On the great rocks and crags of the California coast near Monterey are Cedars of Lebanon, growing in the very midst of the rock. In some way the seeds found a place in the rock and, with nature’s mighty and mysterious power of germination and growth, drove their way straight up and through the heart of …
Are you better at receiving harsh and unjust criticism or giving it? Would you rather be on the receiving end or the giving end of harsh and unjust criticism? If we admit it, most of us are a lot better at handing out this kind of criticism than we are at receiving it. Abraham Lincoln was probably slandered, libeled, and hated more intensely than anyone ever to …
In the early 1800s a windmill salesman passed through a Midwest farming area. This was long before the days of electricity, and so windmills were used to provide power to draw the needed water. The windmill salesman was quite skilled at what he did, and over a period of months, he wrote up hundreds of …
“John” is in church leadership in a neighboring congregation. Some time ago the two of us were discussing how hurtful people in our flocks can be. “Paul,” he was saying, “you and I both know that when you’re the shepherd, it’s easy for people to be critical and condemning and to take cheap shots at …
For a long time she had saved her money for a grand tour of Europe. Now that the trip had become reality, the matronly woman was enjoying the tour to its fullest. Of particular interest to this committed Christian was the Westminster Abbey, London’s massive 1245 A.D. Gothic-style cathedral. But as the guide showed the …
The poet Edgar A. Guest wrote: “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day!” Shortly after the close of the Civil War, one Sunday morning a former slave found his way into a fashionable church in Richmond, Virginia while communion was being served. As he walked down the aisle, a rustle of shock and anger swept through …
The year was 1976. Since we had never heard Brother Merle Bievenour preach, Evy and I packed up the family and we went to a neighboring church to hear him. The church was packed and the message timely. At the end of the service, Brother Merle called on me for the closing prayer. (In this …
Apostasy. Oppression. Distress. Deliverance. These recurring cycles described an age gone awry–an age when Israel had no king and when everyone did as he saw fit (Judges 21:25). Each cycle had a similar beginning (The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord”), and also a recognizable conclusion (“the land had peace for…years,” or …
One hot summer morning the church windows were open, and as the preacher delivered his message, a gust of wind blew his notes right off the podium and out the window. A cow was grazing nearby and ate the notes. Would you believe, the cow went DRY! Stories and trivial anecdotes about dry sermons and …
According to a recent survey, the average American moves about fourteen times during a lifetime. Think about it. That means that during a 70-year period, Americans move every five years! Is it any wonder, then, that we as a nation find it difficult to develop and maintain deep and meaningful relationships with our neighbors, our …
