Get Into The Stew
It's common, cheap, and used around the world. It has stirred up wars, led to the establishment of trade routes, and paid the salaries of soldiers. Today it serves chiefly as a preservative and a flavoring. What is it? It's that crystalline substance we call salt.
The Artist's Dream
Rita Snowden wrote a book in 1937 titled If I Open My Door. In it she described a congregation that was planning to build a new place of worship. Central to its sanctuary would be a stained-glass window depicting children worshiping Jesus.
It's All For Him
It's a little phrase of just two words at the end of Colossians 1:16—"for Him." Yet that little phrase gives God's own interpretation of history. In those two words He affirms that Jesus is the final and complete explanation of everything.
A Little Kinder
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), one of the world's leading intellects, was visiting with Houston Smith, a well-known professor of philosophy and religion. As they were driving to an engagement, Huxley said, "You know, Houston, it's rather embarrassing to have spent one's entire lifetime pondering the human condition and . . . find that I really don't have anything more profound to pass on by way of advice than, 'Try to be a little kinder.'"
Unanswered Prayer
Have you or a friend been afflicted with an illness for which there is no medical cure? Has God denied your repeated requests for healing? Has His refusal to say yes caused you to question His purpose?
Finding Our Way Home
Author Anne Lamott tells about a 7-year-old girl who got lost in a big city. The girl frantically ran up and down several streets, looking for a familiar landmark. A policeman saw the girl, realized something was wrong, and offered to help. So she got in the car and he slowly drove through nearby neighborhoods. Suddenly the girl pointed to a church and asked the policeman to let her out. She assured him, "This is my church, and I can always find my way home from here."
Effective Praying
A 12-year-old Cambodian boy named Lem Cheong began to question his family's religious beliefs. He had been taught that a person seeking guidance should go to a temple and shake a container of numbered bamboo slivers until one fell out. The priest then interpreted the meaning of the number. But this practice didn't satisfy Cheong's longing for clear answers, nor did it fill the void in his heart that only God could fill.
Debtors Forever
Occasionally it's helpful to spend a few quiet moments looking back over our lives to review how indebted we are to God for His goodness and mercy. Of course, no two personal histories are the same. But we can all echo the words of David, the poet-king, in Psalm 23:6. He wrote, "Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." If we are trusting Jesus Christ, those few words sum up the whole of our experience in life.
Life's Uncertainty
Life's one certainty is its sheer uncertainty. As Scripture reminds us, we "do not know what will happen tomorrow" (James 4:14). Real estate developer Larry Silverstein can bear witness to the truth of that text. Though he owned impressive property in New York City, he was, according to his own testimony, obsessed by the desire to add the great Twin Towers of the World Trade Center to his holdings. His wish came true. Six weeks before those two imposing skyscrapers were destroyed by terrorists, he had obtained a 99-year lease worth $3.2 billion for that majestic center.
