si…
Of First Importance
Thomas de Mahy was one of many aristocrats executed by rioting mobs during the French Revolution of the late eighteenth century. According to one legendary account, upon reading his death warrant, de Mahy responded, “I see that you have made thre…
The Victorious Jesus
On January 14, 1973, when Super Bowl VII was played, perfection was on the line. Up to that point in the American football season, the Miami Dolphins had a perfect record—sixteen games without a loss. And when the Super Bowl was over, the victori…
God Hears Our Prayers
My friend Christine and her husband sat down to dinner at their aunt and uncle’s house. Her aunt had recently been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. Before anyone started to eat, her uncle asked, “Does anyone have anything to say?”…
Joined by Jesus
Andy Goldsworthy’s Grand Rapids Arch sits on the side of a road as if striding alongside travelers. The artist created the eighteen-foot-tall free-standing arch with thirty-six blocks of Scottish sandstone without using mortar or pins. The ascend…
The Paradox of Persecution
Something unusual happens in ten short verses starting with Acts 7:59. The story turns quickly from Stephen’s horrific death by stoning to other believers in Christ being scattered and “preaching the word,” leading to these amazing wo…
A Great Multitude
In 2010, nearly four thousand believers in Jesus gathered in Cape Town, South Africa. Participants from 198 countries were represented at the conference—a gathering considered to be the most representative meeting of the Christian church in the t…
What Jesus Did for Us
Andres, the owner of an electronics company, was giving employees with outstanding sales records a day trip to a beach resort. Andres was also taking his seven-year-old son Jimmy. Before departure, he excitedly held his dad’s hand as everyone boa…
Repurposed by God
In the early 1930s, Cleo McVicker came up with a product that could be used as wallpaper cleaner. Back then, most homes were heated by coal, and walls became covered in soot. Cleo’s invention could be rolled over wallpaper and would pick up the g…