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“Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him. (Psalm 4:3) Sometimes I don’t hear my phone. Sometimes I choose not to look when I receive a text. This drives my family crazy, but I refuse to be tied to the thing. Especially when…

“An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.”(Proverbs 18:19) Walled cities. Barred gates. In ancient times, they provided protection. Yet while walls and bars kept invaders out, they did something else too. They kept people inside. When an army laid siege to a…

My son’s Navy training includes land nav—land navigation. Because I am such a military wanna-be, I’m brushing up on my compass and map skills. To keep from becoming lost, my handy-dandy wilderness survival guide advises me to choose a stationary focal point and use it to plot my course. Hmmm. Solomon reminds us in Proverbs…

“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”(Psalm 139:16) According to Psalm 139, our book was written long before Page 1 became a reality. Paul tells us in Ephesians our book was written before creation itself: “For he chose us before the creation of the…

Parents and kids. Together, we’re pretty handy. When our children were small, we led them by the hand—to the grocery store, Target, or wherever the to-do list took us. We held their hand for safety—across streets, parking lots, and through the mall. As they grew older, a firm hand on the back steered them between…

A scene from the movie, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, depicts Peter, Susan, Lucy, and beaver friends crossing a frozen river in an attempt to reach Aslan. The White Witch’s wolves block the way when a frozen waterfall above the river begins to thaw. A burst of water sends them careening down the…

Open and Shut Case “Ears that hear and eyes that see—the LORD has made them both.”(Proverbs 20:12) Eyes and ears. We all have them. They range in color and shape and ability. My eyes? Blue, nearsighted, with a touch of astigmatism. Ears? They still don’t drain well even as an adult. All are handcrafted by…

Don’t Jump “The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him.”(Proverbs 18:17) In Norton Juster’s novel, The Phantom Tollbooth, Milo, Humbug, and Tock find themselves on the Island of Conclusions: “Now will you tell me where we are?” asked Tock as he looked around the desolate island. “To be…

Is Anyone Home? “Trust in the LORD with all your heart . . .” (Proverbs 3:5a) Last week, we talked about not leaning on your own understanding. What happens when you lean on God and He appears to fail you? Let’s say you are not leaning on you, but nothing makes sense and God is…

Lean and Mean “ . . .lean not on your own understanding;” (Proverbs 3:5b) Done much leaning lately? Webster’s New World Dictionary, 4th Edition, tells us that to lean means to bend the body so as to rest part of one’s weight on something; to rely (on or upon); or to tend (toward or to…