Friends With Tow Ropes

I’ve been over some pretty rugged terrain on life’s road recently. At times it seemed like there were more potholes than pavement on my road. Some of those potholes felt like gigantic craters and I found myself stuck in them, unable to move forward. It’s a good thing I have friends who show up when I need them; tow ropes at the ready.
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The Love Game

“I love you more than vanilla ice cream with hot fudge,” my friend will say to his daughter to which she will reply, “and I love you more than kisses from a puppy.” Instead of sharing the usual I love you they share in this lighthearted game. Each time trying to top what the other person has named. Not in a competitive way, but as a playful expression of the depth of love they share. God plays this game with us, too. He gives us a breathtaking sunrise then whispers in our ear, “See this? I love you more than that.” He sends someone into our life with an unexpected blessing and then whispers again, “I love you more than that.” God’s love is so great there is no way we could have ever comprehended unless He sent Jesus to die so there would be no doubt.
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Ears to Hear

Not long ago I was working on my laptop, and I had the strangest thought. It’s been a long time since I did a full backup of my data. I’d better do that. I know I should do regular backups, but it’s something I often don’t think about until after the computer is shut down for the night. So it had been several months since my last one. I responded to the nudge and backed up all my critical data.
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Changing the Enemy

This past Christmas’s theme of peace on earth was a bit interrupted by the extremist Muslim dude trying to blow up a plane. What is often overlooked in such conflict is the need for changing minds. One news item that didn’t get nearly enough press was what happened in Libya. Officials of the Libyan government, which once sponsored terrorism, met with imprisoned Al Qaeda affiliates and learned to understand them. Then they convinced the terrorists that blowing up innocent people was not nice and that this activity should stop. The terrorists eventually denounced violence, were released, and are now propagating across the Arab world a concerted message of peace and reconciliation.

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Does God Have A Workout Plan?

By Cheri Cowell

Most of us have some form of health goals for the New Year. It seems that every other commercial on television is about losing weight or getting healthy. I’m told that gym memberships increase by over 60% the first six weeks of the year, but decline to their normal numbers after that. Just this week I heard a fitness expert say we need to spend at least three hours each week on some form of physical exercise, and double that if we want to lose weight. He said that for most people, simply walking more is a good place to start in order to create an exercise habit that will stay with us throughout our lives.

How many of us have similar goals for our spiritual exercise? The goal of living longer, being healthier, and possibly looking better this time next year propels us towards making lifestyle changes. But what image or goal is going to drive us to make the commitments needed for our spiritual exercise?

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