Devotionals
Tongue Out of Control
Carelessness was the reason it began. And in a matter of moments, it raged out of control.
The Rim Fire—so named because of its close proximity to the Rim of the World vista point, was the third largest wildfire in California’s history and the largest on...
The Challenge of Ultimate Obedience
God asked him to make the ultimate sacrifice. He did. But I wonder if I would.
I’ve walked through old cemeteries and let my eyes stagger over the headstones. Three months old. Six months old. One day old. I’ve listened to stories told by my grandparents...
Life through a Keyhole
Looking through a door peephole only gives limited sight; looking through old keyholes did the same.
Modern doors with locks have keyholes, but you can’t see anything through them. When I was growing up you could. Keyholes in doors constructed years ago didn...
The Big Switch
He soared to the top of recording charts, but one incident changed his life’s course.
Tony Fontane was a popular American recording artist during the 1940’s and 1950’s. Born in Michigan, he was the son of a railroad worker who had converted to...
The Art of Good Listening
Intently locked into what she was doing, she didn’t hear me when I spoke to her.
In the days before DVD’s, my daughter was still a distracted listener. A “Barney the Purple Dinosaur” VCR tape was a convenient way to keep her occupied while I did...
Playing Favorites
He converged on the church’s front steps and watched as parishioner after parishioner passed him by without as much as a “Good morning” or “Can we help you?”
He was new in town. As one of the more prominent religious facilities in town, he...
Christmas on the River
God sometimes shows up in the strangest ways. One Christmas week in 1980, he did just that for my immediate family. It was a Christmas they never forgot.
Buddy Wiles grew up in Baptist churches, but after surrendering to God’s call into the ministry, he chose a...
Christmas Far Away
With the exception of a few months following my birth, I had always lived in South Carolina near my grandparents. But the early 1970’s ushered in a few Christmases that were far away. Celebrating Christmas with parents that love you is enjoyable, but parents don’t normally spoil...
Christmas’s Perfect Gift
I’m not sure exactly when she started giving her perfect Christmas gifts to me, but it became a tradition I anticipate each year.
Somewhere during her middle school years, my daughter began making homemade Christmas gifts for me. At her age, she had no...
The Christmas Gift
His eyes welled with tears as he opened the envelope. The gift was the most unselfish act he’d ever witnessed.
Harry* was about to experience the most agonizing Christmas of his life. A few months before he had taken out a consolidation loan. The loan seemed like...