A thought-provoking plaque in a gift shop reads: “Learning changes your mind. Exercise changes your body. Who you choose to love changes who you are.” Think about that! We didn’t have a choice about who brought us into this world, but at some point in our lives, we do have a choice about who we…
Most thinking people can’t help but wonder why we exist, and what it all means. Rev. Charley Reeb, preacher and author, has compiled a list of seven questions people want answers to: “I wonder if God Exits. I wonder why bad things happen to good people. I wonder why my prayers go unanswered. I wonder…
Have you ever wondered why you are here? Not the old “senior moment” joke where you go into a room and can’t remember why you are there, but the bigger question of why you were put on this earth. It’s the kind of thing that sometimes comes up when we feel like we could be…
There are many stories in the Bible that demonstrate the concept of mercy. The first one that comes to mind is the story of the Good Samaritan. That story is particularly instructive in light of the history of the time. Jews and Samaritans were not on the same social level. The Samaritans were considered inferior.…
Two teenagers were at the mall killing time until they could go see a movie at the adjoining theater. One said to the other, “Let’s buy popcorn and candy at the grocery store before we go. It’ll be a lot cheaper.” To which the other teen said, “Haven’t you seen the sign at the theater…
In a previous article in this series, the topic of hope was put into the context of the ultimate hope of life after death. In this treatment of the topic the focus is on hope as a means of dealing with the problems of everyday life, i.e., hope vs. hopelessness. A person, let’s call her…
Two little boys in kindergarten were walking to school. One of them noticed that a lady and a little girl had been following them. He turned to his companion and asked, “Do you know who those people are?” The other boy replied, “Yes! I think I do. Last night when my mom was tucking me…
Billy had been misbehaving and was sent to his room. After a while he emerged and informed his mother that he had thought it over and then said a prayer. “Good!” said the pleased mother. “If you ask God to help you not misbehave, He will help you.” “Oh, I didn’t ask Him to help…
At 8:07 on the Saturday morning of January 13, 2018, over a million Hawaii residents and visitors received an emergency text message alert: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” Panic ensued as people realized their lives could end in a matter of minutes. For 38 minutes people huddled in whatever…
A man was late for an important meeting. He was circling the parking lot desperately searching for a parking space. In exasperation he prayed, “Heavenly Father, if you will help me find a place to park, I will start going to church again.” Just then a parking space opened up right in front of him. …