Category: Life Issues

Contentiousness, Quarreling and Strife: Harsh Noises in God’s Ears, Even When You’re Right

My wife and I were rudely awakened one night by a terrible sound outside our bedroom window. We ran outside and discovered two raccoons up in a tree, fighting. I suppose it would be more accurate to say they were screaming at each other, and they...

Doeg the Edomite: A Man After Saul’s Own Heart

David was on the run. King Saul, now possessed by an evil spirit, was after him. In his escape, he stops for food at Nob, where the Ark resided in the ancient tabernacle. Ahimilech was priest on duty. David asked for bread. In a historic move...

Communication Resolutions

God cares how we communicate with other believers. Is there a “communication” resolution below that you should apply to your own life? I will talk less. Proverbs 10:19 – When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise. James...

What Cockroaches Taught Me About Trust

We found them everywhere. Cockroaches, that is. Cowering in kitchen cabinets, scurrying down the hall, climbing up bedroom walls, and searching through our freshly packed boxes. Gross—I don’t even like looking at a picture of one! My wife and I had just gathered up our belongings...

Bathing the Cat

Have you ever given a cat a bath? Being much wiser than the cat, you know that he needs a bath because he is dirty and smells awful. The cat, on the other hand, has a decidedly different opinion. He hates water, does not believe he...

At Your Wits’ End

At one point in Pilgrims Progress, Christian and Hopeful seemed to have reached the bitter end. Giant Despair had thrown them into the dark dungeon of Doubting Castle. The two travelers had gotten off the true Way for a while and had been captured by the...

Are You Your Favorite Subject?

In a popular song, the singer goes on and on about how much he likes to talk about another person. But then the main point of the song comes when he says emphatically, “I wanna talk about me!” We laugh, but this song reveals something that...

Anxiety: Its Cause and Its Cure

Anxiety is the natural human response to trouble. For some people anxious thoughts are short-lived and mild, even during severe difficulty. But for others, anxiety leads to sleeplessness, depression, and even physical illness. Jesus was frank in calling anxiety sin. While telling His followers not to...

An Empty Chair at Christmas

Sometimes the hope of Christmas is, “Next year all our troubles will be miles away.” That’s what the song says anyway, but many will not have a merry Christmas just because of that. They know it is not true. Many start with and cannot get past...

A Woman of the City, Who Was a Sinner

I once spoke to a woman who thought that she did not need forgiveness from God. Her justification was that she did not do all the bad things other people were always doing. She didn’t use foul language, she didn’t get drunk every weekend, and she...