PROVIDENCE Cooling down after practice, Daniel had taken one last dive and his neck struck the bottom of the concrete pool. Daniel sustained damage to C-3, C-4, and C-5 vertebrae of his spine. Two fusion operations followed and the surgeon was successful in preventing paralysis, but Daniel's parents…

MISSIONAL In his new book titled American Buffalo, Steven Rinella says that hunting a buffalo in an enclosed pen isn’t hunting. Neither can a video game player call himself a car thief because he plays the popular video game Grand Theft Auto. In a similar way the Christian life is not authentic until…

The dispostion of sin is not immorality and wrong-doing, but the disposition of self-realization-I am my own god. This disposition may work out in decorous morality or in indecorous immorality, but it has the one basis, my claim to my right to myself. unknown

There is a story of a troubled mother who had a daughter who was addicted to sweets. One day she approached Gandhi, explained the problem to him and asked whether he might talk to the young girl. “Bring your daughter to me in three weeks time and I will speak to her.” After three weeks, the mother brought…

It is said to have been the distinguishing mark of Caesar as a soldier that he never said to his followers “Go!” but he always said “Come!” Of Alexander, also, it was noted that in weary marches he was sure to be on foot with his warriors, and in fierce attacks he always was in the vanguard. The most…

In 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey writes, “It is character that communicates most eloquently.” —Jim L. Wilson --7 Habits of Highly Effective People, p. 30 Proverbs 11:3 (CSB) The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them.

Middle school student Makenna Finnegan was running to set a new personal best time, when she stopped to help a struggling runner. Finnegan passed the other runner and noticed that she was holding her stomach and struggling to keep moving. Finnegan asked what was wrong and the girl said she had a bad…

NFL Quarterback Tim Tebow got a lot of playing time during the 2015 pre-season, but in the end, he was cut from the Philadelphia Eagles rooster. Coach Chip Kelly said he did was not sure the quarterback was good enough to retain for the regular season. When a reporter caught up with Tebow later, he did…

GOSSIP Barbara Walters said, “Show me someone who never gossips, and I’ll show you someone who isn’t interested in people.” —Reader’s Digest, August 2003, p. 61 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson An interesting perspective. I’d finish the sentence differently, I’d say, “and I’ll show you someone who really…

While it is true that people will obey their bosses, if for no other reason to keep their jobs, real influence isn’t wielded by brute force, but from personal relationships and character. In his book, Leadership as a Lifestyle: The Path to Personal Integrity and Positive Influence, John Hawkins writes,…

People can tell lies when they hold their tongues. There was a little girl at school who always held her hand up when the boys and girls were asked to show that they knew the answer to any question that had been put to them. One afternoon she held her hand up when she did not know the answer, and a classmate…

When an employer mistreats an employee, one possible response is to quit. Another possibly would be to convince the entire staff to quit at the same time. After the manager of a footwear and apparel store in a New York mall was rude to an employee, all three employees of the store quit. They wrote a…

In an article in Relevant magazine, Debra Fileta, a licensed Counselor, lists five ways couples can invest in their marriage. She says, couples need to connect spiritually, and the best way to do that is to pray with each other about the concerns of the day. The second is to communicate meaningfully…

What is the impact of our lives and our churches on our communities? Are we fulfilling our mission to reach the world with the message of the Gospel? Or are we just marking time and creating wonderful, peaceful communities of believers who are not impacting the world? The Barna Group has released a 2015…

French researchers discovered that people imitate behaviors like laziness, impatience, and prudence from others, which suggest those attitudes have a strong social influence on people. Those traits influence the way people make decisions and often involve delay an action or effort based on taking risks.…

FAITH AND WORKS In a recent BC comic strip, daddy ant comes into the room where son ant is attached by wire to the Television Set. “Son, did you really blow your entire allowance on that video game?” “Yes.” The son admitted. Dad then gives the dreaded lecture. “You need to learn how to manage your money!”…

The National Association of Evangelicals has prepared a new code of ethics for pastors and is asking church leaders from all denominations to sign it. Dr Joel Hunter, senior pastor of a church in Florida is a board member and one of the first pastors to sign the document. He said the document is designed…

The story of the painting, The Last Supper, is >> > > > > > extremely interesting and instructive. The two >> > > > > > incidents connected with it afford a most convincing >> > > > > > lesson on the effects of right thinking or wrong >> > > > > > thinking in the life of a boy or girl, or of a man >>…

SURVIVAL The number one movie of the holiday season was Tom Hanks newest film "Castaway." In it he plays the part of Fed Ex systems engineer, Chuck Noland. Flying across the Pacific Christmas Eve night, Noland's plane goes down in a fiery crash. He is the sole survivor. The film chronicles Noland's life…

It would be easy to help every person in need and always save the day, if we had super hero powers. In the Disney motion picture Bolt, Bolt is a dog who believes he has super powers, which he uses to keep his human, Penny, safe from evil. Bolt does not know that his powers are special effects in a television…

COMPLAINING Nancy Singer and her sister, who did not want to be identified, say they have been loyal customers of Filene’s Basement for years but recently received a letter from the chain of stores asking them not to return. They acknowledge they have returned many items and occasionally complained about…

MATERIALISM G.H. Charnley, in The Skylark's Bargain, tells the story of a young skylark who discovered one day a man who would give him worms for a feather. He made a deal-one feather for two worms. The next day the lark was flying high in the sky with his father. The older bird said, "You know, son,…

In Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: Unleash A Revolution In Your Life in Christ, Peter Scazzero writes, “According to Gallup polls and sociologists, one of the greatest scandals of our day is that ‘evangelical Christians are as likely to embrace lifestyles every bit as hedonistic, materialistic, self-centered…

At one time a computer virus was designed to cause trouble for unknowing computer users, and perhaps give the creator a reason to brag about their accomplishments. Newer viruses and malware have moved toward benefiting their creators by stealing valuable identity information, such as credit card numbers…

Actor Tommy Lee Jones said, “Kindness and politeness are not overrated at all. They’re underused.” --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell The Week, October 24, 2014 p. 15. Galatians 5:22 (HCSB) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,