God’s help in human frailty. by LeAnn Campbell I peeled a potato while Mother watched. “Is this how you do it?” she asked. What was wrong here? Mother, a farmer’s wife, had peeled thousands of potatoes for big bowls of mashed potatoes and platters of French fries or potato chips. How could she forget…
Read moreYear: 2010
Tough Love
by J. Grant Swank, Jr. Tough love is a popular term these days. Yet few understand it. It is difficult to understand tough love because we live in a mush love society. This likewise influences the Christian perception of love as presented in the Bible. Yet tough love is as old as God. It…
Read moreThose Who Know Most Trust Least
When much knowledge is dangerous. by Trey Graham Too often, as our knowledge of God grows, our dependence upon Him decreases. Kind of depressing, isn’t it? As we learn the facts about God, we tend to lose the faith in God. How sad to think that we allow ourselves to become familiar with, used…
Read moreGod on the Stage
Why we need divine help in this human tragedy. by Bob Hostetler A Roman playwright named Horace lived and wrote in the days of Julius Caesar. Horace criticized the other poets and playwrights of his day who, every time a problem occurred in their plots, brought in one of the many Roman gods to…
Read moreGod’s Dumbness
by J. Grant Swank, Jr. Why oh why do it that way — His way — when, more times than not, it is just plain dumb — and sometimes embarrassing? A stick and the Red Sea Take, for instance, when He asked Preacher Moses to pick up a stick, then hold it over the…
Read moreWhen Nightmares Come True
The pain of losing a baby brings afocus on God, who lost a Son. by Marlo M. Schalesky I woke with a surge of fear. My hands, balled into tight fists, gripped the sheets as my breath came in ragged gasps. The chill of the pre-dawn air wrapped cold fingers around my chest and…
Read moreWhen Death Visits a Home
by Petey Prater Coping with death is one of life’s most difficult tasks. All of us will have a friend or family member who will need our support as they deal with the death of someone they love. Though we feel inadequate and vulnerable, there are several practical and emotional ways to help another…
Read moreWalking with a Dying Friend – Practical Tips
Pastor Rick Taylor and counselor Bruce Campbell have both suffered tragic losses in their immediate families. They’ve counseled grieving families as well as individuals with terminal illnesses. Here they offer practical ideas to help a dying friend. Be there. Whether you sit silently at his bedside, pray with him, or take him for a drive…
Read moreWalking With a Dying Friend
by Denise Carlson I’d known Randy Wilson* for twenty years when he was stricken with a brain tumor. Early in the course of his illness, the highlight of this former architect’s day became the mailman’s arrival. Randy and his wife Barb were flooded with encouraging cards and notes. The ringing phone competed with the…
Read moreThe Private Pain of a Motherless Child
A daughter’s struggle to find new life. by Kristy McHaney My mother’s screams startled me out of sleep that November morning in 1978. When I scrambled out of bed and ran to my parents’ room, I found Mother grabbing her head, rocking back and forth, and yelling at my father “Joseph,* help me!” I…
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