Greetings from Beverly Hills, FL
We’re back!
Our annual summer trip to Ontario, Canada, was shorter than usual, but no less important and profitable. Continue reading
A Life That Pointed Others to Jesus
“He was a great man. But didn’t know it,” was once said of a beloved preacher from a bygone era. The same compliment could easily be spoken of Sewell Hall, who passed from this life last Sunday afternoon at the age of 96.
Sewell was 40 years old when I began preaching full-time in 1970. By then, he was already widely respected and deeply loved among faithful Christians. Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship
Commitment: The Missing Piece
Every Olympic champion possesses discipline. They persevere through setbacks. They rely on coaches and teammates. They stay focused despite distractions. They compete with passion.
But what ties all those qualities together? Continue reading
The 2000-Year-Old Seed That Still Produces
Can 2,000-year-old seeds still produce?
Israeli physician Sarah Sallon believed they could.
Ancient date palm seeds had been recovered from archaeological sites near the Dead Sea. Although the trees themselves had disappeared nearly 2,000 years ago, Sallon persuaded skeptical archaeologists to let her plant some of those ancient seeds. Many thought the idea was impossible. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
The Mind That Science Can’t Explain
What is consciousness? How do you define it? Where did it originate?
Those questions may not occupy our daily thoughts, but they continue to puzzle some of the world’s brightest scientists.
In a recent Scientific American article, “What Is Consciousness? Science Faces Its Hardest Problem Yet,” Allison Parshall explores a mystery that remains unsolved. Researchers know the brain contains some 86 billion neurons, yet they cannot explain how those cells give rise to the conscious mind—our awareness, identity, and sense of self. Continue reading
Love Does Not Brag
A strong young man at a construction site was bragging that he could outdo anyone in a feat of strength. He made a special case of making fun of one of the older workmen.
After several minutes, the older worker had had enough.
“Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is?” he said. “I’ll bet a week’s wages that I can haul something in a wheelbarrow over to that building that you won’t be able to wheel back.” Continue reading
Filed under Love More. Give More
Weekly Recap: July 20-24
Greetings from Welland, Ontario, Canada
What a wonderful, exciting, and encouraging week we’ve experienced participating in the annual Wellandport VBS. This church may be small in number compared to many other churches, but they are mighty in spirit. And they put on a VBS that would rival many other churches four times their size. Continue reading
Filed under Weekly Recap
Passion: Champions Play with Heart
Michael Jordan, Tim Tebow, Pete Rose, Eric Liddell, and Wayne Gretzky—what do they all have in common?
Apart from being outstanding athletes in their respective sports, each was known for incredible passion. Continue reading
Focus: Champions Refuse Distractions
In The Greatest Finish Fails in Sports History, Andrew Daniels recounts several stories of runners, cyclists, and ballplayers who celebrated victory too soon—only to suffer heartbreaking defeat.
At the 2014 Shanghai Diamond League meet, Algeria’s Taoufik Makhloufi stretched out his arms and stuck out his tongue just before crossing the finish line in the men’s 800 meters. In those final moments, Kenya’s Robert Biwott surged past him for the victory. Continue reading
Teamwork: Champions Never Win Alone
One of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time, John Wooden, believed teamwork was the indispensable ingredient of success. During an incredible 12-season stretch in the 1960s and 1970s, Wooden’s UCLA teams won an astonishing 10 NCAA Championships.
While he coached many players who later became NBA superstars, Wooden never allowed individual talent to overshadow the team. His philosophy was simple: “The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.” Continue reading
ThePreachersWord 