In his excellent book, The Rest of God, Mark Buchanan tells the story of his wife’s grandmother who lived during the Canadian gold rush. These were the days when men and women would pan the rivers and bore into the hills in an attempt to strike it rich. “Gold fever” literally filled the air back then.
Read MoreArguably one of the greatest works of art in the history of the world is located on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Michelangelo’s brilliant painting is a bona fide masterpiece. Have you ever taken the time to look at it carefully?
Read MoreJordan Bohannon looked into Section KK at Carver-Hawkeye Arena to make eye contact with his older brother, Zach, to confirm one last time: The plan they had discussed was still in motion. Earlier in the game against Northwestern, Bohannon had tied Chris Street for Iowa’s consecutive free-throw record.
Read MoreWhile General Douglas MacArthur was stationed in Australia during World War 2 and acting as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area, he penned this prayer for his only son, Arthur. See if his words don’t resonate with you as they did with me.
Read MoreOne of the most unique planes flown by the U.S. Air Force is the U-2. Flying out of Beale Air Force Base, the “Dragon Lady” is the ultimate high-altitude spy plane. With a cruising altitude of 70,000 feet (over 13 miles), the U-2 has been in operation for over 50 years. It boasts some of the best pilots in the world.
Read MoreThe stationery was cheap. The handwriting was shaky. The ink was black. The tone was desperate. The note was addressed to the United States Govt, Washington D.C. It read. “I am sending $10 for the blankets I stole while in World War II. My mind could not rest. I want to be ready to meet God.” It was signed, “an ex-G.I.”
Read MoreBack in the early days of the 20th century, there lived a man by the name of Charlie Steinmetz. Steinmetz was an electrical engineer and an absolute genius.
Read MoreI recently came upon a fascinating piece of trivia. You blink 25 times every minute. Each blink takes you about 1/5 of a second. Therefore, if you take a ten-hour automobile trip, averaging 40 miles per hour, you will drive 20 miles with your eyes closed.
Read MoreA pastor named Andy Stanley says that a lot of times when a spouse with a distressed marriage comes in to talk to him, all they can talk about is where the other spouse is at fault, how they blame their partner.
Read MoreMark Batterson writes, “We tend to rank miracles. Almost like a judge at a gymnastics competition that ranks a routine based upon degree of difficulty, we rank our prayer requests. We have big requests and little requests. We have easy requests and difficult requests. But that is a false construct.“
Read MoreOne of the joys Gwen and I share is the fact that we get to live “in the woods.” Our home is surrounded by acres upon acres of foliage – trees, bushes, and underbrush. It’s an environment that provides a dazzling visual display through the various seasons. It’s an environment that attracts birds of all type. And it’s an environment that’s “home” to all sorts of mammals.
Read MoreIn May 1897, the great American humorist Samuel Clemens – best known by his pen name, Mark Twain – was in London on a round-the-world speaking tour he’d embarked on in 1895. While there, someone started a rumor that he had died. In fact, one major American newspaper actually printed his obituary.
Read MoreRecently I was freshly gripped by the glorious vision the Apostle John was given regarding our destiny as believers in Jesus. He wrote…“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men and He will live with them...“
Read MoreTo my way of thinking, some of the most outrageous words in all the world are these: God forgives your sins. You may have heard those words years ago and rested in them for a long time. Or perhaps such an amazing reality is new to you and you’re still staggered by the possibility of a clean slate and fresh start.
Read MoreIn February of 2013, the Christian world lost a spiritual giant. Howard G. Hendricks died at the age of 90 after decades of teaching this generation’s greatest communicators. “Prof,” as he was called, taught Christian Education at Dallas Theological Seminary. Among his students were Tony Evans, John Trent, Bruce Wilkinson, Chuck Swindoll, David Jeremiah, and countless others.
Read MoreHave you, in your educational experience, ever had a really, really hard test? Something that was almost unfair in its difficulty? I read some time back of a college student who faced that in a big way. He was taking a class on ornithology – the study of birds. And the final was coming up which he knew was going to be a bear because the professor had a reputation for giving extremely difficult tests.
Read MoreI recently read an article online with this title: "The Most Dangerous Word in the World." It's about the power the word “no” can have over our minds. It was written by a researcher, Andrew Newberg, who is a specialist in neurology. This is part of what he and his coauthor write: "If I were to put you into an MRI scanner…and flash the word 'NO' for less than one second…”
Read More“It is impossible to overemphasize the immense need humans have to be really listened to, to be taken seriously, to be understood. No one can develop freely in this world and find a full life without feeling understood by at least one other person…”
Read MoreThen the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time… (Jonah 3:1) To my way of thinking, this is arguably the most remarkable verse in the entire book of Jonah. That phrase, of course, alludes to the fact that there had been “a first time.”
Read MoreA wonderful story is often told about an incident in the life of Poland's famous concert pianist, Ignacy Paderewski. A mother took her small child to a concert by Paderewski to expose him to the talent of the great pianist. She hoped as she did to encourage her son in his piano lessons, which he had just begun and was struggling to continue.
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