A father asked his young son to go out to the barn to get his tool chest. The boy was afraid of the dark and protested, “But it’s dark outside!” The dad handed the boy a lantern and said, “Hold up the lantern. How far can you see?” “I can see to the mulberry tree,”…
In their natural habitat, trees are buffeted by winds that blow every which way. Trees respond to that wind resistance by growing stronger bark and deeper roots. Without adversity, trees atrophy. People are a lot like trees. We grow through resistance. Notice how God led his children. “God did not lead them along the main…
Teddy Roosevelt loved the outdoors. One of his favorite activities was what is called a point-to-point hike. It has one simple rule. Upon setting out for a particular destination, you may not alter your course. You have to hike in a straight line, no matter what. If you come to a wall, you climb over…
Van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet brought $82.5 million at a Christie’s auction. For those who may be wondering, I was not the buyer. But I have bought into some other art which is even better. God’s handiwork. I live six miles from the beach. Anytime I want, I can be there in less than…
In life, there are times when it makes sense to be adventurous. Throw caution to the wind. But not with your recovery. Learn to play it safe, especially with the opposite sex. I’ve seen hundreds of men fall back into their addiction because of what seemed like innocent banter with a woman who was not…
Growing up, I was required to study history – lots of it. Texas history. U.S. history. World history. Now, as I age, I often tell people, “I’m so old that when I was a child, they didn’t teach history; they only taught the future.” History is important. But so is the future. There’s a reason…
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples” (Psalm 105:1). When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620, they faced harsh conditions. When they became desperate for food, Governor William Bradford rationed five grains of corn a day to each person. When things got better,…
“By their fruit you will know them” (Matthew 7:10). Everyone is looking for a good sermon. They just don’t know it. I’m not talking about the spoken sermon, but the sermon that is lived out by an authentic follower of Christ, who, though he stumbles, always gets up. He doesn’t profess perfection, but progress. His…
Violet Jessop was the ultimate survivor. Jessop was a stewardess aboard the RMS Olympic, one of the Titanic’s sister ships. In 1911, the Olympic crashed into another ship. Violet Jessop survived. Six months later, she was a stewardess on Titanic. While the ship went under, Violet was saved. A few years later, she served aboard…
It happened in October 1991. Billy Tyne went out one last time. The sea captain was in search of his largest swordfish ever, as he took a crew out into the North Atlantic on the Andrea Gail. A storm swept the entire crew overboard, where they all perished. Even the most experienced sea captain is…