One Sunday, the pastor announced that a special guest would be joining the congregation in mere minutes – Lucifer. He told the morning crowd, “The devil will be here in five minutes. If you want to leave, you better leave now.” Five minutes later, the devil arrived, walked into the church auditorium, and faced a…
The pastor made a plea for his church to give to missions. He asked, “If any of you had a million dollars, how many of you would give it to missions?” Every hand went up. “What if you had $10,000?” Again, every hand went up. Then the pastor asked, “If you had $100, would you…
On March 26, 1913, in Columbus, Ohio, a man was spotted running through town. It was later discovered that he was running because he was late for an appointment. But out of curiosity, a young boy saw him, then ran behind him, to see where he was going. Then others joined in. As a joke,…
Fear is a great instructor. Carl Jung said, “Find out what a person fears most, and that is where he will develop next.” Elizabeth Elliot offered great insight on fear: “Fear arises when we imagine that everything depends on us.” That is especially true of recovery. I see it all the time – a fear…
A woman walked up to a little old man rocking in a chair on his porch. “I couldn’t help noticing how happy you look,” she said. “What’s your secret to a long happy life?” The man replied, “I smoke three packs of cigarettes a day. I also drink a case of whiskey, eat fatty foods,…
Genesis 4:3 reads, “And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord.” That was the first “It came to pass” in the Bible. But not the last. The Bible says it 463 times: “It came to pass.” I have claimed that…
Does a relapse mean you no longer have anything to contribute? Let me answer that with a sports analogy. When Tom Brady throws an interception, they don’t pull him out of the game. We have this hope: “In him we have redemption, through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of…
What do you know about Adam? He was the first man. He was married to Eve. He had two sons – Cain and Abel. Due to his sin, he was cast from the Garden. He had another son – Seth. But all of that accounts for just 14 percent of Adam’s life. The last 800…
A priest was walking down the street when he saw a little boy struggling to reach the doorbell at a nice home. After watching the boy stretch for several minutes, the priest came to the porch and offered to help. He rang the doorbell for the young boy and then asked, “Now what?” The boy…
According to the CDC, 40 percent of Americans are struggling with anxiety or depression. A Gallup poll indicated that 60 percent of Americans experience significant stress every day. The Bible is against anxiety. “Be anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:6). One of the problems with anxiety is that it often leads to acting out behaviors that…