Sam VanGieson was a student at Lincoln Christian University who passed away at age 26. He was only 23 years old when he was diagnosed with cancer. He went into remission at age 24, only to have to have the cancer return at age 25. Sam married his wife Savannah in November 2012, then passed … More Winning either way!
When I was a youth minister, I learned the power of encouragement from an idea I got out of a book of youth ministry ideas. It was called the “car wash.” To hold a car wash, line students up in two parallel lines facing each other, then choose someone to walk through the car wash. … More Everyone needs a car wash!
We are all incredibly self-focused, self-centered people. It is only through great intentional effort that we can become other-focused people. The key is becoming so overwhelmed by the truth of God’s love for us that we look for our basic validation only from Him. Accepting and believing in God’s great love for us will free … More Are you other-focused?
At 7:35 p.m. on March 20, 1985, I became a father for the first time. As I stood beside my wife in the delivery room of a mission hospital in the DR Congo, four people were in the room: me, my wife Julie, the doctor, and the midwife—and then suddenly there were five. Sarah Ann … More A Miraculous Gift!
Proverbs 5:18 says, “May you rejoice in the wife of your youth.” The author of Proverbs challenges a husband to rejoice in his wife just as he did on his wedding day, no matter how long they have been married. The strong principle of marital celebration arises from this passage of Scripture. God wants … More I celebrate you!
I want to learn to be grateful for all the Lord has given me. I don’t want to take God or anything he has given me—which is everything!—for granted. Brennan Manning says that people who have difficulty trusting especially need to learn gratitude; he calls it leading a doxological life, which is to say a … More Wealthier than Michael Jordan
When I lived in the DR Congo, my Congolese brothers and sisters taught me the importance of gratefulness by how they prayed every morning. In the Swahili language, they prayed, “Asante Mungu sababu niliamuka,” which means, “Thank you, God, that I woke up.” Sometimes they added another sentence: “Usiku jana nililala kama wafu, halafu leo … More Thank you God I woke up!
