High Jumper or Pole Vaulter?

High Jumper or Pole Vaulter?

When I’m exercising on the treadmill, I simultaneously watch the news or other programming on TV. Focusing on the news enables me to endure the weariness of the treadmill. Similarly, focusing on Jesus provides the spiritual enablement to successfully endure the trials and stresses life brings our way. Where you focus your faith matters. Where you focus your faith matters. Faith is only as powerful as the object or being it’s placed in. Put your faith in ...

Distractions and the Kingdom

Distractions and the Kingdom

When the kids were young, we took them to Disneyland. We were there during the peak of vacation season, so the place was packed. And after a while, Lois and I got so caught up in all of the fun and excitement that—I’ll admit it—we let down our guard. We weren’t paying close attention to the kids. And before we knew it, our youngest son, Jonathan, was no longer with us. He had wandered off when we weren’t watching. Now he was nowhere to be seen.

Value What You Have

Value What You Have

A man once robbed a bank in Ottawa, Canada, stealing $6,000. But the interesting part of the story is this: When they arrested him and took him to jail, they discovered he’d used a 1918 Colt revolver to commit that crime. Now, anyone who knows anything about guns already understands the point of this story. This gun was valued at more than $100,000, yet this man robbed a bank for only $6,000. He could have simply sold the gun and walked away with more than ten times what he got in the robbery. But he didn’t sell the gun becaus...

Faith Has the Last Laugh

Faith Has the Last Laugh

You’ve heard the saying He who laughs last laughs best. The last laugh is always the one that remains. In the case of Sarah, the wife of Abraham, she and God shared this laugh together. In fact, the name of her son, Isaac, literally means “laughter.”

Explore the Book of Acts

Explore the Book of Acts

Acts is an exciting book about an exciting time—the earliest days of the church. This companion to the Gospel of Luke tells the story about what happened after Jesus was “taken up” into the heavens (Acts 1:2). In its pages, we see the empowering work of the Holy Spirit, who leads and guides the disciples in proclaiming God’s message.