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!'"
Not A Simple God
People love to put God in a box. To satisfy their own thinking or to support their side of an argument, they build a box, label it, put God in it, and shrinkwrap it.
The Gloves
When she shuffled into the subway, I wanted to look away. She was old, and she had only ragged clothes to protect her from the bitter Chicago winter wind. She took the nearest seat, her shoulders hunched against the cold and her eyes down. Her white, cracked, bony hands clutched a worn shawl tightly around her. I watched with wonder and pity.
The Sounds Of Silence
Three months after the new Denver International Airport (DIA) opened in February 1995, several hundred people threw a loud party to celebrate something they hadn't heard for many years—silence. The celebrants were residents of Denver's Park Hill neighborhood, near Stapleton International Airport, which closed when DIA opened.
God's Supply
One morning while shopping, I began chatting with a woman who was a radiant Christian. After mentioning that her income was extremely meager, she encouraged me when she shared this incident: "Recently our pastor asked if I needed special prayer for any material needs. I answered, 'Just pray that I'll know more of Christ, because through Him I receive all things!'" This woman obviously was in the habit of looking expectantly to God, the true supplier of her needs.
The Forgotten Book
A young boy noticed a large, dust-covered book on a high shelf in his home. His curiosity was aroused, so he asked his mother about it. Embarrassed, she hastily explained, "Oh, that's a Bible. That's God's Book." He thought for a moment and then said, "Well, Mom, if that's God's Book, why don't we give it back to Him? Nobody around here uses it."
For Example
A mother cheetah brought a live gazelle fawn to her 5-month-old cubs and released it. After the cubs made several unsuccessful attacks, the mama cheetah intervened and showed them how to make the kill.
China's Wall
The words of Proverbs 14:34 could be chiseled on the tombstone of many civilizations: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." We think we can build a nation on the gross national product or defend it with armaments, but God says that countries are built on the character of their people.
