Several years ago my good friend Eric Welch forwarded me a funny list of reasons why it’s good to be a man: 10 You know stuff about tanks. 9 You can go to the restroom without a support group. 8 If someone forgets to invite you, he can still be your friend. 7 You can…

Introduction In American culture February 14 is associated with happy and sweet things – chocolates, cards, roses, good meals at special restaurants, gifts of jewelry, marriage proposals. “Happy Valentine’s Day” is our greeting. But for the host of people bereaved, injured, or traumatized by the shooting in Parkland, Florida, it’s going to be very difficult…

Dearest Baby, In 2015 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), 7,277 people were put to death in Dallas County. I know. The local TV stations counted only 136 – the number of homicides committed on Dallas city streets. Your death didn’t matter. You and the other 7,276 babies had no legal recognition…

The first thing Andrew did after becoming a disciple was to find his brother Simon and tell him about the Messiah, and the first thing Philip did after becoming a disciple was to invite his friend Nathanael to meet Jesus (John 1:40-46). We know that we’re supposed to do the same thing, to bring people…

All married couples have disagreements. Some spouses battle fiercely, leaving deep wounds and permanent scars. Others manage conflict with wisdom and self-control. Below are some suggestions that enable husbands and wives to disagree without being disagreeable: Choose an Appropriate Time and Place. It isn’t right to argue in public – at a restaurant or in…

Some years ago I heard a sermon on the radio delivered by Bob, a denominational preacher in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Bob devoted a significant part of his time to describing his immoral lifestyle before conversion. He drank booze, snorted cocaine, and managed a “girl review” in Las Vegas. He foolishly married an attractive young woman…

Some skeptics say that the resurrection of Jesus took place in the disciples’ heads. Hypnosis, for instance, may explain their faith. Jesus was a master hypnotist. Before his death he trained his followers to have hypnotic experiences triggered by certain environmental cues. In these trances they would see Jesus alive. This theory puts too much…

Look for reasons to be grateful. Even when everything seems to be going wrong. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:18). Decide to rejoice. Paul encouraged the Philippians to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4). Happiness depends on what’s happening. Joy…

Imagine that your brief stay on this earth ends at midnight. The sun will rise in the morning, but you won’t see it. People will go to work and to school tomorrow, but you won’t. Birds will sing tomorrow. Children will laugh and play. Happy people will whistle Christmas carols. But you won’t hear a…

On one occasion Jesus asked the Pharisees what they thought of the Christ (Matt. 22:42). In context, the question pressed for an acknowledgment of the Lord’s true nature as the Son of God. But like many other things asked by biblical characters, this question has assumed a life of its own. That is, it’s worthy…