Bearing A Grudge
English essayist and critic Charles Lamb (1775-1834) had this to say about a person he did not want to meet: "Don't introduce me to that man! I want to go on hating him, and I can't hate someone I know."
When You're Down
Sometimes it doesn't take much to get us down, does it? An unkind remark from a friend, bad news from the auto mechanic, a financial setback, or a misbehaving child can put a cloud of gloom over everything, even on the sunniest day. You know you should be joyful, but everything seems to be against you, making simple tasks a struggle.
Postcard Christianity
When my husband and I visited Mt. Rainier, the highest point in the continental United States, I expected to see some spectacular sights. But for 2 days the mountain remained shrouded in clouds. So instead of taking pictures, I bought postcards.
Indispensable
A talented stay-at-home mother wrote a delightful essay in which she vividly describes (without complaining) the frustrations, sacrifices, and loneliness that accompany her chosen lifestyle. It's not glamorous to deal with a fussy 18-month-old who is teething, to settle quarrels between an irrational 3-year-old and a pushy 5-year old, and to listen to the incessant chatter of small children. Yet she concludes that her role is indispensable for the total well-being of her children. How true!
A Winning Combination
A new believer slipped into his old ways by attending a party and getting drunk. When he arrived home, his wife would not let him in. Instead, she called their pastor, who found the man sleeping in his car.
Wake-Up Calls
A strong, young brute often swaggered around town boasting that he could walk a barbed wire fence in his bare feet with a wildcat under each arm. So goes the story according to the Iron County Miner. The braggart got a rude awakening, however, when he married a strong-willed little lady who made him wash the dishes twice a day.
Mountains Can Move!
A familiar slogan about prayer is, "Prayer changes things." But prayer doesn't do this—God does. Some people think that prayer itself is the source of power, so they "try prayer," hoping "it will work" for them. In Mark 11, Jesus disclosed one of the secrets behind all true prayer: "Have faith in God." Not faith in faith, not faith in prayer, but "faith in God" (v.22).
The Miracle Goes On
Did you ever think of a prayer meeting as a miracle? That thought came to my mind one evening at church after we divided into small prayer groups. As someone in each group prayed, I heard several people talking to God at the same time. It sounded like a jumble of words. But that's the miracle. God was hearing each prayer—along with millions of others being lifted to Him around the world in many different languages.
