The Fear Of Falling
Have you ever dreamed that you were falling out of bed or from some great height, and you awoke in fright? I remember that as a boy I would often be awakened by such a terrifying feeling.
The Best Eraser
What is memory? What is this faculty that enables us to recall past feelings, sights, sounds, and experiences? By what process are events recorded, stored, and preserved in our brain to be brought back again and again? Much is still mystery.
Why? Why? Oh, Why?
Why must I suffer disappointment, sorrow, and tribulation? What have I done that God should send me trials? Is He displeased with me? These questions are constantly asked by God's dear children.
In Conference
The president of a large company wanted to talk to the factory’s manager about an urgent matter. But the manager’s secretary said, "He cannot be disturbed. He’s in conference—as he is every day at this time."
Strange Places
Walking past my barn one day, I heard a frantic chirping inside, and upon investigation I found a bluejay beating its wings against the glass pane of the window. Had it not cried and squawked, I would not have heard it. But its plaintive note prompted me to open the door wide and the jay flew out to liberty.
Two Gardens
Two gardens are mentioned prominently in the Bible: the garden of Eden and the garden of Gethsemane. God placed the first man, Adam, in the garden of Eden; Jesus went into Gethsemane to restore what the first man had lost.
The Glorious Sunset
It is wonderful to be young, with clear sight, acute hearing, elastic step, pulses drumming to the march of exhilarating health. But old age has glories that youth cannot know. It is a blessed old age indeed if it ends brightly at evening time.
Death Cannot Divide Us
Although writers and philosophers have done their best to marshal weighty arguments in favor of life after death, they have not succeeded in bringing comfort to aching, anxious, questioning hearts.
Grumblers
Mrs. Grumpty complained bitterly because her friends seemed to avoid her, and she just couldn't understand why. If only she could have heard a recording of her own voice, she would have known the reason for her unpopularity. She always talked about her complaints, weaknesses, aches and pains, and insisted on relating in wearying detail her stay in the hospital.
Sad Or Glad?
The first Resurrection Day began with gloom and despair for the disciples of our Lord. Three days earlier, their Master had been crucified and buried. We can imagine them huddled together behind closed doors as "they mourned and wept" (Mark 16:10).
The Butterfly
Outside my study window a beautiful monarch butterfly rested on a flower blossom. It fanned its wings slowly with exquisite grace. That stately monarch was once a repulsive green worm, feeding on milkweed leaves. Then it built a coffin for itself and hung from a twig. In time it emerged, transformed into a beautiful creature—that butterfly outside my study window.
Bicycle Riders
I remember the first time I tried to ride a bicycle. I thought I would never learn!
Two Dead Sparrows
I was cruising along on the highway at about 60 miles an hour when up ahead I saw two sparrows in a fierce battle at the side of the road. With feathers flying, they attacked each other with great fury.
Don't Get Stung!
About 25 feet up in the maple tree behind my house hung a gray, cone-shaped object about 10 inches long. I decided to get closer to find out what it was.
Are You A Worrywart?
Worry is sin. It is caused by lack of faith, a failure to believe God's Word. Yet it is a sin that many Christians find hard to overcome.
Living Or Just Alive?
What matters is not how long you live, but how well you live. Some people live for 85 years and do very little. Others live only a relatively few years, but they fill that time with service to God and others, and their influence lives on.
Finger-Pointing
You can't point your finger at someone without pointing at yourself. Try it right now. Extend your index finger and thumb in a pointing position away from you, and then notice in which direction the other three fingers are pointing. They point directly back at you.
Great Preachers
The greatest sermons I have ever heard were not preached from pulpits but from sickbeds. The deepest truths of God's Word have often been taught by those humble souls who have gone through the seminary of affliction.
Who Is To Blame?
Judah was willing to assume the responsibility for bringing his brother Benjamin back from Egypt (Genesis 43:9). If anything happened to him, Judah would take the blame. This is one of the rarest traits in human nature, for we usually seek to put the blame on someone else.
Hypocrites
A hypocrite is a pretender. He is a person who does not act his real self but disguises himself to be another. God hates hypocrisy but loves sinners. In all the records of the Gospels, Jesus spoke to sinners with sympathy, kindness, and forgiveness. But to the hypocritical religious leaders, He used the strongest possible language of condemnation. He called them blind guides, whitewashed tombs, and vipers (Matthew 23:24,27,33).
Remember!
The disciples remembered—and then they believed. After the death of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection, they recalled and finally understood Jesus' words, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19).
Like Him
God is not interested in just saving us from hell and taking us to heaven. He wants to conform us "to the image of His Son" (Romans 8:29). Someone has said that the Father was so pleased with His Son that He has determined to fill all of heaven with others just like Him.
Dewdrops
It was a summer morning, and the first rays of sun were falling across my garden. The prior evening the leaves on the tender corn were drooping from intense heat and lack of rain. But in the morning the spikes were straight and fresh, and each leaf was adorned with sparkling drops of dew. During the night, the cooling air caused moisture to condense into dewdrops, refreshing the wilted vegetation.
Unsung Heroes
The Bible contains many incidents of helpfulness by people whose names are not given. In 1 Samuel 30 we read that David's soldiers found a young man who had been left behind by a retreating enemy army. The Egyptian slave is not named, but he provided key information that helped David to rescue his family.
Get Up And Start Over
Are you feeling "down" today? Are you discouraged because of your experience yesterday? In an unguarded moment, did you stumble and fall by yielding to sin?
Win By Losing
Have you ever played dominoes? In my boyhood days it was a favorite indoor pastime. Some time ago while visiting a family, I saw a young boy and his grandfather playing the game. A flood of memories surged over me as I remembered my own boyhood days.
Are You Good At Forgiving?
Is it possible to measure a Christian's spiritual maturity? Certainly we cannot judge it by the length or even the content of one's prayers. Too much public praying is done for its effect on the "listeners" instead of the "Listener." Even the generosity of one's giving is not an infallible test of spirituality, for it too may be for personal recognition or easing of a guilty conscience.
Choose!
All of us have times when we'd like to be completely free to do whatever we want. We long to break out of our restricting circumstances. But total freedom or complete independence is never an option for us. The Bible declares that we are servants by nature, even though we might not realize it.
Are You Ready?
I love to fish. One summer a good friend invited me to go with him to Canada, where a guide would take us to a special place where there were supposed to be plenty of "big ones."
Stumbling Christians
A sheep and a pig will react differently in a mudhole. A sheep that falls into the mud will not be happy there. He will struggle and cry until he gets out.
Logs And Dust
Jesus sometimes used humor to drive home a truth. Think of the serious point in His humorous description in our Bible reading today. He accused the religious leaders of being like a man with a great big beam in his eye offering to remove a tiny speck from his brother's eye (Mt. 7:1-6). How ludicrous!
The Tree Frog
One summer as my wife and I sat on our porch, we were serenaded by a tree frog who had taken up residence in the dense vine climbing a nearby tree. We finally located him, but not until after a painstaking search, because his coloring blended in perfectly with the vine leaves. As we watched him, we remembered a little chameleon we had seen during a visit to Florida. Like the frog, it took on the color of its surroundings.
The Lord Is Risen Indeed!
"Surprise! Jesus is alive!" The two travelers from Emmaus, who had just entertained the risen Savior in their home, were greeted by the disciples with the news that the Lord was no longer in the tomb (Lk. 24:29-34).
To Be Continued
Do you like continued stories? Let's say you're reading a magazine article or watching a television program for half an hour, and you come to the place where the hero plunges into the water to rescue his drowning sweetheart. Then you're left hanging in the air with the words: "To be continued." How disappointing!
How Thankful Are We?
My mother was a thankful woman who, although she was sick for most of her married life, never ceased to praise the Lord. My father, a shoemaker who never earned more than $12 a week, was a singing Christian.
How To Catch A Rat
My grandson's chicken coop was invaded by rats. Attracted by the feed, they had moved in. He asked for my help and we set out a couple of traps. After a week, though, we had not caught a single one. Then a farmer friend offered some advice. "No rat," he said, "will touch an exposed trap. You must disguise it with food. Fill a pan with meal and place the trap in it. Cover it well with meal so it is completely hidden." It worked! The next morning we had a big fat rat.
Do You Talk To Yourself?
Sitting in my car at the curb, waiting for my wife to finish shopping, I passed the time by watching the people walking by. I noticed one man in particular because he was deeply engrossed in talking to himself. What he said I don't know, but it surely was a serious discussion. He reminded me of a man who, when asked why he always talked to himself, replied, "I have two reasons: First, I like to hear a smart man talk. And second, I like to talk to a smart man!"
Don't Be Discouraged
"Why are you throwing away those nice potatoes, Grandpa?" asked my young grandson. I was planting potatoes in my garden, and he thought it was a waste to bury them. So I had an opportunity to explain to him that only as we give the seed away can we receive the harvest.
Earthquake Power
Have you ever been through an earthquake? Several years ago a mild quake awoke me with the swaying and trembling of the house. It was not severe and did not greatly disturb me. I am told that a really severe earthquake is a fearful experience. Much of the fear, however, may depend on the view one takes of the phenomenon.
The Star In The Window
During World War II it was the custom in the United States for a family who had a son serving in the military to place a star in the front window of their home. But a gold star indicated that the son had died in support of his country's cause.
How Do You Hear?
A young boy asked his father to solve a riddle. He said, "There were three frogs sitting on a log. One frog decided to jump off. How many were left?" The dad replied, "Two, of course." "You're wrong!" gleefully exclaimed the boy. "There were three frogs left. The one frog only decided to jump off, but he didn't jump!"
'Were You There?'
What you do with the Bible depends on what you do with the first sentence of Genesis. The Bible opens with a simple statement, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). If you believe that, you can believe everything else that follows. If you reject that statement, you will also deny every other cardinal truth in the Scriptures.
Two Rivers
The Brule River, which is on the border between Michigan and Wisconsin, flows for miles with clear, sparkling water. It is inhabited by an abundant population of speckled, rainbow, and brown trout. At one point the Iron River, muddy and thick with sediment of ore and clay, merges with the Brule.
Do You Talk Too Much?
We all talk too much! What heartaches are caused, homes broken up, friends estranged, wars incited by some hasty, angry word! Much of the conflict in the world is caused by a combination of a narrow mind and a wide mouth. You will seldom get in trouble by listening, and most of us can learn more from what others say than what we have to say.
Killing Time
A friend of mine was sitting on a park bench with his hands folded, staring into the distance. When I asked what he was doing, he replied, "Oh, just killing time."
Are You Doing Your Part?
I was driving on a seldom-traveled road. Suddenly, my car slowed down, sputtered a moment, and with a final gasp, died. There I was, with only a screwdriver and a pair of pliers, miles away from a mechanic. And what I know about car engines you can put in your eye.
Deep Roots
In my orchard are two pear trees. Last summer was extremely dry, yet one of the trees was unaffected and remained green and yielded luscious pears. The other tree did not do so well. Its leaves turned yellow, the fruit shriveled, and the leaves and the fruit both dropped to the ground. The tree seemed to be dead.
Are You A Preacher?
When challenged to speak to others about Christ, some believers excuse their silence by saying, "Well, I am not a preacher." But every follower of Jesus is (or at least should be) a preacher. We don't need a pulpit. It can be done in friendly conversation, by handing out a tract or portion of Scripture, by writing a letter, or by singing a song.
Can You Take Criticism?
How good are you at making enemies? No, I didn't ask how good you are at making friends. That's easy. Just be a good Joe, an easy spender, a tolerant sort of fellow who never offends anybody.
Older— Not Old
This article is for folks old enough to be retired. But if you consider yourself young, keep on reading anyway, for you're headed for the "golden years."
Remember Cracker Jack?
I don't know whether I'm going through a second childhood or what, but lately I've been craving a box of Cracker Jack. Do you know what I'm talking about —the candy-covered popcorn and peanuts in a box with young Sailor Jack on the label? I remember the slogan: "The more you eat, the more you want!"
How Old Are You?
Hebrews 5 was addressed to believers who should have been mature enough to teach others, but they were still babes in Christ. They were like nursing infants, lacking spiritual fruit and in danger of severe discipline from the Lord. They were urged to put away childish things and to grow up.
We Will Be Like Him!
One fall my grandsons gathered cocoons they found in a swamp. The boys hung the dry, unattractive, and motionless objects in a cool place for the winter. The following spring they moved the cocoons to a place in the warm sun. Soon there emerged from the tomb of one cocoon a gorgeous creature —a luna moth, gracefully unfolding its drying wings in readiness to take its flight into the sky. Its colors were indescribable, and it was unspeakably graceful in its unhurried stretching and folding of its delicate wings.
He Was Dead But Now Lives
Many years ago I was scheduled to speak at a Bible conference in Pennsylvania. A few days before it was to begin, a member of the conference committee telephoned my office. Someone in Pennsylvania had received a newspaper clipping from a Michigan paper reporting my death. The news had spread all over the area, and the conference representative wanted to verify the report so he could get another speaker in my place. The reason for all the confusion was the death of someone else with the same last name. Some people had jumped to the conclusion that the report was about me.
Why He Died
Jesus died so we could live. His death on Calvary's cross was not an accident or a surprise to God. It was an absolute necessity in His plan for our salvation.
Looking In All Directions
Why do people think they are getting away with something just because others are not aware of it? Do we forget that there is One who sees and hears all we do and say? If we don't want people to know, how is it that we are so unconcerned about the fact that God knows?
Good Church Members
Phillips Brooks (1835-1893), the great preacher, asked the operator of a local livery stable for the best horse he had. Brooks explained, "I am taking a good friend for a ride and I want the very best for the occasion." As the livery man hitched up a horse to a buggy, he said, "This animal is about as perfect as a horse could be. It is kind, gentle, intelligent, well-trained, obedient, willing, responds instantly to your every command, never kicks, balks, or bites, and lives only to please its driver." Brooks then quietly said to the owner, "Do you suppose you could get that horse to join my church?"
Twinkle, Tinkle, Tattle
A man was repeatedly robbed by burglars who entered his house through a window while he was asleep. He finally solved his problem by using three things. He called them a twinkler, a tinkler, and a tattler. The twinkler was a candle that he kept burning in the window all night. The tinkler was a bell attached to the window. And the tattler was a small, noisy dog. Because of these, the burglars were kept away.
Who Killed The Dead Sea?
The Dead Sea died of stinginess. Year after year it has received and not given. It has an inlet but no outlet. Likewise, the person who takes in what others offer spiritually but never gives anything out will become lifeless.
Whisperers
According to persistent reports, I have divorced my wife and have married a 20-year-old. I am also reputed to visit taverns and was pulled from my wrecked car so intoxicated that I couldn't stand up. I have been accused of being involved in every conceivable kind of racket and scandal. And worse yet, these stories have been believed by some people.
Stick Out Your Tongue
One of the first things a physician says when he examines a patient is, "Let me see your tongue." It is often possible to make a diagnosis just by looking inside a person's mouth. Some diseases can be detected by the tongue's appearance.
Soap And Salvation
We see a strange paradox in our world today. While there seems to be a religious awakening, there also seems to be an increase in wickedness. It just doesn't add up.
Incredible?
If Jesus did not rise from the dead and there is no future day of resurrection for us, then life loses all its meaning. If this life is all there is—just a few years of alternate crying and laughing (mostly crying) and then darkness—with Paul we can say, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable" (1 Cor. 15:19).
Are You Starving?
Hold everything! Wait a minute! Have you read the Scripture for today? It's only eight short verses, and it will take you only 45 seconds.
Complaining Or Praising?
There are some people who would be greatly disappointed if they didn't have something to gripe about. They are so occupied with their little troubles that they lose sight of all their big blessings.
Stung By A Bee
Caiaphas the high priest unknowingly spoke prophetically about Jesus when he said it would be better for one man to die than for the whole nation to perish (Jn. 11:50-52). This reminds me of an all-but-forgotten truth: When on the cross Jesus took the penalty we deserved, He put the welfare of others ahead of His own.
Contented
Early one dreary, rainy morning I sat in my study and looked out the window. I watched a fat robin pull three worms from the grass, swallow them, and then fly up to the telephone wire. There, just 10 feet from me, he began to sing. For a half-hour I sat and enjoyed the robin's rendition of "Praise the Lord!"
Killed By Improvements
I wonder what the apostle Paul would say if he were to visit our churches today. What a beehive of activity! Committees, programs, entertainment without end. But worship is often downplayed, services are cut back, prayer meetings are eliminated. Some call these improvements, but are they really changes for the better?
My Seventh Wife
I have been married to six different wives and I am now living with my seventh. They all look very much alike except that my seventh wife looks older than my first and has some gray hairs. Strange to say, all seven wives had the same disposition, and I have loved them all intensely.
The Power Of The Sun
I remember the day I arose early to work in my garden but found dense fog over the entire landscape, limiting my vision to only a few feet. It was so wet that work was out of the question. But my early rising was not in vain. As I sat on a potato crate in the doorway of the barn facing east, I was to behold one of the grandest of all heavenly spectacles, the sunrise.
Keep Your Mouth Shut
A frog was wondering how he could get away from the cold winter climate. Some wild geese suggested that he migrate with them. The problem, though, was that the frog couldn't fly.
The Need Of Pruning
I have several grapevines in my garden, and each year I cut out loads of long, spindly vines. Unless I remove these, they will take all the strength that should go into the fruit. No vine can be fully fruitful without pruning.
Scarecrows In The Garden
In my garden I have four rows of everbearing strawberries—a fact that evidently has been proclaimed from the housetops to all the robins, starlings, and brown thrashers in the neighborhood. They have been having a picnic! So I spent quite some time building a scarecrow from broomsticks, an old coat, a pair of trousers, and a white hat.
Little Cucumbers
When I was just a boy, I was intrigued by a large cucumber. It was no different from any other cucumber, but it was in the strangest place. My uncle kept it in a bottle on a shelf. This particular cucumber was many times too large to go through the neck of the bottle. I wondered how it got there in the first place.
I Know Him
Two disciples were walking sadly on the way to their home in the little village of Emmaus. It was 3 days after Jesus had been crucified. They were disappointed and discouraged, for they thought their Lord was dead.
Are You A Parakeet?
On several occasions I visited a retired pastor who had a pet parakeet named Gibby Gibson. It would say, "Gibby Gibson is the prettiest bird in all the world." Or it would repeat, "Dr. Gibson is a preacher—a Baptist preacher." But, of course, the bird didn't understand one word it was saying.
Conceited
Conceit is sin. It is a highly inflated view of oneself. Some people are so conceited that they expect everybody to be impressed and to jump at their commands.
Keeping Clean
A writer who visited a coal mine noticed a perfectly white plant growing by the side of the entrance. The author and the other visitors with him were astonished that there, where coal dust continually blew and settled, this little plant would be so pure and white.
From East To West
How far is the east from the west? Where does the east end and the west begin? A certain state once had this slogan: "Where the west begins and the tall corn grows." The last part of the slogan is true; the first is not. No one knows where the west begins or where it ends. It's all a matter of where we ourselves are.
A Sticky Friend
The word friend is defined as "one attached to another by affection, regard, or esteem; an intimate acquaintance." Jesus defined friendship this way: "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. . . . I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you" (Jn. 15:14-15).
Baby Worries
I have discovered that 90 percent of the things I've worried about never came to pass. And when what I had feared did occur, God's grace was always sufficient.
That's My Dad!
You don't have to meet a man face to face to know what kind of a father he is. Just listen to the way his children refer to him.
Do We Expect An Answer?
To pray for something when we know it is not God's will is to waste our breath. God has revealed His will in the Bible, and so our prayers must be grounded in the truths of His Word.
Barking At The Moon
A certain judge was constantly annoyed by the sneering remarks and abusive language of an attorney. Instead of cracking down on the lawyer and silencing him, the judge would only smile and chew on his pencil. People wondered how he could be so patient.
He Must Increase
Two little saplings grew side by side. Because of the action of the wind they continually crossed each other. In time the bark of each tree became wounded and the sap began to mingle, until one day they bonded together. As they grew, the stronger began to absorb the life of the weaker. One became larger and larger, while the top of the other began to wither and die. Now there are two trunks at the bottom and only one at the top. Death has taken away the one; life has triumphed in the other.
Sleeping Sickness
In the tropics of Central Africa many people are afflicted by a disease known as sleeping sickness. In one epidemic between 1901 and 1904, more than 100,000 died in a single province.
The Mirror
An elderly man who was very near sighted thought of himself as an expert in evaluating art. One day he visited a museum with some friends. He had forgotten his glasses and couldn't see the pictures clearly, but that didn't stop him from airing his strong opinions. As soon as they walked into the gallery, he began critiquing the various paintings.
Connected
A famous clockmaker took a visitor through his shop and pointed out two ways of regulating the time of the instruments. In one method, a master clock sounded a note at set intervals. If the other clocks were wrong, the signal would reveal their error, but it didn't set them right.
Saved By The Lamb
A tourist who had visited a church in Norway said that he was surprised to see the carved figure of a lamb near the top of the church's tower. He learned that when the church was being built, a workman fell from a high scaffold. His co-workers rushed down, expecting to find him dead. But to their surprise and joy, he was alive and only slightly injured.
Much Talk, No Work
An elderly man visited a church during a business meeting. After a number of reports were presented, the chairman of the evangelism committee stood and solemnly stated that there were 200 homes in their county without a Bible.
Singing At Night
There are two little birds that are beautiful pictures of the spirit of song. The one is the skylark. It awakens early in the morning and greets the rising monarch of the day with music. Its whole being seems to burst forth in song.
The Lord Is Looking
Looking through his telescope, an astronomer was making observations of the setting sun. As he was adjusting his lens, he noticed the top of a hill several miles away.
Unusual Places
Walking past my barn one day, I heard a frantic chirping inside. When I investigated, I found a poor blue jay beating its wings against the window. Had it not cried and chirped, I would not have heard, but its cry for help prompted me to come, open the door wide, and allow it to fly out to freedom.
Youthful Old Age
Many cultures seem to value young people more than the elderly. In the workplace, for example, mandatory retirement policies restrict the number of years an employee is considered useful.
The Resurrection
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the keystone of the arch of salvation. Remove it and the whole structure of the plan of salvation crumbles in the dust.
The Sting
Years ago, while I was walking in the field with my two young boys, a bee stung the elder of the two just above his eye. He quickly brushed it away and threw himself in the grass, kicking and screaming. No sooner had the bee been brushed away when it went straight for the younger son and began buzzing around his head. He tried to hide in the tall grass and began screaming for help. I picked him up and told him not to worry—the bee had lost its stinger.
The Burned- Over Place
Some early settlers were traveling together across the western prairies of the United States. One day they were horrified to see a fire fanned by strong wind coming their way.
No Place For The Devil
A teacher in a Bible school gave his students an hour-long exam. They were to spend half their time writing about the Holy Spirit and the other half about the devil.
Redeemed!
Among the many names given to our Lord in the Bible, one is especially dear to me. It is the name Redeemer.
The Measure Of Love
Love delights to give. Tell me how much you give and I will tell you how much you love. Giving is the acid test of loving.
