In Romans, chapters 1–11, Paul declares that God's grace is the most absolute fact in all creation. In these chapters of profound theological reasoning, he forcefully concludes that God's grace...
For some members of the human family, the fear of speaking in front of a live audience rates close to the fear of dying. Trembling, dry mouth, perspiration, and various hues of pigment...
In his second letter to Timothy, St. Paul gave his young friend wise advice: As for you, always be steady, endure suffering to do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Tim. 4:5) ...
In a world of competing and often contradictory perspectives, how do we make good decisions? Christians believe that obedience to God's will...
At age sixty-four, Mary had a wonderful sense of humor, a contagious laugh, and mischievous eyes. She had survived breast cancer at age forty only to discover ovarian cancer eight years later.
Jesus told a parable, often called “The Prodigal Son,” about a young man who, though his father was alive, insisted on his inheritance. The son left home immediately, spent frivolously, and wound...
God in the flesh lived personal sacrifice to the point of death on a cross. He lived personal service to the point of washing the disciples’ feet at the Lord’s Supper. That act...
While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, "Take it," he said, "this is my body." Then he...
The note was simple. Terse. Not particularly gracious. ...
I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me up out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet...
We all begin life totally self-centered. With time and experience, most of us become less so, more invested in others. But the...
The Apostle Paul concludes his list of Christian attributes, a mini Book of Virtues, with this: “Whatever work you may have to do, [in speech or action,] do everything in the name of...
Twenty years ago, I resigned from a large Texas electronics firm to found my own small company. Before I made the leap, I spent years studying all the tips I could find for...
Moses led his people out of slavery but could not enter the Promised Land. Likewise, our leadership may call us to endure...
Mother Teresa was known worldwide for her care of the poor and outcast on the streets of Calcutta. Yet she said, “I do nothing of my own. God does it. I am a...
A knot in the stomach. Feeling trapped, dreading human contact, struggling to be “normal” when our inner dialogue is anything but. Amid fatigue, anxiety, insomnia—we want only to sleep. We wonder, ...
A depressed, dejected Elijah staggers off into the wilderness. He collapses under a broom tree, one of the few sources of shade in the baked desert region. Steeped in a gloomy spirit, he...
The everyday life of faith ultimately is pretty simple and straightforward stuff—simple, not necessarily easy. While there are many complex nuances of thoughtful reflection and application of Christian faith to each person’s everyday...
“Dad, where’re our seats? Are they this way?” ...
If you think adolescence is a crazy time, try midlife. Last month, not one but two top journalists publicly dive-bombed their careers; and, not coincidentally, both were at that awkward age when...
