The Key
March 11, 2025 by Bob Kaku
Filed under Christian Life, For Him
By Bob Kaku
Under crystalline blue skies, my wife, Gail, and I basked in the tranquility of St. John, US Virgin Islands. The warm, azure waters washed our feet as we waded through the gentle waves. The unhurried pace and friendly banter with the locals were a welcomed respite from our hectic California lives.
We drank in the spectacular vistas of Cruz Bay and the Caribbean from the veranda of our rented condo perched atop a steep hill. The balmy onshore breeze and melodic cadence of steel drums wafted in, making our stress float away. What a relaxing spot! Everything was perfect until . . .
One evening, we strolled down to the swimming pool, the perfect vantage point to view the glistening harbor lights on one side and the shimmering moonlit sea on the other. Periodic boat horns droned in the distance. After we sauntered back to our unit, I fished through my belt pouch and pockets for the key, but I couldn’t find it. All week I had used extreme caution putting the key back into my pouch. I peered through the kitchen window and saw the key sitting on the counter. “Oh, no! There’s no night manager. How will we get in?”
Daily Resolution
March 10, 2025 by Gina Stinson
Filed under Daily Devotions, Worship
By Gina Stinson
The last few years I haven’t made New Year’s resolutions. I used to make the common resolutions as I switched to a new calendar – lose weight, read my Bible more, spend less, get more organized – and each year, somewhere around January 15th, I realized I’d already failed. I beat myself up, did some pretty degrading self-talk and sometimes even tried again. But, with only a few exceptions, I would eventually give up. What a disappointment!
For a couple of years I conveniently ignored all the hype regarding resolutions and just opted for a resolve-free year. That was a commitment I could keep. That worked well, until I realized what God’s Word had to say about New Year’s resolutions.
Turn, Turn, Turn
March 9, 2025 by Peter Lundell
Filed under Daily Devotions, Personal Growth
By Peter Lundell
I was driving one day, listening to an oldies station, when I heard Pete Seeger’s 1965 classic, “Turn, Turn, Turn” that the Byrds turned into a number one hit song in America. Right there in the left turn lane, the Holy Spirit seemed to dance all around me. I love it when God works through “secular” stuff.
But in fact the song is not so secular. It’s a musical rendition of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. That day I spent two hours on a plane ride reading and rereading and meditating on those verses. In them I saw wisdom so deep, so multifaceted, so life encompassing that I could say it’s essential to everything a person ever thinks or does in life.
Failed New Year’s Resolutions
March 8, 2025 by Darren Marlar
Filed under Humor, Stories
By Darren Marlar
January 1st – I resolve to read my bible in one year. Day one.
January 2nd – I read day two in my bible.
January 8th – Say, wasn’t I supposed to be reading my bible every day? Well, I guess I blew it. The whole year is a wash now.
That’s how it always happens. In January I promise I’m going to do 100 sit-ups a day, give up sugar, run five miles each morning, and contribute all of my spare change to those less fortunate while making time for eight hours of prayer every evening before bed. About three hours later I find out exactly how weak my resolve truly is when I hear the muffled sound of the vanilla ice cream calling me from the freezer. I try to ignore it, but end up failing. I give up and say to myself, “Oh well – maybe next year. Now where’s that chocolate sauce? Hmmm… a new episode of CSI is on tonight. Ooh, it’s an eight hour CSI marathon… sweet!”
The Amazing Race
March 7, 2025 by Christine Thomas
Filed under Christian Life, For Her
By Christine Thomas
Lately my days have been an exercise in scheduling. With four children involved in sports, music, tutoring, rehearsals, and youth groups, not to mention the bustle of the holidays thrown in the mix, I spend so much time in the car that my right foot brakes and accelerates when I sit down to eat at home, although I usually grab a snack on my way out the door.
In between this endless shuttling to and from commitments and appointments, I make an occasional pit stop at home to throw in a load of laundry. Every day feels like a live TV show in which I’m an actor who must hit her mark or the program is thrown off track. Consequently my mind is always racing as I mentally contrive the order of each day.
When describing my harried life to a friend, she passed along a word of advice which helped her during one of life’s hyper-busy seasons.
