RECONCILIATION As we sat waiting for the traffic light's permission to proceed, my son once again asked when I would fix the training wheels on his bicycle. I turned to look at him, saying I would fix them when we got home. Then I added, "But they will be different than what you are used to." With that…

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!”…

Minnesota teenager Erica Clark found $2800.00 in a McDonald’s parking lot in an envelope filled with $100.00 bills. She immediately called her Dad, who asked her to come home so they could turn the money into the police.—Jim L. Wilson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUWkkU0V2o4 Proverbs 2:20-21 (NLT)…

In Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: Unleash A Revolution In Your Life in Christ, Peter Scazzero writes, “The Bible does not spin the flaws and weaknesses of its heroes. Moses was a murderer. Hosea's wife was a prostitute. Peter rebuked God! Noah got drunk. Jonah was a racist. Jacob was a liar. John…

GLORIFYING GOD In his book, "Don't Waste Your Life", John Piper says one of the primary differences between humans and animals is that human beings are given the opportunity to make choices about their work based on motives that can either honor God or dishonor Him. Piper writes, "No beaver or bee or…

An art forger, who gave convincing copies of famous works of art to over 50 museums over the past thirty years, has now become somewhat of a celebrity himself. Mark Lantis disguised as anything from a priest to a wealthy donor, donated copies of Picassos and other famous painters to unsuspecting museums…

Walt In 1976, Walt Arnold' s ministry was featured at the Southern Baptist Convention in Norfolk, Virginia. No, Arnold wasn't a preacher. Far from it. He was a Rodeo Cowboy-as close a thing to a celebrity we had in Silverton, Texas. He was one of the finest horse trainers in the area, but his claim to…

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…

Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston, Texas . Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As…

JOINING GOD Sources in the entertainment industry say actor Jim Carrey will star in a new movie called, “Bruce Almighty.” The premise of the movie revolves around Carrey’s character, Bruce—a television reporter who is constantly complaining about the way things are going in his life. Eventually God gets…

Pennsylvania police say a man was arrested and charged with passing counterfeit money after he tried to use phony $20 bills to purchase items at a garage sale. They say the reason 40-year-old Gregory Douglas was caught was that he tried to give the money to the wrong person. The woman running the sale,…

A Canadian family woke up to find a bag containing a digital camera, an X-box, along with a note, and $50 cash on their porch. The items had been stolen from them the previous day while the family was out walking their dog. The note was from the thief apologizing and seeking the family’s forgiveness.…

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."…

Police in Tennessee had to apologize to a man after he was arrested for using a $50 bill they thought was phony, but turned out to be genuine. Shelbyville police were called to a convenience store after a store clerk called them after a marker used to detect counterfeit money did not indicate the bill…

AUTHENTICITY NBA Superstar Lebron James hosted a Nike camp for children and teenagers at the University of Akron. Nike also invited some college students to participate, including Jordan Crawford of Xavier University. After the camp officially finished for the day, James and several college students…

In Seeking the Face of God, Gary Thomas writes, “When we are ashamed about where we are spiritually, we have two choices: We can create a false front and a glittering image (the spiritual-cosmetology approach) or we can be honest before God, ourselves, and others about our weakness and allow transformation…

Esau couldn’t take responsibility for his own problems so he blamed them on Jacob. Of course Jacob wasn’t innocent, but Esau was as responsible as Jacob, or more so. It is a common failing among humans. Rather than take responsibility for our lives, we blame the poor conditions on someone else. Tara…

In January of 2015, believers and non-believers were shocked to hear an admission from Alex Malarkey that he lied about going to heaven and coming back to tell about it while in a coma after an auto accident. The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven: A Remarkable Account of Miracles, Angels, and Life Beyond…

Dr. William B. McClain is the Professor of Preaching and Worship at Wesley Theological Seminary. Dr. McClain once told about meeting a South Korean tailor in Seoul, Korea. Amazingly, this South Korean tailor introduced himself as "Smitty Lee." Dr. McClain was fascinated to discover a Korean named Smitty.…

In his book, Making the Grass Greener on Your Side, Ken Melrose writes, “When we honestly walk our talk, we link our beliefs and our behaviors. There’s congruence between the two because why we do something is as important as what we do. Both beliefs and behaviors are integral parts of our character.…

In Seeking the Face of God, Gary Thomas writes, “This honesty means that we do not try to mislead others as to how holy or advanced we are. Just as we are eager to correct someone’s incorrect and negative impression of us, so we should be equally willing to make sure they don’t think better of us than…

HONESTY Reader Digest recently decided to test the honesty of people in various locations around the globe. The organization asked reporters to “lose” 30 cell phones in the largest cities of 12 countries. To follow-up, reporters called the cell phone. If someone answered, they asked the person to return…

When faced with a unique challenge, a Tennessee church found they had an opportunity to express their faith in a bold way. In 2010, the church learned that $147,000 that was supposed to been sent as a missions offering had not been received by the Missions Board. Further investigations found that other…

In an era when baseball players chewed tobacco, spitting was common. Today they chew gum and eat sunflower seeds. So why do players, managers, coaches, and umpires still spit? California psychoanalyst, Mary C. Lamia says it is to intimidate their opponents. “Spitting evokes a disgust response.” When…