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. …
When a reporter asked August Turak what was in his wallet, the well-known entrepreneur and award-winning author replied, “Expired driver’s licenses.” He said, “I keep several in my wallet. Occasionally looking at how I’ve aged in my license photos reminds me to make every day count.” Reader’s Digest, October 2013 Most of us don’t like our…
A little boy was afraid of the dark. His mother asked him to go out to the back porch and bring her the broom. The little boy turned to his mother and said, “Mama, I don’t want to go out there. It’s dark!” The mother smiled and said, “You don’t have to be afraid of…
“A German high school teacher was struggling to rewind a DVD for her class, and in frustration she blurted out, ‘Where’s the fast backwards button?!’ We’ve all had moments where we wish that button existed.” Reader’s Digest, November 2014. Some of us would like a fast backward button to return us to an earlier time…
Two little boys were known “troublemakers” who were stealing everything they could get their hands on, even stealing from a church. One day the pastor stopped one of the boys and asked, “Where is God?” expecting him to know that God is everywhere. Instead, the boy shrugged and the pastor repeated, “Where is God?” The…
“The Consumer Technology Association hosted their global trade show in Las Vegas and discovered their Achilles’ heel on January 10, 2018. A two-hour power outage completely incapacitated the coolest, newest electronic products from giants like Sony, Samsung, LG, Panasonic, and Intel. Without power, every gadget was worthless. Such experiences are good reminders of who we are…