THE FINGERPRINT OF GOD                     Ephesians 2:1–10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 Lygon Stevens loved to climb mountains with her brother Nick. They were experienced climbers and both had summitted Mt. McKinley (Denali), the highest point in […]

THE ART OF FORGIVENESS                               Luke 15:11–24 While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:20 One afternoon I spent two hours at an art exhibit—The Father & His Two Sons: […]

FAIR PLAY                                        Titus 2:7–8, 11–14 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. Titus 2:7 When Singaporean runner Ashley Liew found himself at the head of the pack during a marathon at the Southeast Asian Games, he knew something was wrong. He quickly realized that the lead runners had taken a wrong […]

SWEET AND BITTER                        Psalm 119:65–72 You are good, and what you do is good. Psalm 119:68 Some people like bitter chocolate and some prefer sweet. Ancient Mayans in Central America enjoyed chocolate as a beverage and seasoned it with chili peppers. They liked this “bitter water,” as they called it. Many years later it was […]

ANONYMOUS KINDNESS                        Matthew 6:1–4 When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Matthew 6:3 When I first graduated from college, I found myself needing to adopt a strict grocery budget—twenty-five dollars a week, to be exact. One day, while entering the checkout line, I […]

LEAVING A LEGACY                        Isaiah 49:14–16 A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. Malachi 3:16 Some years ago our sons and I spent a week on an abandoned backcountry ranch on the Salmon River, Idaho’s “River of No Return.” One day, exploring the ranch, I came across […]

GLORY TO THE GROWER                                   Mark 4:26–29 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 1 Corinthians 3:7 One day, I noticed an unexpected splash of yellow to the right of our driveway. Six stalks of daffodils, sandwiched between two large stones, bloomed bright and tall. […]

A DOUBLE PROMISE             Isaiah 25:1–9 In perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 Since she suffered with cancer several years ago, Ruth has been unable to eat, drink, or even swallow properly. She has also lost a lot of her physical strength, and numerous operations and treatments have left […]

THE ART OF A GRATEFUL HEART                     Psalm 118:1–14, 26–29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 118:1 On our wedding day, Martie and I gladly vowed to be faithful “in good times as well as in bad, in sickness as well as in health, for richer or […]

LETTERS HOME                                                  Nehemiah 8:5–12 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read. Nehemiah 8:8 Far from home and training for World War II, American recruits in basic training turned to humor and correspondence to cope with […]