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Giving and receiving are what Christmas is all about. Not just the gaily wrapped presents under a Christmas tree or the carefully made remembrances for loved ones. No, giving in the truest sense of Christmas means receiving a sacred gift first. It began when the Father gave His Son to the world on a still […]
In 1934 Therin and Reta Hyde moved to the wilderness in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Work was hard to find in those days. This great nation of ours was in the midst of enormous change that left many families wanting for food and shelter. But Therin found work in the Nevada mines. So the two […]
The advent of Christmas is one of the most exciting times of the year. Halls are decked; mistletoe is hung; bows are tied; lights are lit; and the countdown begins. Almost in unison, the world waits for Christmas. The elderly watch for it in the eyes of a child. The discouraged listen for it in […]
Today we “sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving”;1 we offer grateful hearts to the Giver of life and breath. Instead of pondering all that we need or all that we want, let us sing the song of gratitude. Like faithful pilgrims who crossed oceans of uncertainty and planted seeds of hope in a strange land, […]
Carl and Linda have been married for longer than they’ll admit. They’ve enjoyed the kind of contentment that comes from hard work and a little bit of good fortune. But as they both retired, settling into the country-club lifestyle or roaming the back roads armed with cameras and paint sets just didn’t seem right. So […]
In a small New England town, on many a Sunday you can walk the narrow streets nearly alone. Sundays are quiet there. There are no shopping malls, no seven-day-a-week supermarkets. At the only main intersection, a church on each corner looks over the town like four sentries encamped among the sugar maples and row houses. […]
Not long ago a mother was reading her three-year-old son a bedtime story about brown bears and red birds. When the story was finished, the boy asked who made bears and birds. The mother explained that God was the Creator; He created all things—even us. The boy, deep in thought for a moment, said, “Hmm, […]
If you’ve ever been to the ocean, you know how powerful riptides can be. If you get caught in one and try to swim back to shore against the current, you’ll soon become exhausted. But if you change your direction and swim parallel to the shore for a short distance, you’ll soon move out of […]
Stuart’s fondest childhood memory is a baseball game. It wasn’t the big leagues—just a backyard game played on the hot grass of summer with makeshift bases. Stuart doesn’t remember winning or losing; he remembers the game because it was the last time he could run. Shortly afterward, Stuart was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. He was […]
In a typical neighborhood crisscrossed with sidewalks and narrow lanes, seven-year-old Matthew had what he believed to be a brilliant idea. He’d gotten a new pair of roller skates for his birthday, and as he put them on, his dog—a large dog named Lucky—licked at his hands. The boy suddenly realized that he wouldn’t have […]
In every age to every people, God opens His arms to His children. With all the love of a tender parent, He invites us to come unto Him. But He never forces or manipulates. He respects our agency and allows us to choose whether or not to receive His offering and feel His love. In […]
A young bride was disheartened several weeks after her marriage to learn that her Prince Charming was not the fantasy creation of her dreams, but a human after all, and one who sometimes forgot to pick up his socks. As the months rolled by, she noticed fault after fault, making a mental list of the […]
In life and in the quiet recesses of the heart, it only takes one light to chase away the darkness—as a young couple found out years ago. The storm was one of the worst in two decades. The young father and mother, traveling home with two small children, had decided to drive all night while […]
A new season is upon us. A time when we harvest. A time to take stock of our lives and store away the summer memories for the winter. And yet, it is a season like no other. A time to reflect on events of a year ago. A time to remember. We think on those […]
Perhaps Queen Elizabeth the second’s most remarkable gift is her ability to understand the nature of men and women. In a 1954 broadcast the Queen inspired listeners by assuring them that “the upward course of a nation’s history is due in the long run to the soundness of heart of its average men and women.” […]
It’s not always easy to forgive. We may think that not forgiving the people who hurt us is a way of hurting them back somehow. But most of the people who hurt us get by just fine without our forgiveness. When we understand that to forgive means to free or to let go, we may […]
Oftentimes the most profound truths are revealed in the most ordinary settings. Two brothers were playing on the floor when their father cautioned, “Hey there, you monkeys, you’d better settle down.” The four-year-old boy, with surprising seriousness, stopped his father and said, “I not a monkey, Daddy; I a person.”1 Knowing there was more to […]
Within each child is the potential to change the world. The power of one person to affect the lives of millions becomes clear when we think of Mohandas Gandhi bringing freedom to India, Abraham Lincoln uniting a country divided by war, or Mother Teresa showing love and compassion for the forgotten outcasts of Asia. But […]
One way life invites us to grow in wisdom and capacity is through the challenges and hardships we encounter. How we endure our adversities and learn to overcome life’s obstacles determines our happiness. It’s easy to maneuver through daily routines when the sun is shining and life’s waters are calm. The real test of our […]
A woman, blind since birth, told of the beauty she “sees” in nature. She said there are many things she can see in her mind that those with sight cannot experience in quite the same way. She said, “For instance, by cupping a rose in my hands and feeling it with my fingers, I see […]
When we hear the word pioneer, we tend to think of women wearing long skirts and bonnets accompanied by bearded men in wide-brimmed hats and suspenders. We think of covered wagons pulled by thirsty oxen and handcarts pulled by weary travelers. But that is a relatively modern association for the word pioneer. Originally, a pioneer […]
We live in a world of input. The information highway zooms right to our door, and from all sides we are barraged by the pressure to keep up, achieve, and be “in the loop.” Youngsters are exposed, as never before, to the realities of grown-up life. News multiplies before our eyes, much of it frightening […]
Most of us want to be free. It’s a universal need that lays the foundation for all we ever hope to do or enjoy. Even the mention of the word “freedom” has the power to stir deep-rooted feelings in the hearts of all its loyal friends. But common folk wisdom reminds us that freedom isn’t […]
Sacrifice: it’s one of the strengths that built this mighty land. Put simply, it’s a willingness to give up something needed or treasured for a greater good, and the measure of the willingness to sacrifice is one measure of a people. Pilgrims sacrificed their homelands for God; settlers by the shipload followed their lead. Then […]
At an amusement park a little boy and his father took a ride on the Ferris wheel. When they reached the top, the little boy looked down and, with delight in his eyes, said: “Daddy, we must be almost in heaven. Look! Everything down there is so small.” It’s good for the soul to occasionally […]
The years go quickly, and before we know it, sons and daughters leave the shelter of home. Their going brings thoughtful reflection and treasured memories—like when a father and his children decide to sleep out in the backyard. Under the stars, they talk about heaven, the wonders of nature, sunrises and sunsets. The father doesn’t […]
How often we hear the words, “I couldn’t have done it without them.” Those who achieve success and happiness know the importance of support from family and friends. Sometimes each of us may be in a position to offer, or to need, the support that makes the difference between failure and success. Support is not […]
Today’s world surrounds us with conflict and confusion. The headlines are filled with violence and tragedy, and we are frequently challenged by conditions we can’t control. The world changes so quickly and roars so loudly, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and fearful. Inner peace in a troubled world comes from recognizing that our inner convictions […]
Freedom is one of the most cherished rights in all the world. Freedom is also one of the most challenged rights in all the world. It demands sacrifice and work to secure and preserve it. It becomes the work of some generations to serve their countries and defend freedom with their lives. Standing on a […]
Each of us sees life through a different window. Our experiences, choices, and situations give each of us our own view. The newlywed sees the world very differently from the person married fifty years. A concert pianist, a mother of toddlers, a person confined to a wheelchair, and an F-16 pilot each see and hear […]