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One airline passenger became so irate that he could not claim his $15,000 winning scratch card while on board a flight that he took rather odd action — he ate his ticket. Cabin crew on a Thursday flight from Krakow, Poland, to the U.K.'s East Midlands airport congratulated the winner and advised him…

It was around August 20, 1959 when a cry was heard . . . and heard . . . and heard! It was me. I was wailing, and wailing, or so I’ve been told by my mom who was probably traumatized by the event. I’m telling you, I was a mess. Couldn’t eat by myself, probably threw up on everybody and besides that I…

Studies show that four hundred years of silence exist between the Old Testament and the New Testament. After enduring four hundred years of prophetic silence, the world had come to the fullness of time. Although Galatians is not considered to be part of the Christmas story, it brings divine significance…

OUT OF THE SHADOWS by Charles R. Swindoll Read Acts 11:19--26 Some of you who read these words today could use a little extra hope, especially if you find yourself in a waiting mode. You were once engaged in the action, doing top-priority work on the front lines. No longer. All that has changed. Now,…

Your emergency situation is often God’s testing time. The purposes of God often develop slowly because His grand designs are never hurried. The great New England preacher Phillips Brooks was noted for his poise and quiet manner. At times, however, even he suffered from moments of frustration and irritability.…

The Christian life isn't a series of correspondence courses. A young man decided he wanted to be a boxer, so he decided to take private lessons. He found a boxing coach at a nearby gym who agreed to give him twenty-six weekly sessions. As part of his instruction, the young man was required to spar with…

Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: It might have been. On a cold December morning, dressed in a white execution gown, Fyodor Dostoevsky was led to the wall of the prison courtyard with the other condemned prisoners. Blindfolded, he waited for the last sound he would hear, the crack…

In the final analysis, I think the biggest issue is that too often my philosophy of effective leadership loses touch with God's reality. I want so badly to be used by God to fulfill the vision he has given me to facilitate transformation. When there are no overt or measurable indications of such outcomes,…

As a pastor, I spend a lot of time in hospitals. To this point that’s been as a vistor and not as a patient. Of course, I realize that if I don’t die suddenly in some way, the day will come when I will not be the visitor, I will be the visited . . . and with my family history, that could very well be…

PATIENCE, DOCTOR’S OFFICE After all there are many time wasters in our society today, and we really don’t like to wait. The doctor’s office is one of my stress factors. I don’t know why I should be upset, after all, they have been honest with me — they labeled it the waiting room. Why should I be surprised…

PATIENCE, RESTAURANTS The restaurant is another place that you have to wait. There are at least six waits in a restaurant. First, you wait to get a seat. Second, you wait to get the menu. Third, you wait to order. Fourth, you wait to get the food. Fifth, you wait for the bill. Sixth, you wait for the…

Doug Murren, in Churches That Heal (1999), retells that old Native American tale of a possum watching a seed grow. One day a possum visited his good friend, a raccoon, at his home near the river. The possum marveled at his friend's lush garden and asked if he could grow one like it. The raccoon assured…

William Wilberforce displayed extraordinary endurance. He was defeated regularly in his battle to free England of slave trade. The repeated defeats of his plans did not defeat him. His adversaries complained that, “Wilberforce jumped up whenever they knocked him down.” One said, “It is necessary to watch…

Clovis Chappell, a great preacher of a previous generation, used to tell the story of two paddleboat steamers. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the River to New Orleans. As they traveled side by side, crew members made disparaging remarks about the slowness of the other boat. Words…

For years a grandmother had waited for years to have a new carpet. She wanted this white, shag carpet. Finally, finally she got it. They installed it and she watched the sunlight come in on it, and she was just thrilled. She invited all her neighbors and friends to come over to see and admire it. The…

"I listen, open to anything else he might want to say. For I've also learned this: sometimes God wants to speak to me about something entirely different than the question I'm asking. If I don't get an answer on the subject I've raised, I may need to ask a different question. You'll find this very helpful…

On December 29, 1987, a Soviet cosmonaut returned to the earth after 326 days in orbit. He was in good health, which hasn't always been the case in record-breaking voyages. Five years earlier, touching down after 211 days in space, two cosmonauts suffered from dizziness, high pulse rates, and heart palpitations.…

Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children. Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed,…

Christopher Columbus faced incredible difficulties while sailing west in search of a passage to Asia. He and his crews encountered storms, experienced hunger and deprivation, and dealt with extreme discouragement. The crews of the three ships were near mutiny. But Columbus persevered. The account of…

Getting Your Life Back Books: The Imitation of Christ, Thomas a Kempis The Ladder of Divine Ascent by John climacus Interior Castle by Teresa of Avila The Ascent of Mount Carmel by John of the Cross Spiritual formation is rooted in the virtues. Choosing virtue is choosing to submit our will to God and…

John Todd was a famous minister of the 1800's and he grew up in Vermont, but he lost both of his parents when he was six years old. And, since there were so many kids in the family, they didn't know what to do with all the children and so they found an aunt who said, "I will be happy to take John in."…

Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ tells this story of a famous oil field called Yates Pool: During the depression this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates. Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he…

Why do I always have to be the one that starts to do laundry and there's no detergent? I guess it was time for me to do my "Dollar Store" run, which included Light bulbs, paper towels, trash bags, and Clorox. So off I go. I scurried around the store, gathered up my goodies, and headed for the checkout…

Don't expect wisdom to come into your life like great chunks of rock on a conveyor belt. It isn't like that. It's not splashy and bold . . . nor is it dispensed like a prescription across a counter. Wisdom comes privately from God as a by-product of right decisions, godly reactions, and the application…

It was after 3 a.m. in the fancy restaurant, and all the guests but one had gone home. The last guest was sleeping at his table. The cleaning lady, irritated that she was delayed in doing her job, turned to the restaurant owner. "I've seen you shake the old fool and wake him up five times," she said.…