The movie Titanic reveals something about human nature, some people follow the natural tendency to be selfish and others rise above it and are selfless. For example, as the ship was sinking, Cal Hockley, Rose’s selfish fiancé lied to her saying that he would make sure him and Jack, the boy she really…

Rick Warren says, “Growth is intentional. It requires commitment and effort to grow. A person must want to grow, decide to grow, and make an effort to grow.” --The Purpose Driven Church, 332. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and David Mills It is a tragedy that some people choose to live their Christian…

In The Simple Life, Vernard Eller delights himself in some of the great parables of Søren Kierkegaard. One of his favorites is the parable of the lighted carriage and starlit night. We could also call it the crisis of Christian Hedonism. It goes like this: When the prosperous man on a dark but starlit…

It is like John Bunyan’s parable of Passion and Patience in Pilgrim’s Progress. Passion would have his best things first; Patience would have his best things last. Passion had all his best things, and laughed at Patience as Patience sat there. But after a while, Passion had used up all his best things…

We never find Adam afraid of God or of any manifestation of Deity while he was in Paradise an obedient creature. But no sooner had he touched the fatal fruit than he found that he was naked, and hid himself. When he heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, Adam was…

That’s what Sylvester Stallone said in 2006. While promoting his last (one can only hope) Rocky film, Stallone shocked Christian fans with the revelation that his faith in Jesus Christ not only impacted the writing of the first Rocky film, but his decision to created yet another sequel was inspired by…

We despise the chastening of the Lord when we despise those that God chastens. You say, “Poor old Mrs. So-and-so. The last seven years she has been bedridden; what is the good of her in the church? Would it not be a mercy if she were dead? We always have to be keeping her—someone or other giving her…

A tree of common fruit may be let alone so long as there is some little fruit on it, but the very best fruit gets the sharpest pruning. I have noticed that in those countries where the best wine is made, the vinedressers cut the shoots right close in, and in the winter you cannot tell that there is a…

Have you ever notice how much of our prayer life consists of asking God for stuff? In Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a relentless God, Francis Chan writes “The best things in life are gifts from the one who steadfastly loves us. But an important question to ask ourselves is this: Are we in love with God…

On the T.V. show Psych, Shawn Spencer is a psychic detective. He consistently solves crimes, but his immaturity often gets the best of him, resulting in his father, Henry Spencer, stepping in to help him solve the cases. Sometimes, Dad uses the opportunity to teach his son a life lesson. In one episode,…

In 2012 International Cycling officials stripped Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and banned him for life from International and US cycling. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency says he participated in "most sophisticated, professionalized, and successful doping programme sport has ever seen."…

When I first began to preach, I am afraid that I used to say a great many strange things—which, of course, I do not do now. But having, on a certain occasion, said something rather striking and perhaps not quite wise, there was an excellent Christian man who wanted to set me right. He did not come and…

When tribal elders selected Crazy Horse as a leader of his people, it brought him no riches. “to the contrary, he was expected to live modestly (as he did anyway), keep only those ponies he actually needed for the hunt or war and give away the others, distribute his meat to the helpless ones, especially…

PUNISHMENT 18-year-old Sherelle Purnell received a unique sentence after surveillance video-tape showed her speeding away from a Maryland gas station without paying for $4.52 worth of gasoline. The manager of the gas station persuaded prosecutors to ask the judge to sentence the woman to wear a sign…

FOLLOWING CHRIST In their book, "The Insider", Peterson & Shamy write "But what about the rest of his disciples? For them, his instructions were more that opposite. After he cured the man possessed by multiple demons, he told him, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you."…

If a grandfather of ours should die and leave us five hundred pounds, what a merciful providence that would be! If by something strange in business we were suddenly to accumulate a fortune, that would be a blessed providence! If an accident happens, and we are preserved, and our limbs are not hurt, that…

“Disciplining Children” You folks have never met my father. Actually he’s rather short. When people see us together, they wonder how such a little man could produce such a tall son. Really, it's quite simple. You see, when he was young he was a very good boy and his dad was always patting him on the…

A picture of a young man taken in a Starbucks coffee shop in Hong Kong became an Internet sensation because it apparently showed that the man would let nothing come between him and the daily news. The Chinese city was hit by heavy rain and severe flooding as residents braved two typhoons, flooding, and…

SELF CONTROL A new study combining and reviewing 80 years of psychological research suggests there is a link between religious belief and self-control. The study conducted by two psychologists from the University of Miami began as an attempt to understand why religious belief systems help so many people.…

The movie “Groundhog Day” tells the story of TV weatherman Phil Connors as he relived a single day over and over again. This lighthearted comedy sees Connors, played by Bill Murray, go from confused, to annoyed, to suicidal, to resigned, and finally to teachable. As the movie progresses, he finally learns…

In Richard Foster's book of discipline he divides discipline into three parts: Inward, Outward, and Corporate discipline. He places simplicity under the category of the Outward Disciplines. Here are his nine ways to order our world so that we can create simplicity in our life. First, buy things for their…

He who stands in the thickest part of the battle shall have the highest glory at last. The old warriors would not stand and skirmish a little on the outside of the army, but would say, “To the center, men! To the center!” And they cut through thick and thin until they reached the place where the standard…

Diane Van Deren was committed. Every evening she said good night to her husband and kids and left her home to run. She ran toward the mountains of the Pike National Forest while towing a 50-pound sandbag on a sled. She ran for 10-12 hours. Diane Van Deren was training to run the Yukon Artic Ultra, a…

Having a shiny new car is often a status symbol in American society. A Wisconsin woman’s exercise of frugality regarding her car has also become a status symbol of sorts. In the summer of 1957, a trusted mechanic told Grace Braeger the differential on 1950 Chevrolet was making a strange noise and would…