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There was a great king who once employed a merchant in his service as an ambassador to foreign courts. Now the merchant, before he went away, said to the king, “My own business requires all my care, and though I am always willing to be your majesty’s servant, yet if I attend to your business as I ought,…

Many years ago a certain prince visited the Spanish galleys, where a large number of convicts were confined, chained to their oars to toil on without relief—I think nearly all of them condemned to a life sentence. Being a great prince, the King of Spain told him that he might in honor of his visit set…

In his last moments John Knox had a sharp conflict with self-righteousness though he had preached against it with all his might, and knew, with a clearness seldom given to men, that salvation is of the Lord alone. Even within an hour of glory he had to make a stand against that vile thing, the pride…

Do you see that Christian there with the sparkling eye and the light footstep, the man who is swift to run upon his Master’s errands? That man has many troubles, but when he wakes in the morning, if he retains remembrance of them he bows his knee and leaves them with his God. He goes home, and the day…

It seems to me to be one of the highest delights of life for people to permit you to work for God without being interrupted by their praises or censures. When I have seen a certain great artist at work, I have only peeped at him from a corner and have kept out of his sunshine. I am quite sure he did…

A Chicago bus driver who was looking for a way to relive stress during the pandemic decide that the best thing to do was to challenge himself to dive into lake Michigan every day for a year. Dan O’Conor said he started jumping into Montrose Harbor the summer of 2020 to reduce stress. He said, at first,…

Maybe you’ve heard before that without a shepherd to follow, sheep will follow sheep, even if it kills them. That happened recently in Istanbul, Turkey. Following the sheep in front of them, one at a time, 1500 sheep jumped off a cliff. Where were the shepherds? They had left the flock to graze as they…

“When you succeed, speak about it softly or let others mention it for you. But when you make a mistake say it clearly and loudly, so that everyone can learn and profit from your errors. In other words, ‘Whisper wins and shout mistakes.’” —No Rules Rules, 123 1 Peter 5:6–7 (CSB) Humble yourselves, therefore,…

In his book, Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World, Max Lucado writes, “According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders are reaching epidemic proportions. In a given year nearly fifty million Americans will feel the effects of a panic attack, phobias, or other anxiety…

A fish market in Kuwait received a shutdown notice from the ministry of commerce for putting fake eyes on the fish they were selling. The government found the market guilty of using cosmetics to make their fish seem fresher. World Magazine, October 13, 2008, p. 15 We should live our lives as worthy on…

William Arthur Ward says, “The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell The Week, March 15, 2013 p. 17 1 Peter 5:7 (ESV) casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

In Flickering Pixels, Shane Hipps writes, “I was sitting with a different friend at lunch one day. His cell phone rang. I stopped talking and said, “You can get that, if you need to.” Without blinking or checking the phone he said, “You took the time and effort to get together with me. Whoever is calling…

Stress is • Normal part of life • Caused by change Stress is a never-ending condition of life caused by change, wrong beliefs, and/or unsolicited events—and all of them demand adjustment in life (of some sort) Stress from the outside • Stress is unavoidable • We always have choices on how we respond…

I read of one man who read a book entitled, Man of the House, while he was riding the train to and from work. On the evening he finished the book, this newly “enlightened” husband stormed into his home and confronted his wife. Pointing his finger in her face, he said, "From now on, I want you to know…

Yet, even in the church, it is often rare, especially among our “celebrities.” I’ve heard the horror story of prima-donna pastors and persnickety Christian music stars. In fact, humility is so rare, we’re surprised when we find it. Gordon MacDonald tells of one such moment: It was in his earlier years…

Another married couple had a quarrel and ended up giving each other the silent treatment. A week into their mute argument, the man realized he needed his wife's help. In order to catch a flight to Chicago for a business meeting, he had to get up at 5 a.m. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence,…

Police visited Vladimir, a resident of Berlin Germany. They confiscated his air raid siren because neighbors were complaining about it’s piercing wail. Which may leave you asking the question, “Why did Vladimir have an air raid siren to begin with?” It’s simple: Vladimir was tired of his wife’s loud…

I still remember hearing Bro. Bert Tippett preach a message on this passage of scripture many years ago now. Little did I know at the time that I would be privileged to have his son as my partner in ministry, nor did I know that I would be treated to a front row seat as this man of God showed all of…

Now this causes us some confusion, because if we look at the circumstances of life seeking to discern God’s concern, it may be hard to trace out. Just ask the distraught mother who is watching her little baby struggle to breathe in the ICU if God cares and, in that moment, she may doubt. There’s a reason…

For years of my life I didn’t get that. I still remember hearing my mom talking about obligation. It went something like this. Because of my bitterness against the ministry, I grew up determined that I would not do some things. In fact, there were two things I said I would not do. I said I would never…

Many of you in this church serve so consistently and quietly that you rarely get any praise. It touches my heart every time I see some of our faithful ladies arriving early to work in the nursery or coming out during the work to clean toys, put up bulletin boards and set up their rooms. The other week…

The reason I am so excited about this is because I have seen it work. It was just before Christmas of 2008 when I looked at my office phone and realized I had a message. I dialed in and listened. On the other end of the line there was a voice that said, “Hello, This is Gordon. I’d like to come by and…

I can draw a picture of this from the NFL. Just a few weeks ago, Philadelphia was playing New York. New York came out on fire and jumped to a big lead. I’m sure the Giants were feeling confident that they would win. But then there was an amazing comeback, and the Eagles ties the score. New York got the…

The truth is that, often, we want to be anything but a shepherd. And, by the way, that’s often what our people want to. In 1875, the following want add appeared in the Milwaukee Sentinel Wanted- A rector for St. James' Church. He must possess all Christian graces and a few worldly ones; must have such…

Police visited Vladimir, a resident of Berlin Germany. They confiscated his air raid siren because neighbors were complaining about it’s piercing wail. Which may leave you asking the question, “Why did Vladimir have an air raid siren to begin with?” It’s simple: Vladimir was tired of his wife’s loud…