In his book Hidden in Plain Sight: The Secret of More, author and pastor Mark Buchanan illustrates God's love through the story of Tracy. He writes:

Tracy is one of the worship leaders at our church. One Sunday, as she sat at the piano, she talked about the difficult week she'd just been through. It was chaotic, she said—a mess of petty crises on top of a rash of minor accidents, all mixed up ...

Akeelah and the Bee is the story of a talented South Los Angeles girl who overcomes her fears and all other obstacles to compete at the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

Akeelah is in the office of her spelling coach, Mr. Larabee (Lawrence Fishburne). He asks Akeelah: "Have you got any goals? What would you like to be when you grow up? A doctor, a lawyer, a standup comic?"

"I don't know. The ...

In their fascinating book, Freakonomics, economists Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner point out that one of the first acts of parental power comes in the naming of a child. Many believe the name carries great significance. The case of the Lane brothers may argue differently.

Back in 1958, a baby boy was born into the Lane family. Robert—the father—chose to name the boy Winner. How could ...

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of Words That Hurt, Words That Heal, has lectured throughout this country on the powerful, and often negative, impact of words. He often asks audiences if they can go 24 hours without saying any unkind words about, or to, another person. Invariably, a small number of listeners raise their hands, signifying "yes." Others laugh, and quite a large number call out, "no!" ...

Kelly James was a 48-year-old landscape architect who loved to climb mountains. On December 9 of 2006, he and two of his friends set out to climb Mount Hood in Welches, Oregon. Tragically, they were caught by a sudden blizzard after reaching the summit, and forced to take shelter in a snow cave. Kelly was able to use his cell phone to call his family and tell them what was going on, but the storm ...

I discovered the importance of healthy counsel in a half-Ironman triathlon. After the 1.2 mile swim and the 56 mile bike ride, I didn't have much energy left for the 13.1 mile run. Neither did the fellow jogging next to me. I asked him how he was doing and soon regretted posing the question.

"This stinks. This race is the dumbest decision I've ever made." He had more complaints than a taxpayer at the ...

For more than 30 years, Gordon Mackenzie worked at Hallmark, eventually convincing the company to create a special title for him: "creative paradox." Along with challenging corporate normalcy at Hallmark, MacKenzie did a lot of creativity workshops for elementary schools. And those workshops led to a fascinating observation that he shares in his book Orbiting the Giant Hairball.

MacKenzie would ask ...

When I was 10, I first heard Matthew 21:22, where Jesus, who never lies, said, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." It was the "whatever" model of prayer—believe, ask for whatever you want, and it's yours.

I remember running outside, standing on our driveway, closing my eyes real tight, and praying: God, I want to fly like Superman. And I believe you can do it. So ...

Steel Magnolias is a movie about a group of small-town, southern women whose social lives revolve around meetings at the local beauty parlor.

In this scene, a woman named M'Lynn Eatenton (played by Sally Fields) is grieving the loss of her daughter. In the middle of her suffering, one of her friends attempts to comfort her by promising that the young girl "is in a better place."

"That's what my mind ...

Rob Bell, teaching pastor at Mars Hills Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, used this object lesson after explaining the way Satan targets each of us with custom-made lies designed to make us miserable and impotent.

Scripture: Romans 16:20

Principle: By identifying Satan's lies, we can defeat them.

Purpose: To help Christians actively fight the Devil's deception

Objects: Markers, shoes

Procedure: At the ...