The 1,000th Prayer

I cannot tell you why a prayer that has been prayed for ten years is answered on the 1,000th request when God has met the first 999 with silence.

"If Any One Will Come After Me ..."

The way of Christ is not a crossless way. But if Christ is with us, and we are with him, we can survive, and we can be effective.

The Finish Is What Counts

I taught all my kids to enjoy running. Then they taught me how not to enjoy it. While I could keep a pace ahead of them, it was great. But when they began ...

Failure or Opportunity?

Somebody asked Winston Churchill one time, "What most prepared you to lead Great Britain through World War II?" For a period of time, Great ...

Don't Call It "Failure"

Jonas Salk attempted 200 unsuccessful vaccines for polio before he came up with one that worked. Somebody asked him one time, "How did it feel to ...

Faith and Hope

Faith binds man to Christ. Hope sets this faith open to the comprehensive future of Christ. Hope is therefore the "inseparable companion" of ...

Strengthening of John Wesley

A young John Wesley, "clearly convinced of (his) unbelief," asked Peter Boehler whether he ought to quit preaching until he had faith. Boehler's ...

Delayed Recognition

On a plaque marking Abraham Lincoln's birthplace near Hodgenville, Kentucky, is recorded this scrap of conversation:

"Any news down t' the ...

The First Thanksgiving

The Pilgrims would not fully understand in their lifetime the reason for the suffering that beset them. The first official Thanksgiving Day occurred as ...

Murphy's Church Laws

Murphy in the Pew

Next to the Law of Gravity, one of the most inescapable universal truths is undoubtedly Murphy's Law: "If anything can go wrong, ...