The story is told of two soldiers who had recently been released from a prison camp in Siberia following World War II. “We did our best,” said an officer, “to repatriate the men as fast as possible, but many were still there when winter threatened to close up the port.” Only a limited number could board the last small boat. Among those waiting to be transported were two who had been friends all through the war. One of them was selected, but the other seemed doomed to remain behind. An order was given that those who were leaving could take only one important item of luggage. The heart of the man who was chosen went out to his friend, so he emptied his duffel bag of its prized souvenirs and his personal belongings and told his companion to get into the canvas sack. Then carefully lifting the bag onto his shoulders, he boarded the ship with his dear friend—his single, most precious possession! Because of our sins, you and I are doomed! “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). However, Jesus Christ died on the cross on our behalf as payment for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus did this willingly so that you and I might gain safe passage “home” to live together with our Heavenly Father for eternity. Our “ticket” home came at a great personal cost to Him; however, His self-sacrifice

One of the most well-known events in the year 1912 was the sinking of the luxury liner, Titanic, on April 15th. Another significant event occurred a week later on April 23, 1912: a little girl was born to Mattie and Freddie Hicks of Coffeeville, AL. They named her “Virgie Mae.” Her birth did not make national headlines, but she was a “treasure” to all who knew and loved her. And, little did anyone know but this little girl would live to see her 100th birthday! Can you imagine the changes that Ms. Virgie Mae witnessed in her lifetime? In addition to the incredible changes in technology and transportation, she went through many transitions in her own life. Born and raised in the small town of Coffeeville, Virgie moved to the city of Mobile, AL, and began working as a seamstress at a clothing mill. In 1942, she married Claude Ravier. They later had one child, Linda. During most of her married life Virgie helped her husband in his business, Ravier Brothers Florists. Claude died in 1983, and several years later she went to live with Linda and her husband, Joe. In the last few years, her health declined more and more until she died peacefully in her home on October 20, 2012, six months after her 100th birthday. Some refer to the “seasons” of a person’s life. Perhaps one could summarize Ms. Virgie Mae’s life that way: In the winter of her life, I once asked Ms. Virgie Mae to identify

On Sunday morning, April 24, 2005, Troy Driscoll, 15, and his best friend, Josh Long, 17, both high school students from North Charleston, SC., paddled out from Sullivan’s Island near their home for a day of fishing in a 15-ft. boat. They intended to put the boat between the beach and a sand bar, but they weren’t there 20 minutes when a riptide pulled them out, further away from the beach. They tried to put the anchor down, but it wouldn’t take hold. They drifted farther and farther away. Hours went by. They tried to wave people down, but nobody saw them. Josh said that the last thing he saw were the towers on shore that lead cargo ships in. When nightfall came, they couldn’t see anything. The next morning there was no land in sight. “All we could do was pray,” said Josh. By 10 p.m. on Sunday night, when the boys — who left Josh’s cell phone in his truck at the dock and had no radio or emergency equipment — hadn’t returned, their frantic parents called the Coast Guard. A rescue mission began which turned into a recovery mission 2 ½ days later when the teens weren’t found. Finally, on Saturday, April 30, the seventh day after they set out, two fisherman spotted them and brought them to safety. They were 7 miles off Cape Fear and 111 miles from where they had launched. While they were lost at sea, the teens battled the cold at night,

The World Health Organization reports that Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. The WHO states that the virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. Although great precautionary measures are used, we’ve witnessed recently how some doctors and caregivers working in West Africa have contracted the virus. The most recent case of an American aid worker catching the virus is Dr. Rick Sacra. Sacra, 51, has been treating patients on and off in Liberia for 15 years. In August, he went back to Monrovia, the national capital of Liberia, to help deliver babies. While there, somehow he contracted the Ebola virus. On Friday, September 5, Sacra was flown to Omaha, Nebraska in a special medevac plane. He has been given two experimental treatments, one of which consisted of blood plasma from another American aid worker, Dr. Kent Brantly, who caught Ebola in Liberia but has recently recovered. Michaeleen Doucleff reports, “Brantly was treated for Ebola at a hospital in Atlanta back in August. Doctors gave him and his coworker, Nancy Writebol, the experimental drug ZMapp. Both of them recovered from Ebola. But it still isn’t known [for certain] whether ZMapp helped them… The idea is that Brantly’s blood contains Ebola antibodies, which could help Sacra’s immune system fight off the virus.” Isn’t it wonderful? A physician gave some of his blood to help save the life of another physician. Now consider that sin is deadly (Romans 6:23),

Kathleen Murphy claims that golf saved her life. Here’s her story in her own words: Six years ago, when I was 58, I was playing in the Tuesday-morning women’s league at Exmoor Country Club just south of Lake Forest, IL. …On the long par-4 16th we all hit our drives to the same area in the fairway. I was first to hit. I smacked my dependable 3-wood pin-high but 15 yards right of the green, and the ball disappeared as it settled into the rough. Anticipating that looking for my ball might delay play, I sidestepped to the rough and began walking forward to get a head start. The group’s next shot, struck by Lois Burns (with whom I was playing for the first time), was a shanked 3-wood that flew sideways and hit me directly in the back of the head. I can still remember how the sound exploded in my ears. Immediately, Murphy’s teammates loaded her into the golf cart and carried her to the Emergency Room at the nearby Highland Park Hospital. A CAT scan and an MRI confirmed that her skull was not fractured, but the doctor began asking Murphy some questions. “Have you been experiencing headaches, bouts of dizziness, etc.?” Murphy said, “No.” The doctor was asking her these questions because the scans had revealed an apple-sized tumor that occupied nearly the entire right side of her brain. The doctors estimated that the tumor had been growing there for perhaps 15 years. More tests revealed

Family, friends, teammates and the world were all in shock when they learned that Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher fatally shot his girlfriend before driving to the NFL football team’s training facility and shooting himself last Saturday [December 1, 2012]. On the very next day, the grieving Chiefs decided to proceed with their scheduled game against the Carolina Panthers. The Chiefs won the emotion-filled game, but all would agree that the outcome of the game was not the important thing. Chiefs quarterback Brady Quinn was asked to share his thoughts about the tragedy in a press conference after the game. Commenting on Quinn’s remarks, Mike Florio said, “Quinn’s post-game remarks were eloquent and heartfelt, and they captured perfectly one of the things we risk losing as a society that communicates primarily in snippets of misspelled words and emotions.” “The one thing people can hopefully try to take away, I guess, is the relationships they have with people,” Quinn told reporters after the game. I know when it happened, I was sitting and, in my head, thinking what I could have done differently. When you ask someone how they are doing, do you really mean it? When you answer someone back how you are doing, are you really telling the truth? We live in a society of social networks, with Twitter pages and Facebook, and that’s fine, but we have contact with our work associates, our family, our friends, and it seems like half the time we are more preoccupied

Last year, Brenna Martin graduated from high school. One of the things that she will remember most is the graduation gift that she received from her parents. She posted her thoughts about her gift not long after she received it. Here are her words. I graduated High School this week. When my Dad said he had a present for me, I thought I was getting some cheesy graduation card. But what I received was something truly priceless… Following the ceremony he handed me a bag with a copy of Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss inside. At first I just smiled and said that it meant a lot and that I loved that book. But then he told me, “No, open it up.” On the first page I see a short paragraph written by none other than my kindergarten teacher. I started tearing up but I’m still confused. He tells me, “Every year, for the past 13 years, since the day you started kindergarten, I’ve gotten every teacher, coach, and principal to write a little something about you in this book.” He managed to keep this book a secret for 13 years, and apparently everyone else in my life knew about it! Yes the intended effect occurred… I burst out into tears. Sitting there reading through this book there are encouraging and sweet words from every teacher I love and remember through my years in this small town. My early teachers mention my “pigtails and giggles,” while my high school

A family was casually driving around sightseeing on vacation. It was a warm, clear, summer day, and they were enjoying the breeze coming through the rolled down windows. Soon the peaceful drive was interrupted when a honeybee flew through an open window and buzzed around the car. A young girl, who was allergic to bee stings, squirmed and shrieked as the bee flew close to her. She called out, “Daddy, Daddy! It’s a bee! It’s going to sting me!” The father quickly pulled the car over and began trying to get the bee out of the car. Unable to do so, and not wanting to anger the bee into accidentally stinging his daughter, he cornered the bee against the windshield. Having the bee trapped, he grasped the bee in his hand and waited for the inevitable sting. Feeling the sharp pain of the sting, he opened his hand and released the bee out the window. The little girl began panicking again, “Daddy, it’s going to fly back here again and sting me!” The father gently responded, “No honey, he can’t sting you now. Look at my hand.” In his hand was the bee’s stinger. Consider carefully the words of 1 Corinthians 15: “O Death, where is your sting? O Grave, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (vs. 55-57). “The sting of death is

Following the July 1-3, 1863 Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War, a section of the battlefield was designated as a cemetery for the soldiers slain in the battle. A ceremony was planned for November 19, 1863 for the “Consecration of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg.” Edward Everett was selected to give the chief oration. President Abraham Lincoln was invited to formally dedicate the site. The organizational committee expressed to President Lincoln: “It is the desire that, after the Oration, you, as Chief Executive of the nation, formally set apart these grounds to their sacred use by a few appropriate remarks.” These “few appropriate remarks” – the Gettysburg Address – that Lincoln would share on that historic occasion have come to be regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American history. In just over two minutes, Lincoln “examined the founding principles of the United States in the context of the Civil War, and he memorialized the sacrifices of those who gave their lives at Gettysburg and extolled virtues for the listeners (and the nation) to ensure the survival of America’s representative democracy (Wikipedia). Although the President was asked to dedicate the ground for the cemetery, he concluded his address with a challenge to the living: It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here

John DeFrain, Nick Stinnett and their colleagues have done extensive research with over 24,000 families since 1974 into what makes families strong. This ongoing research has revealed six qualities of strong families: “Spiritual Well-Being” has to do with the foundation of a family: their core values, code of conduct, sense of purpose and beliefs about life. No family is stronger than its foundation. That’s why it’s so important for us to build our families upon a solid foundation. Jesus identified the proper foundation for our lives and the lives of our families: Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. (Matthew 7:24-27) Our families encounter many “storms.” However, Jesus has promised that if we build our lives and our families upon the rock – which is Jesus Himself, the only sure Foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11) – by hearing and doing His Word, then we will be able to withstand those storms! Building our families on the Rock directly shapes our relationships within the

Toward the end of 2008 what was billed as the world’s most expensive new book went on display at the New York Public Library. There are more expensive old books, but this is a new book produced by the Italian publisher Marilena Ferrari. It’s cost: over $100,000! The book depicts the life and work of Michelangelo, including photographs of his drawings and sculptures, creations from the Sistine Chapel and his personal poetry. It weighs 62 lbs., has a front cover of white marble, and is covered with red silk velvet. Its paper is from one of Italy’s oldest paper mills – the mill where Picasso bought his art paper. Each book takes six months to make and comes with a 500-year warranty! As of December 2008, more than 20 of the books had been sold to buyers around the world. These books are valuable because of the craft, quality of materials and time that goes into their production. After all, the books don’t contain Michelangelo’s actual art, just photos of it! Yet, there is another book that is much more valuable. The most important book ever printed – and the most valuable book – is the Bible, God’s Word. What makes the Bible so valuable is the content of its message – the very words of God. It is a priceless treasure! Christians at Thessalonica understood the value of this Book. Paul commended them, saying: “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from

Maria Garcia has been described as “a happy lady with a sweet and easy laugh.” She also suffers from dementia and cannot remember things very well. However, when Garcia awakens each morning, she walks into the living room and asks one of her caregivers a routine question: “Is my mother up yet?” Garcia’s mother, Rosario Schielzeth, continues to be Garcia’s primary caregiver and companion. The remarkable thing about this is that Garcia is 86-years-old, and her mother is 104! This mother and daughter have rarely been apart during their lives. In fact, they have spent over 60 years living together in the same house. Since when Garcia’s health began to fail, her mother has always been there to help her. Schielzeth reads the newspaper each morning and seeks to keep her daughter’s mind active by keeping her updated on current events. She also reminds Garcia of what day it is, if she has eaten and the whereabouts of their dog, Frankie. “She lovingly reminds her, which is a difficult thing, I would imagine at 104, to have patience over and over again,” said Carol Festari, one of Garcia’s 24-hour caregivers. Sprinkled throughout their Sarasota, FL home are some stunning paintings done through the years by the talented Garcia. One of her paintings hangs over her mother’s bed. It is of two people sitting together in the countryside, near some serene water, having a picnic lunch on a beautiful day. The two people in the painting are a mother and daughter,

Some students recall hearing the principal of Plaza Towers Elementary School telling them over the intercom to go to the cafeteria and wait for their parents. Then, the tornado alarm sounded and selfless teachers of that school in Moore, Oklahoma frantically tried to secure their students’ safety. The tornado struck the school. Seven students were killed, but many were saved due to the heroic efforts of their teachers. Rhonda Crosswhite, a sixth grade teacher at Plaza Towers, and several students, sought refuge from the twister in a school bathroom. As the tornado tore through the building, she shielded three of her students with her own body. “It just started coming down so I just laid on top of some of them,” she said on NBC’s Today show. One of the students Crosswhite shielded, fourth-grader Damian Britton, said the tornado “sounded like a train coming by.” “A teacher covered us — Ms. Crosswhite,” Damian said on the show. “I told her we were fine because we were holding onto something. Then she went over to my friend Antonio and covered him. So she saved our lives.” “The whole time I just kept screaming to them, ‘Quit worrying, we’re fine, we’re fine,” she told the Today show hosts, adding that she was unsure if her attempts at reassurance could be heard over the twister. Yet, she kept reassuring them. “We’re going to be fine, I’m protecting you,” Crosswhite recalled telling the students. “Then I said a few prayers: ‘God, please take care

Sarah Darling saw him and had compassion on him. Billy Ray Harris is homeless and often finds refuge under a bridge in Kansas City, Missouri, which is also Sarah’s hometown. Sarah took out her change purse and emptied out the contents into Harris’ cup. However, Sarah later realized that she had donated much more than she intended. It was not until the next day that she discovered her engagement ring was missing. She remembered that she had removed the ring from her hand because the ring was irritating her skin, and she placed it into her change purse. With a sinking feeling, she feared that the ring was part of the contents that she had emptied into Harris’ cup. She returned to where she had seen Harris, but he was not there. She went back the following day and found him. She approached him and said, “I don’t know if you remember me, but I think I gave you something that is very precious to me.” Harris responded: “Was it a ring? Yeah, I have it; I kept it for you.” He handed the ring to her. Sarah was floored and elated! “I actually feel like I am especially lucky to have this ring now. I loved it before. I loved it so much, but I love it so much more now,” she later told a television host. To show her appreciation, Sarah set up an online fundraiser for Harris. The donations and praise have poured in from all over

An American preacher told of being on a mission trip to the island of Tobago where, in a worship service, a woman requested the song, “Count Your Blessings.” She did so by raising a hand without fingers and speaking from a face with neither nose nor ears. She was a member of the leper colony where the service was being held (Rowell 206). Erma Bombeck once wrote in the October 1992 edition of Redbook: “An estimated 1.5 million people are living today after bouts with breast cancer. Every time I forget to feel grateful to be among them, I hear the voice of an eight-year-old named Christina, who had cancer of the nervous system. When asked what she wanted for her birthday, she thought long and hard and finally said, ‘I don’t know. I have two sticker books and a Cabbage Patch doll. I have everything!’ The kid is right.” Have you counted your blessings recently? Are you thankful? In the United States, we have an annual holiday – Thanksgiving. Yet, thanksgiving should be something we do every day. The Amplified Bible [more nearly a commentary than a Bible translation, Editor] gives this reading of 1 Thessalonians 5:18. “Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].” Did you catch that? “No matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks.”

In 1893, a great “Parliament of Religions” was held in Chicago, Illinois. Members of all the various cults were gathered in attendance: there were Hindus, Buddhists and representatives of all sorts of exotic Eastern religions. It was designed to be a great festival of tolerance and ecumenical brotherhood, but a preacher, Joseph Cook of Boston, offered a reminder that not all religions are equal. During one of the sessions, he rose and dramatically announced, “Gentlemen, I beg to introduce to you a woman with a great sorrow. Bloodstains are on her hands, and nothing she has tried will remove them. The blood is that of murder. She has been driven to desperation in her distress. Is there anything in your religion that will remove her sin and give her peace?” A hush fell on the gathering. Not one of the swamis or monks said a word. In the heaviness of that silence Cook abruptly raised his eyes heavenward and cried out, “John, can you tell this woman how to get rid of her awful sin?” The preacher waited, as if listening for a reply. Suddenly he cried out, “Listen, John speaks. – ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, purifies us from all sin’ (1 John 1:7).” Not a soul broke the silence that followed; all the representatives of Eastern religions and Western cults sat speechless. Why? Because only Christianity can make that statement: only the shed blood of Jesus can claim the power to forgive all sin. This is a sublime truth

Doug Parsons once told about Morris Siegel, a homeless man that lived on the streets of Los Angeles. Morris slept outside and carried everything he owned in an old shopping cart. He died on December 14, 1989 from natural causes; his body was found in an alley. But Morris was not a typical homeless person. He died with $207,421.00 in the bank! Then WHY was he living on the streets of L.A.? Ten years earlier, Morris Siegel’s father had died and left him a small fortune. Morris never showed up to claim the money. Finally, the Division of Unclaimed Property tracked him down. They forced him to accept it, even though he did not show up for the ceremony to receive the money. He did take enough money to buy an old car in which he slept during bad weather. Relatives rented an apartment for Morris, but he never went there. He died with $3.00 in his pocket and a small fortune in the bank. His father had left him a substantial inheritance, but Morris refused it. It is the desire of God, the Heavenly Father, to give each of us an eternal inheritance. Even though we were lost in sin, because of His great love for us, God sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins so that we might become His children and heirs together with Christ. “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, if indeed we

Recently, the Lewisville (TX) church of Christ hosted its annual “Sending Them Off With Prayer” night. During this gathering, the church prays for everyone involved in the beginning of a new school year. This year, the Lewisville church added something new: Bibles were given to all of the children who were entering the first grade. These rising first-graders were called to the front of the building with their parents and were presented with a Bible by the minister, Jeff Jenkins. Jeff related some of the responses from these first graders: “One of our parents sent me a picture of her little girl in bed the night before her first day of school and she is holding her Bible.” “Another one of our students came up to me during the next church service and said, ‘Mr. Jeff, look, I brought my new Bible!’” “Another parent sent me the following story about her daughter: ‘Avery was so excited tonight when she received her Bible at church. She quickly noticed it had a map in the back. She looked up at me and said, Mommy, look, it has a map; now I will never be lost.’” Jeff smiled and thought, “You are right… This Bible is your map so you will never be lost.” The Bible, God’s Word, is our map. It reveals where we are, where we are headed and our desired destination. The Bible reveals that we are lost in sin, and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Yet, the Bible also reveals that God

The State of Idaho has discovered that it is easier to receive a mansion than it is to give it back, reports John Miller. The hilltop mansion was built by J.R. Simplot, potato magnate who became a billionaire by building a corporation that supplied McDonald’s with its golden French fries. Simplot, who died in 2008 at age 99, gave the mansion to the State of Idaho back in 2004. The mansion was given to the state to serve as a residence for the Governor of Idaho. However, the current governor does not want to live in it! A public hearing began this week to discuss what to do with the mansion. Thus far, the majority of people who have spoken recommend either selling the place or returning it to the Simplot family, but the family doesn’t want it! “The family’s position hasn’t changed,” said David Cuoio, a Simplot spokesman, on Wednesday, referring to an earlier statement. “J.R.’s home was given to the State with the understanding that it would be used as the governor’s house.” Meanwhile, the State of Idaho is spending thousands of dollars to maintain the empty mansion. Imagine that: an unwanted mansion! However, there is a “mansion” that is infinitely better than the Simplot mansion that everyone should want to inherit, not only because of its beauty, but also because of the One who has made it possible for each of us to inherit it. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, once comforted His troubled disciples with these words: “Let not your heart

The noted French naturalist, Jean Henri Fabre’, studied the Pine Processionary Caterpillar in great detail. He observed that these caterpillars would follow a lead caterpillar in a single-file line. This behavior is not only the reason why it was given its name, but it can also be a deadly characteristic. Consider an experiment that Fabre’ conducted with some processionary caterpillars. Allen Campbell described the experiment: “He took a flowerpot and placed a number of caterpillars in single-file around the circumference of the pot’s rim. Each caterpillar’s head touched the caterpillar in front of it. Fabre’ then placed the caterpillars’ favorite food in the middle of the circle created by the caterpillars’ procession around the rim of the flowerpot. Each caterpillar followed the one ahead thinking that it was heading for the food. Round and round went those silly insects – for seven days! After a week of this mindless activity, the caterpillars started to drop dead because of exhaustion and starvation. All that they had to do to avoid death was to stop the senseless circling of the flowerpot and head directly toward the food, less than six inches away from those ever-circling crawlers. However, the processionary caterpillars were locked into this lifestyle and couldn’t extricate themselves from this mindless behavior.” Caterpillars are not the only ones that can wander in circles. We need direction, too! Long ago, the prophet Jeremiah declared: “O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who

Several years ago, I was working in my office when I received a phone call. It was a phone call from a man whom I had never met, by the name of Daniel Whitworth. Daniel said, “David, I have an unusual question to ask you.” “Uh, okay” I responded. “What is your question?” “David, are you adopted?” “Well,” I responded, “I don’t think so, but I can ask my parents. Why do you ask?” Daniel began telling me that he and his two brothers were adopted out to different families when they were all very young. They could not keep in contact with one another as they were growing up because none of the brothers knew where the others had gone. Daniel said he had been able to find and get reacquainted with one of his brothers. Now they were trying to find their other long, lost brother. They wondered if I might be their brother. Daniel had seen my picture in the Magnolia Messenger, an informational and instructional religious publication edited by A.L. Franks of Kosciusko, MS. Daniel thought that there may be some family resemblance in our looks, so he decided to call and ask if I had been adopted as a child. My parents Glenn and Sara Sargent assure me that I am their biological child. However, if I were not, they would still be my loving parents! They have taken care of me since I was born into the world, and they still bless me with their

Josh McDowell has related the following incident: An executive hirer, a “headhunter” who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, “When I get an executive that I’m trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, ‘What’s your purpose in life?’ It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question. Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ For the first time in my career I was speechless.” In light of this conversation, Brett Petrillo challenges us: “Put yourself in this interview for a minute. What would you have said to this executive headhunter? Would you have an answer or would you fumble around trying to think about the right thing to say?” What is your purpose in life? For too many, life will simply end without them ever knowing why it began. Some have made prosperity their purpose in life. These will “spend” their lives making money to

In the spring of 1981, a young man was flown into the desolate north country of Alaska to photograph the natural beauty and mysteries of the tundra. He took along photo equipment, 500 rolls of film, several firearms and 1400 pounds of provisions. As the months passed, the entries in his diary, which at first detailed his wonder and fascination with the wildlife around him, turned into a pathetic record of a nightmare. In August he wrote, “I think I should have used more foresight about arranging my departure. I’ll soon find out.” He waited and waited, but no one came to his rescue. In November, he died in a nameless valley, by a nameless lake, 225 miles northeast of Fairbanks. An investigation revealed that he had carefully mapped out his venture, but had made no provision to be flown out of the area. ALL of us need to make specific plans for our departure from this life. If we do not, we can be left in a predicament worse than that young man! “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). The way to eternal life is through Jesus Christ, the Son of God: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except

Do you own a cell phone? Do you think your monthly bill is high? The amount you pay is surely far less than the bill received by Bob and Mary St. Germain. This couple received a bill of nearly $18,000 from Verizon Wireless back in 2006, and it was not a mistake! The St. Germain’s son believed he had free data downloads and used at least 816,000 kilobytes, which led to the enormous bill. Although an $18,000 cell phone bill is hard to imagine, it is insignificant when compared to the debt of sin that each of us has incurred. You and I are represented by the servant who owed 10,000 talents (an astronomical amount of money in that time) and was called before the king to settle the account in Jesus’ “Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.” (Please read the parable in Matthew 18:23-35.) Unable to pay the tremendous debt, the servant pled for mercy. “The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go” (Matthew 18:27). Due to our sin, each of us owes an enormous debt to God Who created us and has provided everything for us. We do not have enough resources to “pay” the debt for even one of our sins. We are completely dependent upon the mercy of God. Yet, God loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16) to pay the debt for our sins. He paid the price for our redemption by dying on the cross

B.H. McDaniel was a very successful orthodontist with a thriving practice. He also loved to fly his plane for a hobby. One day, he was flying from El Paso, TX to Lufkin, TX, when the engine stalled, and he couldn’t start it again. He was over the Davy Crockett National Forest, so an emergency landing was going to be almost impossible. However, God was with him every step of the way. He looked down and saw an opening among the trees. He tried to set the plane down in the little spot, but it was too short for landing. His plane hit hard, skidded into the trees on the other side of the field and broke into flames. B.H. broke his back in the crash and lay helpless as the fire began to burn. By the providence of the Lord, a farmer saw the plane go down and hurried to the wreckage. He pulled the doctor to safety just in time, as the aircraft was engulfed in flames. B.H. was taken to a local hospital. That started the long journey of healing, then therapy. It was going to take over two years to get even limited use of his legs back. Naturally, that was to wreak havoc on his orthodontic practice. Enter Dr. Stephen Kerr. Stephen had attended dental college in the early days with B.H., and they had become fast friends. One school day without really thinking about it, the two men made a “friendship pact” (much like David

Out of twelve sons, Joseph was Jacob’s favorite. As a display of his affection, Jacob made a coat of many colors for Joseph. “But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him” (Genesis 37:4 NKJV). When Joseph told his family of some dreams that indicated that his family members would one day bow down to him, his brothers hated him even more (Genesis 37:5-11). Their hatred for Joseph grew to the point where they wanted to kill him. Instead of killing him, they decided to sell him as a slave to a band of Ishmaelites who were on their way to Egypt (Genesis 37:12-28). Now Joseph’s brothers faced a dilemma: what were they going to tell Jacob? They devised and implemented a plan: “So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. Then, they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, ‘We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic or not?’” (Genesis 37:31-32). Jacob believed their scheme. Observing the coat of many colors saturated with blood, he cried, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces” (Genesis 37:33). Jacob was honest in his assessment of the situation; he thought Joseph had been killed. He was honest, but he was honestly mistaken. Saul was also

An old story is told about three men who meet at the end of a dock on a Florida beach. One was an alcoholic and homeless. The second man was just an average guy. The third man was a fine, honorable man, well respected in the community. Suddenly the alcoholic ran and jumped off the edge of the dock, landing five feet out into the water. The other two men standing on the dock yelled, “What are you trying to do?” The man in the water yelled back, “I’m trying to jump across the Atlantic Ocean!” The second man, the average Joe, said, “Watch me. I can do better than that!” He quickly ran across the dock, jumped and landed 10 feet out into the water, twice as far as the alcoholic. The third man, the outstanding man, laughed and said, “That’s nothing. Watch this!” He backs up about 50 feet and made a mad dash across the dock out into the water and landed 20 feet out, twice as far as average Joe, and four times as far as the homeless alcoholic. If we were to actually see such an attempt, we would think these three men were crazy for attempting to do the impossible – jump across the Atlantic Ocean! However, people trying to earn their own salvation are even more foolish. After sharing the story above, Howell Ferguson provided the following insights: “God can’t be approached by man on the basis of man’s own moral goodness. Sometimes

On November 16, 1992, Eric Hawes, a metal-detecting enthusiast, was asked to help a local farmer find his hammer, which had been lost in a field. Using his metal detector, Hawes found something else instead: coins and other gold and silver objects. He immediately recognized it as something valuable, so he reported to the Suffolk County Council, owners of the land. The Suffolk Archaeological Unit professionally removed the contents on the following day. The collection is now in the British Museum. The find consisted of “15,000 gold and silver coins, gold jewelry and numerous small items of silver tableware, including pepper pots, ladles and spoons” (www.britishmuseum.org). It is estimated that this Roman treasure, better known as the Hoxne (pronounced ‘Hoxon’) Hoard, was buried around 407-408 A.D. as Roman rule in Britain was deteriorating. It may have been hidden due to the political turmoil of the time. The hoard had been buried in a wooden box that had long since rotted away. The careful burial of this treasure probably means that the owner intended to come back and recover it later, but for whatever reason was unable to do so. It was thus declared “treasure trove,” that is, objects of gold or silver that had been hidden with the intention of recovery but for which the original owner could not be found. Such discovery is to be reported to the police and subject to a coroner’s inquest. If the find is declared treasure trove, it reverts to the British Crown and

“Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?” When these questions were asked, they were likely intended to be rhetorical questions. It is expected that a mother would not forget, neglect or harm her nursing child, and that a mother would always feel love and compassion for the children she has borne. Sadly, such is not always the case. A joint funeral service occurred in Orangeburg, South Carolina, for 2-year-old Devean C. Duley and 18-month-old Ja’van T. Duley. What happened to these two little brothers? Investigators say that the boys’ mother suffocated her two young sons on a Sunday night after a fight with her own mother, then strapped their bodies into her car and rolled it into a river so it would look like an accident. “Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?” In the Greek language, the original language of most of the New Testament Scriptures, there are different words that have been translated “love” in English Bibles. One of the words is “storge.” This love refers to the love that is shared among members of a family, like the love of a mother for her children. When the word is used in the New Testament (Romans 1:31; 2 Timothy 3:3), it is preceded by the Greek letter “alpha” which negates the word. It is translated “without natural affection” (KJV), “without love” (NIV), “unloving” (NKJV) and even “heartless” (CEV). In both

Highway deaths were up in 2005 for the first time in 19 years. One reason for that, according to a study by the government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is probably no surprise: distracted drivers. Distractions have always been an issue, but the new technologies that have burst on the scene have multiplied the problem. “Drivers talk on their cell phones, check their email or send text messages. They get directions from their GPS system, pop a CD into their stereo, change stations on satellite radio or help their kids with the backseat DVD player.” The study – which tracked hundreds of drivers in the Washington, D.C. area for over a year, and used sensor monitors to gather video and data about their behavior in the vehicles – “found that 8 of 10 collisions or near-crashes involved a lack of attention from drivers” just before impact. The study found that “a driver’s reaching for a moving object increased the risk” of a wreck nine times. Dialing a cellphone increased the risk of a wreck almost 3 times. Drowsy driving increased the likelihood of a wreck or near-wreck 4 to 6 times. Distractions cause crashes! Distractions also cause an even greater destruction. Jesus taught with many parables, one of which was the Parable of the Sower (see Mark 4:1-9). In the parable, He described how a farmer sowed seed (representing the Word of God), and it came in contact with four different types of soils (representing the hearts of people). Observe Jesus’ explanation

A recent radio program carried the story of a man who was walking behind the campus of a nearby State College when, in the distance, he saw what looked like a huge “treasure chest” filled with gold and silver, shimmering in the sunlight. Upon closer inspection, however, he discovered that the “treasure” was actually a collection of “trophies” of every shape and size that had been piled high in a dumpster! The college was simply repeating a ritual of clearing their shelves and cabinets of all the old trophies, plaques and awards received over the years in order to make room for the next generation of college students. As he gazed upon the glittering spectacle, he realized how these trophies in the dumpster might accurately represent all the worldly achievements, ideals and struggles of man such as fame, popularity, wealth and power. He could see their ultimate end – to be discarded eventually as “worthless” and then crushed and ground to dust! Gleaning a lesson from a sporting event with application to living the Christian life, the apostle Paul wrote: “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.They do it to get a crown that will not last; But we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (1 Corinthians 9:25). The trophies of the world will not last (see 2 Peter 3:10), but Christ offers to us an “Imperishable Crown” – the crown of life (James 1:12). One day, each of us will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

“Everyone has only one life” is a project in Japan prompted by a message from a middle school girl fighting a chronic disease. Poets have been holding readings across the nation to introduce her message to the general public in Japan, asking people to finish the sentence that begins with: “Because everyone has only has one life…” “Because everyone has only one life, let’s laugh joyfully every day,” a high school student replied. A mother, whose son committed suicide, finished the phrase as follows, “…let’s live! Live! Everybody, live! I want to live, too.” A book containing about 60 of the best messages is in print, with the hope that it would inspire people to love life. God, Who gave us life (Genesis 2:7; Acts 17:28), reveals to us the purpose of life in His Word. Consider the following passages of Scripture: “For ‘He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil’” (1 Peter 3:10-12; cf. Psalm 34:12-16). “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or

One of the worst train disasters in history occurred in the El Toro Tunnel in Leon, Spain, on January 3, 1944. Over five hundred people died. The train was a long passenger train with an engine on both ends. As the train entered the El Toro Tunnel, the engine on the front end stalled. When the front engine stopped, the engineer on the back engine started up his engine to back the train out of the tunnel. As he proceeded, however, the front engineer managed to get the front engine started again and attempted to continue the journey in the opposing direction. Neither engineer had any way of communicating with the other. Both engineers thought they simply needed more power. They continued to pull in opposite directions for several minutes. Hundreds of passengers on the train in the tunnel died of carbon monoxide poisoning because the train was stuck in the tunnel since it was being pulled in two different directions! This tragic incident illustrates what can happen in our lives when we are pulled in different directions, following the lead of different “engineers”… Many of US struggle as to which way to go with our lives. We often give in to different “engineers” like our friends, our society, our families and ourselves, even though each may be pulling in opposite directions! Long ago, the inspired prophet Jeremiah said, “O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own

The program committee for a national barber’s convention devised a graphic means of demonstrating the effectiveness of their profession. They found a social derelict on skid row with long, dirty hair. His face was unshaven and his clothes were ragged and filthy. His body reeked with odors of cheap liquor and filth. The barbers cleaned him up. They gave him a bath, shampoo, shave, haircut and manicure. They liberally sprinkled talcum powder on him and added spicy cologne. He was dressed in a new suit and was presented before the convention as a changed man. He certainly looked the part. However, within a week the man was back on skid row, back in the gutter, back in his former pattern of living. The barbers had altered his appearance, but their tonsorial services had not changed him on the inside. Due to our sin, each of us is on “skid row,” destined to die (Romans 6:23). However, God loves us so much that He gave His only Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16) so that we might have forgiveness, transformation and the hope of eternal life (Ephesians 1:7; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:7). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The change that Christ desires to bring about in our lives is not superficial. Rather, we are transformed by Christ from the inside out! Our hearts are changed by

Soon after Angi and David’s sixth wedding anniversary, the couple’s home burned to the ground. Angi’s first act, when they were allowed to hunt through the blackened remains, was to search for their photo albums. When she went to tell David that the pictures had indeed survived, she found him carefully placing in a box some charred, folded pieces of paper—their courtship love letters. “As I watched David kneeling there in the ashes,” she says, “I was overcome with the certainty that we were meant for each other. There, in the face of our greatest tragedy, our first thoughts were not of our material loss but of the potential loss of these precious parts of our life together. As I knelt to help him with the letters, I was certain that we hadn’t lost anything that mattered after all.” “Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted” (Albert Einstein). So what counts? What matters most? In one word: relationships. In three words: friends, family and faith. In Philippians 3, the Apostle Paul enumerates many of the accomplishments that he attained as a Jew (vs. 4-7). However, at the end of the list he wrote: “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ” (v. 7). Then he explained his new priority: “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as

In Yagoona, Australia, a suburb of Sydney, a man lay dead in his apartment for a whole year before his body was discovered. The body of Jorge Chambe, 64, was found on Tuesday in his single bedroom, government-owned flat when police and firefighters broke in, after concerns about his welfare were finally raised on Monday by a worried neighbor. News reports in the area stated that some neighbors at the apartment complex where Chambe lived described him as “a quiet man who was friendly but who kept mostly to himself.” An overflowing mailbox was the only clue that anyone had noticed that indicated something was wrong. Chambe’s rent was paid automatically by direct debit from his bank account that was fed by his federal government welfare payments. Bank records supplied part of the evidence that Chambe had been dead for about a year. New South Wales State Housing Minister Matt Brown asked a sobering question on the Macquarie Radio network on Thursday: “How can it happen that a person can die in such a lonely way and no one know?”* Chambe’s lonely demise and the plague of loneliness in our world today cause us to wonder: “Does anyone care?” The answer from heaven is a resounding, “Yes!” God cares. He knows about every detail in our lives – even the exact number of hairs on our heads. Not even one sparrow that falls to the ground escapes His notice, and you are of far greater value (Matthew 10:29-31). He cares so much for us that He gave His Son, Jesus, to