Above photo: Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon in Beach Party, 1963 ********************** Annette Funicello (1942-2013) in The Mickey Mouse Club, 1956 ———————— “The Asterisk in an Obituary” by Robert Petterson, in The One Year Book of Amazing Stories, Tyndale, 2018, pages 537-538. ——————————–    She was as cute as a button, the first crush for a […]
2669) America’s Favorite Mouseketeer Read More »
 In the classic Life Together Dietrich Bonhoeffer describes how we should live together as Christians.  In the following selections, he describes how to deal with those difficulties we all face in our relationships: bearing with people who are a burden to us, forgiving those who have wronged us, and praying for others, especially for those we
2614) When Others are a Burden Read More »
From Loving God, by Chuck Colson, 1983, Zondervan, pages 242-243     In the fourth century there had been an Asiatic monk who had spent most of his life in a remote community of prayer, raising vegetables for the cloister kitchen.  When he was not tending his garden spot, he was fulfilling his vocation of study and prayer.
2490) One Monk vs. the Gladiators Read More »
Pictured above: A young Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln ———————————— “The Slow Fires of Misery:  Enduring the Pain of a Flawed Marriage” By John Piper, A Godward Life, pages 33-35, Multnomah, 1997.  Quotes are from “The Struggle for Lincoln’s Soul,” by Mark Noll, in Books and Culture, September/October 1995 issue. ————————————————-    Abraham Lincoln’s marriage was
2465) The Lincoln’s Unhappy Marriage Read More »
(…continued) Three months later (pages 99-100):    Thirteen weeks after the accident David told me the details. He told me quietly, peacefully, matter-of-factly that he had seen the car coming at him and Johnny. I was stunned.    I wonder how many of these scenarios are packed away inside the minds of the
2457) Patience, Until… (2 of 2) Read More »
Above: John-Paul Floyd (1988-1995) ———————- In April of 1995, six-year old John-Paul was playing in front of his house with his brother David when both were struck by a car. David survived with bruises, but John-Paul died instantly. The boys’ father, Gregory Floyd, wrote about the family’s’ heartbreaking journey through sorrow in A Grief Unveiled
2456) Patience, Until…. (1 of 2) Read More »
  Fear is contagious. But thankfully, so is courage. Both are cultivated in the company we keep and the truths that dominate our thinking. For the Christian, the guardrails for our fear in any situation are God’s presence and his promises, which will never fail his people. Because of that, we are stronger than we
2451) COVID Quotes Read More »
“My Siblings Died — And My Dad Sang This Song” by Joshua Rogers, posted August 17, 2020, at: http://www.joshuarogers.com —————    The phone rang and my mom answered. She never imagined the horrific news my grandfather was about to share. My dad’s two children from his first marriage had died in a plane crash.
2425) “Ain’t God Good, Boys?” Read More »
Before baptizing someone, a native missionary in Nepal asks the above seven questions. They consider the cost. ***************************    (…continued) Jesus comes to different people in different ways at different stages in their lives. In Luke 14:31-33 Jesus told the people there gathered to “consider the cost” before becoming his disciple. They were perhaps
2371) Considering the Cost (b) Read More »
Pictured above: Ayub Masih ———-– Luke 14:28-33 — (Jesus said), “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and consider the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it
2370) Considering the Cost (a) Read More »
