July 11: Give to Advance God's Kingdom
Jesus asks us to do something that defies
logic and observable reality. The reason trusting God with our
money proves so difficult is because we may not see all the
benefits of our gift during our lifetime. We give trusting that
God will use our money to accomplish his spiritual purposes. But
there's another reason for extreme generosity on our part.
July 18: Fight For Your Marriage
Spending the rest of my life in this marriage feels like a death
sentence. I want a divorce. As I drove to work one morning a few
years ago those thoughts tormented me. My outlook felt as dark as
the thick layer of clouds settling in to produce yet another of the
gray days that typify winter in the Midwest. My emotions cried out
for freedom from the pain and hopelessness I felt after twenty years
of marriage.
July 25: Be Real
It’s easy for parents to think what children need
most from them is moral and spiritual perfection. That belief
often drives parents to hide their flaws in a corner closet,
close the door, lock it, and throw away the key. Such behavior
tells kids it’s more important to appear perfect than be real.
August 3: Hug Me Home
Jesus showed us what a Hug Me Home looks like. No
man or woman in ancient Israel had been mutilated by the
religious hatchet-men more than lepers. According to the law, as
they approached others on the street, lepers had to wear a cloth
covering over their mouth and shout, “Unclean! Unclean!”
August 9: Overcoming The "I Don't Want To"
Feeling
Early in our marriage Cindy and I identified the
“I don’t want to feeling.” It’s what we felt when the
selfishness monster pleaded with us to disregard the other
person. Of course, recognizing the presence of the creature
doesn’t mean he’ll graciously leave, especially in areas where
he’s established control. But he can be bridled, led to a cage,
and deprived of the freedom to roam around our hearts destroying
our marriage. Here’s how.
August 15: Breaking the Back of Selfishness
God never withholds forgiveness from a
broken person who turns to him. In the case of Isaiah, an angel
flew to him with a live coal in his hand. In Isaiah 6:7 we read,
“With it he touched my mouth and said, "’See, this has touched
your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for’.”
August 22: Tapping into the Grace of God
When we marry, we enter into a relationship
that Christ wants to empower. Apart from him we’re a sailboat
without wind, a plane without a prop and a car without an
engine. He alone possesses the strength to break the chords of
selfishness so we can love one another. We must ask for his
grace during our time of need. We must ask him to enable us to
act selflessly . . . to serve when we want service . . . to give
when we want to take.
August 30, 2005: The Blessings of Obedience
By Phil Shaffer
Several years ago I awoke early in the
morning wrestling with intense anxiety and pain. My mind focused
on a crumbling marriage, threats to my business and my poor
physical condition caused by years of gradual weight gain.
Seeking emotional relief, I quietly slipped outside into the
darkness. I watched as the first light of day penetrated the
night sky, bringing color and life to the shadowy landscape.
September 19, 2005: Why Katrina?
 It’s
impossible in the wake of one the greatest natural disaster to
hit the United States to avoid the question: Why did this
happen? Hundreds of thousands of people driven from homes which
are now nothing more than piles of splintered sticks. Billions
of dollars in losses. A city under water where hundreds if not
thousands of people lost their lives...
October 10, 2005: Why Katrina II?
 As
I watched the evening news last week from my hotel room in
Plano, Texas, I saw miles of cars creeping out of Houston to
avoid the wrath of Hurricane Rita. The next day the hotel was
packed with evacuees who had made it to the Dallas’ suburb.
Katrina and Rita formed a one-two punch that ravaged the Gulf
coast. New Orleans stands as a ghost town...
October 24, 2005: Finding Success That
Matters
 Brothers,
I urge you to join me in investing our lives into endeavors that
truly matter, into things that are of eternal consequence. The
crowns that the world bestows on us wither away all too quickly.
But long after the accolades are gone and the light fades on our
careers, we can wear a crown that lasts forever if we yield our
time, treasures and talents to God.
November 6, 2005: The Value of Secrets
 It may surprise you to discover that there
is nothing you can do to endear yourself to others more than
opening up and being vulnerable. If you’ll build more windows
and fewer walls, you’ll have more shoulder to shoulder friends.
We all need at least one person to whom we can tell everything.
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