ARTICLES

On the first day of the fall semester, a professor handed out the syllabus for his English class. He said to the fifty students assembled in the lecture hall, “As you see, you are required to write three papers this semester. The first one is due on September 30, the second on October 30, and the third on November 30. I want to stress that these deadlines are not flexible. I expect the papers to b...

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” — Matthew 28:19–20 (NIV)As followers of Jesus Christ, most of us are familiar with the word discipleship. We’ve read about the original twelve discipl...

He was given the title, “Mr. Irrelevant.” It was not a compliment, but it seemed to be an accurate description of the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Afterall, 261 football players had been drafted ahead of him. It was unlikely this man would even make the final roster cut, much less be a major contributor to his team. Yet, that is exactly what Brock Purdy did. The former Iowa State Cyclone quar...

Back in the 1996 Masters golf tournament, Greg Norman had one of the more embarrassing experiences an athlete has ever suffered. After three rounds, he had a virtually insurmountable, six-stroke lead. If he played eighteen more holes of just average golf, he would win the Masters and take possession of the coveted green jacket. The next day, however, the bottom fell out for Greg Norman. On the fou...

“Today I have not gossiped, yelled, been greedy, or selfish. I have not whined, grumbled, used profanity, or eaten any chocolate. I am going to get out of bed now Lord, and I will need A LOT MORE HELP to get me through the rest of the day.” Folks, this little joke contains some very important truth. It is difficult for any of us to avoid sinning when we encounter various temptations each day.A Rom...

If you’ve ever watched NBC’s Manifest, you’ve likely been captivated by its intriguing plot line: a plane mysteriously disappears for five and a half years, only to reappear as if no time had passed for the passengers. While their loved ones have moved on, the travelers struggle to reconcile what has happened. The show wrestles with the nature of time, destiny, and divine intervention.A couple of ...

George Orwell once wrote an essay where he described a picnic lunch where a wasp landed on his plate and began sucking up some strawberry jam. Orwell then took his knife and cut the wasp in half. To his surprise, the insect “paid no attention and merely went on with his meal, while a tiny stream of jam trickled out of his severed esophagus. Only when he tried to fly away did the wasp grasp the dre...

A very selfish ten-year-old boy wrote a letter to Santa, listing all the toys and gadgets he wanted for Christmas. When she saw the letter, his mom made him sit down next to the family nativity set. She said, “I want you to look at this nativity set and think about what Christmas is really about. Then I want you to write a letter to Jesus.”The boy sat and thought for awhile and then wrote: “Dear J...

In the Middle Ages, knowing the Bible had the power to save your life. I’m not even talking about cleanliness or handwashing practices during the plagues. No, the practice I’m referring to is called the benefit of clergy, and it dates back to the Middle Ages and beyond. The benefit of clergy referred to the special judicial privileges afforded to churchmen due to the power and influence of the chu...

Psalm 92:1 tells us, “It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord.” Yet, our ability to be truly grateful to God, whether on the fourth Thursday of November, or any other day, depends on how we view various aspects of our lives. There are two perspectives that we should strive to cultivate if we want to consistently express gratitude to God.First, we need to recognize that the Lord is the source...

I wanted to take some time to talk about a subject that many people avoid: “Fear of the Lord.” Fully describing the God of the universe is an impossible mental exercise, but we have been given glimpses of His character through the Bible. We know He is love (1 John 4:16), He is holy (1 Samuel 2:2), He is all-knowing (1 John 3:20), He is all-wise (Romans 16:27), and He is ultimately good (Luke 18:19...

A little boy stayed overnight at his aunt’s house. In the morning, she asked what he wanted for breakfast. “Oh, I'd love your pancakes,” he replied. “When we have pancakes at home, I only get three, but when I'm at your house, you let me eat as many pancakes as I want.”Soon, the aunt was piling pancakes on the boy’s plate, and he was eating them as fast as he could. By the time he had eaten his te...

For over 20 years, William “Eddy” McMullen served as an assistant coach at Old Colony High School in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The head coach and the student athletes were thrilled to have him coaching football at Old Colony. After all, they knew Eddy McMullen was a former Notre Dame running back and a Heisman trophy finalist in 1966, who then went on to play for the Detroit Lions in the Nationa...

On Saturday, July 13, Donald Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Though Trump was not seriously injured, one individual was tragically killed by a bullet intended for the former President. His name was Corey Comperatore, a man the Pittsburg Post-Gazette called “a real-life super hero.”Corey Comperatore was a 50-year-old man, married, with two ...

Over the past few months I have had the privilege of gathering with 13 others to experience the rhythms of Rooted. In essence, Rooted is a ten-week devotional guide that is designed to help believers (and nonbelievers!) incorporate the seven rhythms into their daily lives. None of the rhythms were new or revolutionary; in fact, they are all modeled on the second chapter of Acts, and many of which ...

Two cars were waiting at a stoplight. The light turned green, but the man in the first vehicle did not notice. The woman in the car behind him watched as the traffic passed around them. She then honked her horn and yelled, “It’s green, you idiot!” The man just sat in his car, apparently oblivious to what was happening. The woman started to go ballistic inside her vehicle, ranting and raving, pound...

The first day of VBS 2024 had one hundred thirty-eight kids spending 3 hours in our church building. Some came excitedly, eager to participate in all the planned activities and to make new friends; some came in tears pulling back in trepidation and nervousness. There was all manner of emotion on the young faces as they walked into our church to kick off this year’s event.At 7:30am in the library, ...

A few years ago, a large bull moose wandered into the city of Calgary, Alberta. It ended up in the yard of Lorna Cade who called the Fish and Wildlife Department. Soon spectators and reporters were gathered, watching the authorities unsuccessfully try to coax the magnificent animal back toward the woods. Finally, a Fish and Wildlife officer shot the moose with a tranquilizer. It then bolted down t...

From what I have seen, anytime you come across an obscure and untranslatable term in a culture, the more obscure and untranslatable it is, the more you should want to experience it. Take the Danish practice of hygge, for example. It’s a term that’s best translated as “coziness,” but it’s more about that elusive feeling of coziness that might come from being wrapped up in a warm blanket with a good...

A burglar broke into a home in a well-to-do neighborhood. He began to take items from a shelf when suddenly he heard a deep growl. He looked down and saw a huge Doberman. He backed away quietly from the dog, who just sat on the floor growling. Just then, he heard a small voice ask, “Who are you? Who are you?” He looked around and carefully checked various rooms, but there did not seem to be anyone...