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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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 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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

SURRENDER In the book, Dying to Live, author Clive Calver offers an unique example of what it means to take up our cross every day. Calver writes, “An old friend of mine once put it very simply. He confessed, ‘I want to die to myself, and I want to be crucified with Christ. But I know that as soon as…

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…

Solitude is a key spiritual discipline. Green Bank, WV is a great place to practice it. With only one road into town the population of 143 has all the peace and quiet they need. In addition, it is also located in a Quiet Zone roughly the size of Maryland. This is the site of the Robert C. Byrd radio…

It seems as if we are always trying to find ways to answer the question: “What is permissible for me to do?” rather than asking the question, “What would be the wise thing to do?” Pushing the limits of grace may lead us to abnegating our responsibility to make good decisions- and sometimes our families…

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…

In the September/October 2007 issue of Today's Christian, Shirley Shaw tells the story of how the sacrifices of a successful cabinet maker named Terry Lane continue to change a drug-riddled neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida. My business had prospered to the point my 40-man staff needed more space…

DISCIPLINE For Jeff Colon, being kicked out of church was the best thing that ever happened to him. Jeff says his pastor told him that he would have to leave the church until he got his life in order. The pastor acknowledged there was nothing else he could do for Jeff, but pointed him to a ministry in…