What God Can Do With 57 Cents

(author unknown) A little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was "too crowded." "I can't go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her …

Benched

(by Amanda Goodman, adapted for this article) I’ll never forget it. I was a high school freshman and we were in the middle of a heated basketball game with one of our rivals. I was on the floor when I heard my coach yelling for me, “Mandy! Mandy!” I heard him. But I was blatantly …

The Broken Candle

(by Liz Liles Wagoner) Tonight, I walked in from the store with my arms full and a brand new candle in my bag. As I struggled to get it all on the counter, one bag dropped and I heard the glass break. My brand new candle was ruined as the glass shattered. Frustrated, I was …

Eight Tests for Decision Making

(author unknown) Scriptural Test – Has God already spoken about it in His word? “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (II Timothy 3:16) Secrecy Test – Would it bother me if everyone knew this was my choice? “The integrity of …

Safe at Home

(by David Anderson) The little guy was standing at third base. Seven years old. His fellow teammate at the plate had swung furiously at the first two pitches. And missed. I knelt down on my knees in the third base coaches’ box and leaned out over the chalk line that fairly shouted ‘proceed no further,’ …

The Lecture Hall Lesson

(by Liza Hall) The professor enters the lecture hall. He looks around. "You there in the 8th row. Can you tell me your name?" he asks a student. "My name is Sandra," says a voice. The professor asks her, "Please leave my lecture hall. I don't want to see you in my lecture." Everyone is …

The Report Card

(by Rachel Mary Stafford) My daughter handed me her school progress report. Although it displayed a steady stream of positive check marks, there was one check mark standing dejectedly alone from the rest. “How am I doing, Mom?” my child asked with a level of maturity that did not match the small disheveled person gazing …

The Kind Can

(author unknown) “Mom, I hate them.” “Them” being her friends at school. This is what my 7-year-old confided to me as I was putting her to bed the other night. I could have made light of her hatred, like I’ve done when she tells me she hates broccoli. I could have gotten caught up in …

For Such a Time as This

(by Alex Cravens) Don’t feel sorry for or fear for your kids/grandkids because the world they are going to grow up in is not what it used to be. God created them and called them for the exact moment in time that they’re in. Their life wasn’t a coincidence or an accident. Raise them up …

We Need Each Other

(by Angie Maxwell Wolfe) I know how easy it is to isolate ourselves when our hearts are desperately hurting. Trust me. I can isolate with the best of them. But, God created us to do life in a community of believers where we can go stand on someone else’s faith when our own gets shaky. …