Youth: Career

An older couple had a son, who was still living at home with his parents. The parents were a little worried that their son could not decide on his future career, so they decided to do a little test. They took a $20 bill, a Bible, and a bottle of whiskey, and put all three on the kitchen table, then they...

Gifts & Gratitude

A nice young Post Office worker was sorting through her regular mail when she discovered a letter addressed as follows: GOD, c/o Heaven. Upon opening the envelope, the enclosed letter told about a little old lady who had never asked for anything in her life. She was...

Christmas Origins

In the December 21, 2002 issue of World magazine, Gene Veith points out, "Critics of Christmas say that the Christian holiday is nothing more than the old pagan celebration of the winter solstice. . . . For the ancient pagans, the winter solstice meant the triumph of darkness. The Druids called it...

Hope

Claude Thomas, pastor of First Baptist Church of Euless, TX, observed in a recent column, "In 1997 an article appeared in the journal published by the American Heart Association. It pointed to the negative physical consequences of hopelessness. The article essentially said that those who had...

God’s Provision

During Super Bowl XXXVII, FedEx ran a commercial that spoofed the movie Castaway, in which Tom Hanks played a FedEx worker whose company plane went down, stranding him on a desert island for years. Looking like the bedraggled Hanks in the movie, the FedEx employee in the...

Complaints

A guy joins a monastery and takes a vow of silence. He's allowed to say two words every seven years. After the first seven years, the elders bring him in and ask for his two words. "Cold floors," he says. They nod and send him away. Seven more years pass. They bring him back in and ask for his two ...

God’s Creation

A little girl was sitting on her grandfather's lap as he read her a bedtime story. From time to time, she would take her eyes off the book and reach up to touch his wrinkled cheek. She was alternately stroking her own cheek, then his again. Finally she spoke up, "Grandpa, did God make you?" "Yes,...

Negotiation Prayer

Little Leroy came into the kitchen where his mother was making dinner. His birthday was coming up and he thought this was a good time to tell his mother what he wanted. "Mom, I want a bike for my birthday," Leroy asked. Now Little...

Power of Prayer

Earlier this year, an urban church in Bristol, England, developed an interesting response to the high crime rate in its neighborhood. It developed "Prayer Patrols" that take place three times daily. Volunteers walk through the streets, knocking on doors, collecting prayer requests, and praying with...