Profitable For Growth
Which of the following quotes are in the Bible?
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The Belayers
I have high respect for brave men and women who climb rugged mountain peaks. They have to take serious precautions as they scale sheer cliffs. One safety feature is a line that’s always connected to a person below, who is called the “belayer.” If the climber loses his balance or falls, the belayer holds him securely until he can regain his footing and continue his ascent or descent. Thus, “to belay” is to anchor, to hold securely, to keep safe.
Read More »It Is Not Good
In one prison system in the US, 25,000 of the most dangerous inmates endure solitary confinement in small concrete cells. They have virtually no contact with the outside world. An inmate at Oregon State Penitentiary said that the most difficult part about such isolation is “not being able to see somebody face to face . . . to communicate, to touch, to hug, to feel loved, to feel human.” This man’s words seem to scream, “I’m lonely! This is not the way it’s supposed to be.”
Read More »Dying To Live
Western Michigan is plagued by snowy winters, requiring that salt be put on road surfaces to make them safer to travel. The problem is that salt eats away at a car’s metal body. So, going to a car wash is a frequent winter ritual.
Read More »Family Stories
In her book The Shelter of Each Other, Mary Pipher gives advice on rebuilding troubled families. She explores how today’s children sometimes overuse TV and video games to the exclusion of informal instruction received from extended family.
Read More »Still New
Did you ever notice how quickly things get old or outdated?
Read More »The Blessing Tree
I read about a young couple whose business had failed, and they had little money to spend at Christmas. They were going to have to move out of their house after the new year. But they didn’t want their holiday season to be spoiled because of it. So they decided to throw a party. When the guests arrived, they saw a cedar tree decorated with one string of lights and small rolled-up pieces of paper tied to the limbs with ribbon.
Read More »The Forgotten Man
Amid all the Christmas activities, one man is often forgotten.
Read More »Reserved In Heaven
A friend of mine spent several months rebuilding an old Ford Bronco and turning it into an off-road vehicle for use here in Idaho. He kept it in his garage under lock and key. When Christmas came, Gary thought, What better place to hide my daughter Katie’s present.
Read More »Where’s The Leash?
Recently, while out for Chinese food with friends, I noticed a man walking his dog past the restaurant. Normally I wouldn’t have looked twice. But the dog’s owner had taken the leash, put it in a figure-eight configuration, and placed it firmly in the dog’s mouth.
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