Month: March 2003

Lend An Ear

Someone needs to talk to you today. Are you willing to listen? It may be a deep confession of failure, an expression of faith, an old joke, or a comment about the weather, but it needs to be said. The person may be a child or a senior citizen. Are you ready to lend an ear?

Living Water

Lee Atwater was a well-known figure in US politics. He engineered the successful 1988 presidential campaign of George H. W. Bush and was the head of the Republican National Committee (1988-1991). But in the midst of all his activities he developed an inoperable brain tumor and died at the age of 40.

A Pair of Moccasins

A doctor was working in a remote area of Minnesota many years ago when a Native American family begged him to come and help their elderly grandmother who was gravely ill. He went, diagnosed her condition, and then gave them detailed instructions for her care.

Come Home!

Several years ago, my wife Carolyn and I camped near the town of Brimley, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It was a holiday, and we ambled into town for the annual parade. Believe me, it was something to write home about.

The Treasure Chest

When I was a young girl, my mother often let me rummage through her button box as I recovered from an illness. It always cheered me to come across old, familiar buttons and remember the garments they once adorned. I especially liked it when she picked out an old, overlooked button and used it again.

Be An Encourager

Ron, a recent Bible-school graduate, had been a youth pastor for about 3 months. Some of the young people seemed to resent him, certain parents were beginning to criticize him, and he was getting discouraged. Then the chairman of the church board invited him to lunch. "Uh-oh," he said to his wife. "Here it comes."

Alpha And Omega

The meaning of the words Alpha and Omega —terms that refer to the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet—is fairly easy to understand. Like A and Z, they simply mean "the beginning" and "the end."

Riding Out The Waves

What can ride ocean currents for years before finally washing ashore and springing to life? According to National Geographic's World magazine, it's a nut that is native to South America and the West Indies. Some people call them "sea hearts."

One God—Not Three

It is said that Augustine (354-430), a leader in the early church, was walking on the ocean shore one day and pondering the mystery of the Trinity. He saw a little boy who was playing with a seashell. The youngster scooped a hole in the sand, then went down to the waves and filled his shell with water and poured it into the hole he had made.