Rabbi Harold Kushner cites an old Chinese tale about a woman overwhelmed by grief after the death of her son. When she goes to the holy man for advice, he tells her, “Fetch me a mustard seed from a home that has never known sorrow.We will use it to drive the sorrow...

When I was a boy, I heard a mystery program on radio that captured my imagination. It told the story of a man who was condemned to solitary confinement in a pitch-black cell. The only thing he had to occupy his mind was a marble, which he threw repeatedly against the...

A friend once told me about a Christian singer he knew who rented a recording studio. After an extensive setup and sound check, she began performing her first song. The sound technician thought it sounded great, but about halfway through the first verse, she stopped...

https://youtu.be/PY8l226p1Tw

The human spirit will not even begin to try to surrender self-will as long as all seems to be well with it. Now error and sin both have this property, that the deeper they are the less their victim suspects their existence; they are masked evil. Pain is unmasked,...

https://youtu.be/57riLji-g5Q

https://youtu.be/-DtrIWI-mpo

I have a friend — I’ll call him Brennan — who served for several years as a leader in our church. A bright young college senior, Brennan was well-spoken, well-regarded, and a leader both on his college campus and in our church. But Brennan had a dark secret he had...

My favorite poem: When God wants to drill a man, And thrill a man, And skill a man, When God wants to mold a man To play the noblest part; When He yearns with all His heart. To create so great and bold a man That all the world shall be amazed, Watch His methods, watch...

A few years ago a young man sat in my office feeling deeply frustrated with his faith. Although he knew a lot of truths about God, he sensed very little relationship with God — at least, not the dynamic relationship he wanted. God seemed distant. It seemed that...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vlm147pug8

One of the most helpful things you can do to strengthen your prayer life is to study the prayers of the apostle Paul as recorded in the New Testament. Most of Paul’s letters begin with a thanksgiving and prayer for “the saints” (believers) to whom he writes. Paul does...

https://youtu.be/swTO1oHajfg

https://youtu.be/aB6eFnLFmt8

The ant doesn’t need anyone looking over its thorax telling it to get to work. The ant is the ultimate example of what we today call a “self-starter.” Whether it’s on Twitter, through an e-mail, or when I’m speaking at a live event, about once a week someone asks me,...

https://youtu.be/ae7mMUTw90Y

Images of soldiers in battle are common in several of Paul’s epistles. That’s not too surprising, considering he and his fellow believers were all under rule by representatives of the Roman Empire, which had conquered its territories with a mighty army. Thus we’re not...

https://youtu.be/FYgi-KivB0Y

https://youtu.be/WfIfArl_59U

There’s a story from some years ago about a wicked storm in the Midwest. People started scrambling for shelter and, in the midst of everyone running around, a man saw a boy carrying another boy on his back. The boy being carried looked to be nearly the size of the boy...

https://youtu.be/qTRIza9YEF4

The final, official act of David as king of Israel is recorded in 1 Chronicles 29:10–19, as the king offers a public, joyful, God-entranced prayer in response to the generosity of Israel. A sacred box called the ark of the covenant represented the presence of God to...

https://youtu.be/3P3dADEDxYM

https://youtu.be/kMaVOO42OIA

There’s much material available to help Christians deal with the mystery of unanswered prayer. Yet unanswered prayer remains a mystery for many of us. You may be carrying scars from the painful experience of not getting what you prayed for. You called on the Lord, but...

https://youtu.be/V3J5LCPxw2Q

The title of this chapter is a back-door acknowledgment that there are some prayers that God will not answer. I repeat: God does not answer every prayer. (See Jeremiah 7:16; Psalm 66:18; 1 Peter 3:7.) In fact, God will not listen to some prayers; much less answer...

Opportunities to welcome others and practice hospitality abound, if we will only dream a little. Let’s look at a few: Adopt Some Students Gary and Susan are an empty-nest couple who are dear friends of our family. For almost two decades now, we have watched them be...

https://youtu.be/O21p1Knytgo

https://youtu.be/O6pw7IhHgbc