Pigeon Hill
I have vivid childhood memories of climbing the highest sand dune on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Pigeon Hill rose more than 300 feet above the entrance to Muskegon Lake and covered 30 acres. It was a tough challenge to climb this magnificent mound.
Fence-Breaking
It was a significant statement by Luke when he wrote that the church was "scattered throughout . . . Samaria" (Acts 8:1). Prior to this time, the Christians lived in the familiar surroundings of Jerusalem—home to the memories of Pentecost and the explosive expansion of the church. The early Christians would have been content to stay there forever. But persecution scattered them into a new territory—Samaria.
Let The Healing Begin
What goes through the minds of people whose lives are torn apart by a tragedy like murder? What keeps them going when a cherished loved one has been gunned down?
Burned-out Jugglers
Today's wife, mother, and homemaker is a professional juggler. She balances home, church, and community responsibilities, and often runs a family taxi service.
Not For Entertainment
Some people think that going to a church service is not much different than going to a music concert. There are similarities: We travel to get there, we assemble with people of a common interest, our attention is focused on the front, and the ceiling is high.
Final Appointment
The driver of a hearse foolishly tried to warm himself on a rainy Saturday morning by drinking on the job. He didn't get warm (alcohol actually lowers body temperature), but he did get lost on the way to the cemetery. The funeral procession waited in vain at the grave for hours.
He Will Never Let You Fall
When the elevated railroad was introduced in New York City years ago, some people worried that it might collapse under the weight of its passengers. Francis L. Patton, former president of Princeton Theological Seminary, tells us that "the proprietors of the road took great pleasure in notifying the public of the fact that this road had been subjected to a most abnormal and enormous tonnage, and that consequently people of ordinary weight might deem themselves quite safe."
One Tough Command
High on the list of God's tough commands for us is telling the truth. I've told my 9-year-old son Steven many times that if he wants us to trust him in a few years with a car and all of the responsibilities of being a teenager, he has to tell the truth in everything now!
More Than Requests
Perhaps you've heard of the man who always prayed, "Lord, bless me and my wife, my son John and his wife, us four and no more. Amen."
The Power To Obey
During the 1995 International Composers Festival in London, a computer was chosen to perform two piano pieces said to be too difficult for human hands. Seated on a piano stool and wearing a bow tie, the Sibelius 7 computer flawlessly played the formidable works of Hungarian composer Gyorgy Ligeti.
Faith Rooted In History
Oliver Stone produced a movie about former US President John F. Kennedy. He fudged on the facts and then defended his actions by saying that what was really important was the story's "mythic sense"—or his interpretation of the facts. Historical accuracy didn't matter.
How To Conquer Fear
We live in a world plagued by fear. People worry about illness, poverty, family disruption, war, famine, and the future.
Ice Fishing
Two Texans went to Minnesota one winter to do some ice fishing. After setting up their tent, they pulled the cord on their chain saw to cut a hole in the ice. Then they heard a mysterious voice from above saying, "There are no fish under the ice."
The Look Of Love
Every day for 20 years, Antonio wrote a love poem to his wife. At a divorce hearing, though, he revealed that he didn't compose these verses to celebrate the joys of marriage but to pacify his domineering wife. The judge granted the divorce and declared that the marriage had nothing more to it than a "look of love."
Halfway To Heaven
My favorite gospel tract is called, "When I Think Of Heaven." It's written by Joni Eareckson Tada, who is paralyzed from her neck down because of a diving accident during her teenage years. Joni admits that thinking about heaven isn't always easy, especially since we have to die to get there, unless Jesus returns first! Yet God works through trials to help us focus our minds on heaven.
Starting Today
When Charles Swindoll was a young boy, he was greatly influenced by this remark from an old Texan: "The problem with the Christian life is that it's so daily."
The Ultimate Giver
If we put our trust for our well-being in a person, any person, we are putting it in the wrong place. Ultimately, our faith must be in God. To transfer that trust to a spouse or pastor or child is to put it where we will be disappointed.
Praise—Even In Pain
Terry Waite, a courageous British negotiator during an international hostage crisis, had gone to Lebanon to arrange the release of prisoners. But he himself was arrested and detained in solitary confinement.
Difficult People
I haven't always appreciated every member of the churches I pastored. Early in my ministry one man berated me in front of a group of people for my deep and dull sermons. A week later a deacon said my sermons were interesting but too simple—like little Sunday school lessons.
Life's Defining Moment
Several law students at Duke University were seated around a table discussing ethics with federal Judge William Hoeveler. According to an article in US News & World Report, the judge warned, "I guarantee that sometime you will be asked to do something dishonest. Your future lies in that moment. Even if you have kids and a big mortgage, there's only one answer: 'No!'"
