There is an old story about two young boys whose mother asked them to chase a chicken snake out of the henhouse. They looked everywhere for that snake, but couldn’t find it. The more they looked, the more afraid they got. Until finally, when they did find it, they nearly killed each other running out […]
My friend Rev. Ray Woody, who was a retired pastor, once told me that during his ministry, on Sundays, he used to visit all the visitors to his church. One particular Sunday he had an unusual experience. The first family he visited said they found the church to be warm and friendly. They were excited […]
There is a story about a man who was sentenced to death by a king. He managed to get a reprieve by assuring the king he would teach his majesty’s horse to fly within the year. The one condition was that if he failed, he’d be put to death at the end of the year. […]
An ancient Asian tale gives two images that contrast the difference between heaven and hell. The image of hell is this: There is a large banquet hall and the meal has been prepared by the world’s best chefs. The only unusual thing about this scene is the silverware utensils. They are very long, heavy, and […]
There is a story about a homeless man named Tom who has had a rough life. He suffered from addictions and was in and out of many shelters. Finally, one night Tom found himself at a worship service and he had a conversion experience. After that night, his whole life turned around. He signed up […]
Dr. George Sweeting tells a story about an event that took place in Russia in the 1920s. Communist leader Nikolai Bukharin was sent from Moscow to address an anti-God rally in Kiev. For an hour he took apart the Christian faith – ridiculed it. He spoke until it seemed as though the whole structure of […]
A father was listening to his child playing in the other room when he heard her repeating the alphabet in a tone of voice that sounded like a prayer. When he asked her what she was doing, the little girl explained: “I’m praying, but I can’t think of exactly the right words, so I’m just […]
Rabbi Hugo Gryn used to tell of his experience in Auschwitz as a child. Food, of course, was scarce, and his fellow prisoners took care to preserve every scrap that came their way. When Hanukkah arrived, Hugo’s father took a lump of margarine, and to the shock of young Hugo, he used it as fuel […]
I was listening to a podcast on forgiveness on my drive home from work the other day, and they were interviewing a psychologist Robert Enright who has been working with children in Liberia. You may remember that that country had been wracked by civil war. He was talking about a Skype session he had when […]
Today, I am deeply grateful for those of you who have supported the Dial Hope Foundation with a financial donation. Hope reaches others because of you. Thank you! In one of his commentaries on Romans, pastor and scholar Eugene Peterson writes about the way the Apostle Paul opens his letter. In verse 8, Paul begins, […]
