The Greatest Organizer

By Virginia Smith

Thank goodness for electronic calendars. Back when I worked in the corporate world I learned to rely on my computer to organize my day, and that’s a time management technique I’ve kept in my career as a writer. Each morning I turn on my computer and examine my schedule, so I know what’s in store for me during the day. Often my hours are filled with back-to-back conference calls, appointments, meetings with editors, and looming deadlines. Without my electronic day planner, I wouldn’t know where to go, or what I’m supposed to do when I arrive.

God has a plan for my day, too. The Bible declares that the Lord has made each day, and arranged every moment to fit perfectly into His plan. Not only does He know about my lunch with a grieving friend, He also knows about the neighbor I’ll see on my way to the mailbox who needs a smile to brighten her morning. He knows about the lady at the grocery store who needs help lifting heavy bags into her car at the exact moment I pull into the parking place next to hers. Not a single encounter will take the Lord by surprise, because He has filled in every moment on the calendar He maintains for me. When I trust in Him, He’ll show me where to go and what to do, and my day will bring glory and honor to Him.

Read more

From a Hole

By Cheri Cowell

Have you ever fallen in a hole? Recently my local news shared the story of a woman who, while out walking her dog, fell into a ten-foot deep, two-foot wide cylinder-shaped hole. It took several hours for the rescuers to safely extract her from her earthen prison.

There have been many times I’ve fallen into a hole. Oh, not a real hole, but a hole nonetheless. These are the dark times in my life; times when I’ve felt alone, persecuted, misunderstood, even abandoned by God. There is no way God can reach me here, I say, knowing that it’s not true.

Read more

Summer Clearance

It’s that time of year.  Stores are calling your name with signs that yell “Summer Clearance, Summer Markdowns, Summer Savings.”  But in reality, the message they are sending is “Summer’s Over.”  School starts in just a matter of days and routine will replace lazy days of summer.  It’s a fact.

We love summer because it gives us a change of pace.  Kids run wild, we vacation, we plan fun events…it’s a virtual party with spend-the-night guests and late nights.  The variety makes it fun and come February we are literally salivating on it’s memory.

Read more

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Have you ever met someone who made a really lousy first impression? Have you ever been introduced and immediately you wrote them off and stereotyped them as common, ordinary, average—only to find out later that they were terribly gifted in some area?

Read more

Bad for Our Bodies Good for Our Souls

The recent elections in Iran have fomented a burgeoning revolution of people standing up against government corruption.  On the political level, it is a power play over who’s in control.  On the popular level, Iran is crossing a threshold of what people there are willing to put up with, and the implications for the whole Middle East, and indirectly for all of us, could be huge.

Read more

Next Page »