“Joab defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom” (I Kings 2:28). Joab had withstood his greatest test, remaining faithful to King David by not following after the fascinating leadership of upstart Absalom. Yet, toward the end of his life, Joab turned away to follow the less attractive leader, Adonijah. He overcame to…
A pastor, a doctor, and an engineer went out for a round of golf. It wasn’t long before they caught up to a group playing ahead of them, that was very slow. When they asked the groundskeeper why the other group was so slow, they were told that all three golfers were blind. The pastor,…
God cares for you enough to never waste your pain. A good friend recently told me that he hopes God can use his past, pain included. I assured him that this is God’s precise plan. God never lets our pain go to waste. Pain is what C.S. Lewis called “God’s great unwanted gift.” Remember a…
Two philosophers went on a camping trip. Tucked away in their sleeping bags for the night, one of them asked the other, “When you look up, what do you see?” His buddy said, “I see thousands of stars.” “And what is the deeper meaning of that to you?” “I think it means somebody stole our…
“He has a good heart.” We hear that a lot. But is it the “heart” that really matters? Said another way, if the heart is good, but our actions don’t align with the desires of our heart, what good is it? We find this revealing description of a little-known king named Asa. “The high places…
President Hubert Hoover died at the age of 90, on October 20, 1964, in his apartment in New York City. The next five days, leading to his burial, were rather typical for a former president. Until one thing. At the burial site five days later, there was one aberration from every other presidential burial in…
Gunsmoke was the greatest western in television history. And Matt Dillon was the best U.S. Marshal ever. But during his 20-year career, Matt was shot 56 times, knocked unconscious 29 times, stabbed three times, and poisoned once. Imagine getting nearly killed on the job nearly five times a year for 20 years. And you think…
Larry and Henry were two 80-year-old friends who met for lunch the first Monday of each month. One day, before they even sat down at the table, Larry turned to Henry with a question. “Who was that cute girl I saw you with at church yesterday?” Henry: “That ‘cute girl’ is my new wife.” Larry:…
A couple had their car stolen while shopping at a mall. While they were at the police station reporting the crime, the car was returned to the mall parking lot with a note on the windshield. “I am so sorry for taking your car. Let me explain. While walking through the parking lot, my wife…
Beth and I recently ate at a particular restaurant, largely because of its dozens of positive online reviews. Those reviews were wrong. Charles Spurgeon said, “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” Dishonest reviews about a restaurant can cost you a nice night out. Dishonest…