It’s kind of a weird question, but if you had the opportunity to be any kind of flower in the world, what would you want to be?  There are so many from which to choose!  In fact, scientists have identified approximately 400,000 types of flowering plant species in the world.  Some are extremely rare, like the endangered corpse flower of Indonesia.  It…

It is easy to slip into greed. Living in a consumer society, temptation is ever before us. What you want becomes what you think about. It then becomes what you obsess about. From there, it is a small step to do anything to get it. A certain author highlights this human trait. A town was turned upside down in the desire for…

A children’s game from long ago involved getting all participants in a line, and one individual was selected to be the leader. Every person was to keep watching and doing everything the leader did. If he took giant steps, everyone in the game had to stay in line and take a giant step at the very place he did. There was a…

Raising kids can be fun, difficult, exhausting, exciting, challenging, thrilling, nerve-racking, joyful and rewarding—all wrapped into one wonderful experience.  As your kids grow up, there are always certain things you want to do with them and certain places that you want to take them.  “When they get old enough, we need to take them here.  During the summer, we need to go…

It is a popular idea that we are saved by grace alone. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). This passage in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is used to support that teaching. What it…

Jesus’ words in the parable of the ten virgins have a great application in the way we live our lives. Those virgins who failed to bring enough oil for their lamps found themselves unprepared for the arrival of the bridegroom. When he came, the wedding celebration began, and they were not included. His words? “And the door was shut” (Matt. 25:10). The…

Christ will not accept second place in our lives.  As our Creator (Col. 1:16), our Sustainer (Col. 1:17), our Savior (Phil. 3:20) and our Lord (Acts 10:36), He expects and demands to “have first place in everything” (Col. 1:18).  Second place is not an option (cf. Rev. 3:16). It is evident that such priority and preeminence applies to His body, His church,…

Lighthouses have always been a comfort to those that see them. Lighthouses have been around since ancient times. The most famous was the lighthouse of Alexandria on the Nile River Delta. It was built between 280-247 BC almost three hundred years before Christ was born.  It is estimated to have stood 330 feet high and was one of the seven wonders of…