Former UCLA Coach John Wooden learned a lot about life from his many years as a basketball coach. He had seen Phil Woolpert win back-to-back national championships at San Francisco in 1955 and '56 and then struggle in the crucible of trying to keep winning. Then he saw Ed Jucker also win two in a r

In the Dec. 29, 2003 edition of his weblog, R. Albert Mohler talks about the Sermon on the Mount and its significance for Christians as they confront a pagan culture: "The Church is God's Christian counter-culture. The Sermon on the Mount is thus Christ's call to a Christian counter-revolution. No f

"The church is the most complex of all human organizations," says Ed Dayton of World Vision. "It's what we call 'goal-conflicted.' One goal is to send people forth, and another is to care for them. People are always either getting on a stretcher or getting off. You've got this continual dynamic whe

Suffering comes to all of us, and no one can suffer for us. Even so, we can be supported in those difficult times by the prayers and understanding of loved ones and friends. It's when we are too proud to admit our need to others that we are in the greatest danger. The Sequoia trees of California to

Sunk by Own Attack During World War II the U.S. submarine Tang surfaced under the cover of darkness to fire upon a large Japanese convoy off the coast of China. Since previous raids had left the American vessel with only eight torpedoes, the accuracy of every shot was absolutely essential. The fir

An Ant's Example A man once laid a piece of chocolate candy on a table. Then, picking up an ant, he put it near the delicious bon-bon. He was surprised to see it take a single bite and then hurry off to inform the rest of the colony. Soon the little creature returned, followed by a long train of ot

In a recent issue of his Key Life magazine, Steve Brown observed, "The source of almost all spiritual problems is an inappropriate effort to avoid the cross. When we, as the Church, turn away from the cross, we miss the path that God has given us - the path to freedom, joy, faithfulness and forgiven

Thorns Become Roses An old legend tells of a parish priest who found a branch of a thorn tree twisted around so that it resembled a crown of thorns. Thinking it a symbol of the crucifixion of Christ, he took it to his chapel and placed it on the altar on Good Friday. Early on Easter morning he rem

One More Time In a manufacturing town in Scotland, a young lady began teaching a Sunday school class of poverty-stricken boys. The most unpromising youngster was a boy named Bob. After the first two or three Sundays, he did not return. So the teacher went to look for him. Although the superinte

Some time ago a scientific magazine published an article concerning a certain species of alligator. Being lazy beasts they seldom hunt for their dinner but just wait for their unwary victims to come to them. They lie near the bank with open mouths, acting as if they are dead. Soon flies begin to lig