Why Did This Happen?
Bruce Goodrich was being initiated into the cadet corps at Texas A&M University. One night, Bruce was forced to run until he dropped—but he never got up. Bruce Goodrich died before he even entered college.
Evil or Devil?
Bible teacher William Evans wrote, “It is popular in some circles today to spell the word devil with the letter d left off. This reduces the idea of an actual person called the devil to a mere influence called evil.
Our Awesome God
The word awesome is freely used these days to describe athletes, coaches, teachers, and even friends. I suppose it’s not wrong to use the expression this way. But if you ever stand at the rim of the Grand Canyon, or get a panoramic view from Sandia Peak, a point more than 14,000 feet above sea level, you’ll really feel a sense of awe.
Captives in Churches
Unbelievable, yet true; bizarre, yet it happened. A 16-year-old girl was kidnapped and held prisoner for 4 months. Where? In the attic of a church in Memphis, Tennessee.
Restoring the Fallen
My 6-year-old granddaughter was at one of her first ice-skating lessons. Now that Kelsey could glide a little across the ice, Grandpa and Grandma were invited to watch. It was a painful experience! She still took quite a few falls. But Crystal, her instructor, was always right there to pick her up and encourage her. Other skaters stopped to tell her she was doing well. Mom and Dad were watching from the sidelines, cheering her on. Kelsey had plenty of patient instruction and support, so whenever she fell she got right back up and kept trying.
Good Conduct Motivators
Prohibitions against bad behavior rarely motivate us to do good. Some actually stir up a desire to disobey. Tell Johnny to stay away from the cookie jar and you’ll soon hear its lid rattling. The strongest motivators of good conduct are those in which we have a personal investment.
Doing Things God’s Way
Again and again we hear of groups who claim to be doing things in God’s name yet don’t seem to be truly serving Him. For instance, we see cults rising up—groups that are headed by a leader with personal magnetism, who draws people to himself with promises, claiming to have special knowledge from God.
Religion or Relationship?
The 19th-century Danish theologian Sören Kierkegaard identified two kinds of religion—Religion A and Religion B. The first is “faith” in name only (2 Tim. 3:5). It’s the practice of attending church without genuine faith in the living Lord.
Run To Win!
It’s as true in life as in running: Only the determined achieve their goals. Olympic medals don’t go to overweight businessmen who puff around the track for exercise.
