No Witnesses

Bob knew it was a perfect crime. He carried out in the dead of night. There were no witnesses, and there were no co-conspirators. Two years later, he heard the verdict and the gavel and began his long life of incarceration. How could Bob have found himself in this...

Can Any Forbid Water?

“Sir, you’re dehydrated.” The sergeant was checking how long the pale, pinched hands took to regain color. After ambush training, he checked everyone, including observers. “I know.” There was zero chance of me taking a lift from medical staff, especially in front of...

Down, but Not Out

We lose our job, or we are taken to court, or our character is assassinated by those we trusted most – there are so many ways others might make us feel down. When others hurt us, it is easy to feel down, but it is entirely our choice to feel out. In Acts 8:1-5, we see...

How Much Evidence Do You Need?

There are some things people just won’t believe, despite the evidence. Perhaps they reject the evidence. Maybe they don’t like the conclusion drawn from the evidence. It might even be that they fabricate evidence contrary to the truth. Reasonable people, however, draw...

“So I Prayed to the God of Heaven”

Nehemiah was sad, and that was an occupational hazard. He was the scribe of the king, a king who could kill on whim. Anyone in service of the king was well advised to appear loyal, devoted, and sublimely joyful before the king — but Nehemiah was sad. Nehemiah must...

Double-take

Sometimes we have to do a double-take. We miss it at first glance, and we have to look at it again to really see it. In John 17, we read Jesus’ prayer to the Father. In this single chapter, Jesus uses the word “world” 18 times! How important was the world to Jesus if...

A Prayer

Holy God, You Who are Creator of All That Is, You Who are Love’s source and example, You Who are the great I am, You who are the eternal comforter, and You who are Redeemer of mankind through the ages – past, present, and future – please hear this prayer. You are...

How Could He Do That?

Sometimes this is a negative question, but sometimes a positive one. For example, Thom’s cancer came back with a vengeance. The morphine was no longer working, and he was in horrible pain. Then Violet walks in, and for the duration of his grandchild’s visit, he smiles...

We Can’t Keep Quiet

 Air Force’s first core value is, “Integrity First.” Every airman was required to learn what it meant. Two of the better definitions were: doing what is right even if no one is watching, and doing what is right even when it hurts. It takes courage to live with...

Something was lost in translation

Language doesn’t always make sense. If you were to ask a new-to-English-speaker, “What’s up?” the logical answer is, “the sky.” That answer does not actually answer the question that was intended. America’s favorite Bible verse is kind of like that. We see it on...

New Testament

God Has a Better Plan

God Has a Better Plan

Two thousand years ago, Elizabeth wanted children. In her culture, children were her priority. She didn’t have any, therefore others looked down on her. Her society wrote her off as too old to be a successful Jewish woman. She was too old to have children. She was...

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Greek Yogurt Is Terrible

Greek Yogurt Is Terrible

Johnny stood, mouth open in disgust. “It gets stuck between your teeth, is too tough to chew, and tastes like day-old Dr. Pepper. Greek yogurt is yucky!” He wrinkled his nose even thinking about it. Jen paused her spoon an inch from her open mouth. “Have you ever...

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Come and See!

Come and See!

Nurses just know. They’ve been there, done that. They say, “Just slap a bandaid on it and stop complainin’!” But that same gruff nurse who blows off our ouches and owies as an annoyance will soften like butter in the warm, Texas sun when confronted with a patient who...

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Old Testament

Change Is Tough

Change Is Tough

The Air Force provides a lot of training, very little of it on a volunteer basis. One of the trainings I took was in “Change Management.” It may have had a different, more military sounding name, something like “Non-linear Progression of Leadership Requirements” but I...

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The A-Team

The A-Team

When the Air Force stationed my dad overseas, the only real disadvantage of living “on the economy” was a lack of US TV programs. If you lived close enough to base, you could watch the Armed Forces Network, but we lived too far away. Somehow, one of the American...

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