Eliana’s World
On the day the US lost one of its most respected presidents, my wife and I celebrated the birth of our first grandchild. Gerald R. Ford died the day Eliana Ruth was born to our daughter Lisa and her husband, Todd. She came into the world in a hospital about a mile from where President Ford is now buried.
Our Best Defense
In late January 1956, during the tense days of the Montgomery Boycott, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. could not sleep. A threatening phone call had terrified him. So he prayed, “I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But Lord, I must confess that I’m weak now, I’m faltering. I’m losing my courage. Now, I am afraid. . . . The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. . . . I can’t face it alone.”
Greatly Valued
A British factory worker and his wife were excited when, after many years of marriage, they discovered they were going to have their first child. According to author Jill Briscoe, who told this story, the man eagerly told his fellow workers that God had answered his prayers. But they made fun of him for asking God for a child.
Shenandoah
My grandfather grew up on the North American frontier and raised his family on a dairy farm. To pass the time, he often sang songs while he worked. “Shenandoah” was one of his favorites:
O Shenandoah, I long to hear you,
Away, you rolling river,
O Shenandoah, I long to hear you,
Away, I’m bound away,
’Cross the wide Missouri.
The Hospitality Manager
Victoria’s family refers to her as the “hospitality manager” of their home. She lives in Singapore with her daughter and son-in-law. He is the RBC Ministries international director, and they often have visitors. Victoria stays busy as a volunteer in the RBC office on that island nation, but her primary ministry is the gift of caring and hospitality. She makes their visitors feel welcome, loved, and cared for in their home.
Designed By God
Bison are made in such a way that their natural inclination is to look down; the design of their necks makes it difficult for them to look up. In contrast, giraffes are designed in a way that makes looking up easy; the way their necks were made makes it difficult for them to look down. Two creatures created by the same God but with distinctively different body parts and purposes. Giraffes eat leaves from branches above. Bison eat grass from the field below. God provides food for both, and neither has to become like the other to eat.
What On Earth Are We Doing?
“What on earth are you doing?!” You may have heard that phrase when your mom told you to clean your room and found you playing with your toys instead, or maybe when your teacher caught you passing notes in class.
Connecting With God
In his book Objects of His Affection, Scotty Smith shares his journey of learning to personally experience the passionate love of God. As a young boy, he lost his mother suddenly in a car accident. Because of this, he closed off his wounded heart to others—including God. Several years later he received Jesus as his Savior and began to learn the truths of Christianity. Yet his relationship with the Lord in those days was, as he described, “side by side rather than face to face. Important, but not intimate.”
Rediscovering The Passion
A Major League baseball player announced his retirement, saying, “All of a sudden, that passion isn’t there anymore. Physically, I think I could still do it. But something that I loved my whole life and had such a passion for became a major, major job for me. It’s not like it used to be.”
