Divine Appointments

I was excited as I settled into my aisle seat for the late afternoon flight from Denver to Sacramento. Ahead of me were four beautiful hours to work on the youth seminar I would be giving in a couple of months. It was perfect; the two seats next to me were empty so I could stretch out and focus. Unfortunately, my idyllic productivity plan was shattered when a very loud, overweight woman boarded the plane and plopped down in the window seat of my row. I had a feeling I wouldn't be getting much work done.
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Discovering Fruits of the Spirit in the Christmas Tree

It was a wet, windy, thunder-storming Sunday and the day we had set aside to get our Christmas tree. Our family tradition is to dig up a tree from a tree farm, roots and all, so it can be planted in our yard in the new year. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Read More


A Visit Filled with Answered Prayer
by guest writer, Lynne

I was thrilled to be invited to share Thanksgiving with my son's family. When I arrived, I asked my daughter-in-law if it would be okay to do the Thanksgiving Bible verse cut and paste project with the kids on Thanksgiving.  She said, "Yes, that would be fine".  I pulled some things out of an envelope, and showed her the My Little Friend and Primary Treasure magazines, and told her I would be glad to send them each week, and she said, "Sure, that would be fine".  Read More

"Where is gate E-17?", an elderly middle-eastern woman asked in broken English. She wore a long, tasteful brown dress accented by a large crimson red scarf draping over her shoulder. As I was admiring her traditional Indian clothing, I felt my eyes drifting toward the small red dot on her forehead. I wanted to take this opportunity to minister to her; to share with her the hope and joy that Jesus had given me. I thought this would surely be something new to her, something she had never heard. But then I found myself distracted by my own emotions of the day... Read More

Wrestling With God
Lessons from a jail cell 

The year 2008 started off more differently than they could have ever imagined! Living in the Netherlands on Christmas Eve, Klaas and his kids decided to light fireworks, like everyone else. Unexpectedly, one of his neighbors became very angry and suddenly attacked him.  Klaas soon shook him off; however, the man attacked him once again.  The third time the man went for Klaas, he was trying to choke him around a light post. In a panic, Klaas reached in his pocket and grabbed his pocket knife.  Out of fear and sheer panic, he stabbed his attacker eleven times! Unbelievably, both men stumbled
to their homes, and both called the police immediately. That night Klaas ended up in jail and his neighbor in intensive care.  In critical condition, it was uncertain if the man would live... Read More

A Blanket of Comfort
Finding peace and comfort in desperate circumstances 

I had been invited to speak at a spanish-speaking church. My message was on Wrestling with God. Sitting next to me was Petra; the wife of a church leader and mother of eight children. I noticed her gentle face was so very pale, and that she needed to be assisted by two people, one on each side of her, just to walk from one place to another.

This loving woman was about sixty years old, and was so very ill, that it became obvious she had come to say good-bye to her family and friends.  Yet, her graceful manner would soon put us all at ease, as we were about to witness a manifestation of God's love... Read More