Recently, one of my preschool students and I were alone outside. Out of the blue, he asked me, “Why do I have to believe in God?” I answered, “Well, you don’t...

Each morning one of my co-workers goes to each office or cubicle and greets each person with a smile and asks, “How are you? How are things going with you?” If...

At the beginning of the 8th grade, I played sports, had friends and a girlfriend, and made good grades. However, toward the end of the school year, my friends began venturing...

In December 2003 I was a missions worker in Liberia during the United Nations disarmament process following a 14-year civil war. Upset and fearful, the child soldiers were refusing to turn...

I live and garden in the desert year-round. Among the things I grow are sugar snap peas. From the time I plant them, the peas will thrive for eight months and...

I can’t remember the exact date when my sister made a paper bag and named it “God’s Bag,” but it is still hanging in our bedroom. She said, “If you ask...

On my first day of a new job, I found myself sitting in the office feeling terrified. For 13 years I had enjoyed working in a comfortable youth-ministry job for a...

One day at church I was very sad over the death of someone in my family. When worship was over, I stepped outside to the church playground. One of the two...

When I was seven years old, my younger brother and I were playing near our family’s garment shop. Then a bully came up to us and started slapping me and hitting...

One of the most vivid memories from my childhood is seeing Mom retreat to the living room each day at three o’clock for an hour of prayer. This was her special...