Have you ever noticed how annoying it is when a cell phone rings in a public place? Perhaps you’re in a restaurant, chatting quietly with your family. Or you’re waiting in the doctor’s office, absorbed in an interesting magazine article. And then the phone in someone’s purse or pocket blares unexpectedly. The one-sided conversation that…

Daily stresses test patience. I’m driving to work. Don’t have even one minute to spare. But an accident somewhere ahead has slowed traffic to a crawl. Or I’m taking my child to school, and this morning she’ll actually have time to walk into the building instead of sprinting to beat the bell. Then, halfway there,…

Jesus compares teaching the gospel to planting a crop in the field. A farmer sows his seed. Some he scatters along the path, and it’s trampled underfoot. Some seed falls on the rock, where, lacking moisture, the plant withers before it can mature. Some falls among thorns and is choked by them. But some seed…

The concluding chapters of Judges describe the tragic events that nearly destroyed a tribe in Israel. A Levite living in the hill country of Ephraim married a concubine from Bethlehem. After a time the woman deserted her husband and returned to her father. Four months later the Levite came after her, encouraging her to come…

In 2012, Alabama and LSU played the BCS championship game. The Crimson Tide rolled to a 21-0 victory over the Tigers. On ESPN the next morning, a sports analyst made an interesting observation. He said that the college football season left him feeling somewhat dissatisfied. After all, Alabama and LSU had already played each other…

Lisa has a painful childhood. Her alcoholic mother is angry, sarcastic, withdrawn, and sometimes physically abusive. As Lisa moves into the teen years, the embarrassment of having a drunken mother becomes excruciating. After marrying and giving birth to a daughter of her own, Lisa makes a promise to herself: “I will never, never be like…

My childhood home was in Jefferson, Iowa, a small rural community about 70 miles northwest of Des Moines. Winters there were bitterly cold, and snow blanketed the ground from December until March. Although the icy wind seemed almost unbearable at times, I always enjoyed a fresh snowfall. After a big snow the town’s residents promptly…

A king dressed in royal splendor sits on his throne. Two men come before him requesting forgiveness. One man, a terrified slave, approaches the ruler and drops to his knees. He confesses that he has made a serious mistake and begs for mercy. With pounding heart he awaits judgment. The other man, the king’s own…

King David’s household was an unhealthy place for growing children. Lax discipline, parental inattention, indulgence of spoiled conduct, and poor role modeling combined to create a monster – rebellious Absalom. After winning the hearts of the men of Israel, this handsome prince seized the throne and tried to kill his father. These tragic circumstances involved…

During the holidays the message that “Jesus is the reason for the season” appears everywhere. It’s on greeting cards, Christmas tree ornaments, church signs, and so on. The idea, of course, is that Christmas mustn’t lose its spiritual significance in the mad rush to shop, decorate, and plan parties. The birth of Jesus is the…