Hudson Taylor, a missionary from the 1800s, said this about God doing the impossible in our lives: “There are three stages to every great work of God: first it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.” Let me suggest a few things in your life that need to move from impossible to…
Sometimes our defense of past actions is more injurious to those close to us than those actions themselves. Let’s get academic. Dr. Martin Seligman is a former president of the American Psychological Association. Seligman says we all have what he calls “an explanatory style.” He defines this as “the manner in which we habitually explain…
On January 23, Tom Brady completed a touchdown pass to Mike Evans in the fourth quarter of his final playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams. Evans proceeded to toss the ball into the stands. I know. I was there. A fan caught that ball from Evans. Security was on the spot to document that…
It’s a real word. You can look it up – beamonesque. In the 1968 Olympics, American long jumper Bob Beamon won the gold medal. In the process, he obliterated the world record by two feet, with a jump of 29 feet, two and a half inches. His jump was so far ahead of any jump…
Today’s RM is for those of us who wish to see someone close to us get better. Rather than berating them and reminding them of their shortcomings, encourage them. In the words of Wolfgang von Goethe: “Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can…
Sometimes, it is a good idea to look at our past mistakes, to learn from them, so we can move on. Winston Churchill said, “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see.” Paul spoke with an optimistic voice. “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will…
“The human heart,” said John Calvin, “is a perpetual idol factory.” An idol is defined as “an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship.” And we’ve all had them. Some bow to multiple idols every day without even knowing it. In America, we’ve even made a TV show out of…
Gordon MacKenzie, with Hallmark Cards, did an interesting study. While leading art workshops at elementary schools, he asked first graders, “How many artists are in the room?” Every hand went up. MacKenzie asked the same question to a room full of third graders. Half the hands went up. And when he asked sixth graders, only…
Diana Nyad stared out over the ocean from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when she was nine years old. “Where is Cuba?” she asked her mother. That day, Diana’s fascination with Cuba took root. “One day,” she told herself, “I will swim there.” At the age of 29, Diana attempted to become the first person to swim…
When the prophet Jeremiah observed the potter molding and fixing clay, he noticed something interesting. “Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when you are working with clay, the potter would simply start over and use the same clay to make another pot” (Jeremiah 18:4, The Message). God…