MR PIGS . . . MR NOT PIGS . . . OSAR . . . CM PENZ . . . LIB . . . MR PIGS. Okay, give it a whirl. Read all those words again and translate. If you can—I can tell you what part of the country you’re from. Your speech will betray you . . . it does every time. A couple of Sundays ago, I was talking with a group of visitors following a morning service. Several were from different sections of our nation.
Read MoreCategory Archives: Love
Reckless Friendship
A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. Proverbs 17:17 A special joy binds two friends who are not reluctant to risk danger on each other’s behalf. If a true friend finds you’re in need, he or she will find a way to help. Nor will a […]
Read MoreLove Is Charming
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 1 Corinthians 13:4–5 Love is not “jealous” or “arrogant.” Think of these two terms in contrast to “patient and kind.” First, […]
Read MoreLove in Action
Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 1 John 3:18 Love—genuine love—is something that defies definition, yet, like grace, it is fundamental to the Christian. For millennia, words have eluded the very best poets and philosophers in their quest to analyse love, quantify […]
Read MoreHope for Survival
A certain fascinating social phenomenon occurred in American history. Understand, I wasn’t living back then, but from what I read, this actually happened. It occurred when “Go west, young man!” was the challenge of America . . . when squatter’s rights seemed the most advantageous way to pry families loose and dare them to brave the elements via the covered wagon.
Read MoreLetters of Reference
September 12, AD 61—Dear Paul: We are considering a man to serve as a manager in the copper plant of our growing company, Corinthian Chariots, Inc. We are an aggressive, innovative firm with plans for expansion into major metropolitan regions like Rome, Athens, Antioch, and Jerusalem. We are looking for future employees who would fit into a visionary business like ours.
Read MoreMiscommunication, Part One
“Don’t garble the message!” If I heard that once during Marine boot camp, I must’ve heard it four dozen times. Again and again, our outfit was warned against hearing one thing, then passing on a slightly different version. You know, changing the message by altering the meaning a tad. It’s so easy to do, isn’t it? Especially when it’s filtered through several minds, then pushed through each mouth.
Read MoreThe Shepherd Secures the Future
As David brings his song of the sheep to a close, having reflected on the Lord’s faithful care throughout his life, he then considers his future. Verse 6 – In his book The Shepherd Psalm, F. B. Meyer refers to “goodness and lovingkindness” as our “celestial escort.”1 Another commentator suggests that these are “God’s sheepdogs,” ever near His flock, ever nipping at our heels, always available.
Read MoreKeeping Confidences
Can you keep a secret? Can you? Be honest, now. When privileged information passes through one of the gates of your senses, does it remain within the walls of your mind? Or is it only a matter of time before a leak occurs? When the grapevine requests your attention from time to time, do you refuse to help it climb higher, or do you encourage its rapid growth, fertilizing it by your wagging, unguarded tongue?
Read MoreBeing Wanted, Part Two
Chances are very good that there are those in your church fellowship, workplace, or family who feel unwanted, forgotten, unloved (and unlovely!)—and are more lonely than words can express. I wish to speak on their behalf and in their defense today. Strange though it may seem, these are often the people most difficult to love. Why?
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