Life This Side of Heaven

“Don’t kill the messenger!”  Have you ever heard that phrase?  It’s a plea not to punish the person who brings the message in anger instead of addressing the unwelcome information or difficult truth …

Have you ever wondered at what point folks looked at Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa and realized that something wasn’t quite right?  At some point they would have discovered that it’s not standing upr…

The folks in Jesus' hometown were amazed by His teaching and miracles but as they considered how He had grown up in their midst, they took offense at Him. Mark tells us that Jesus was amazed at their…

Jairus and his wife must have been thrilled to hear their daughter's first words. Twelve years later it appeared as though they had heard her last. However, Jesus made sure that death did not have …

“Parsnips are for poor people.” I have to laugh whenever I hear that phrase because it’s actually on a plaque in my daughter’s home. It was a gift to her from from one of her friends who evidently do…

When the winds and waves were whipping around them the disciples asked Jesus, "Don't You care if we drown?" Now, having stilled the storm, and demonstrated clearly His care for them, Jesus had a que…

Tent camping.  Just the image of it ignites your sense of adventure.  Stunning scenery, fresh air, sleeping under the stars and camp fires. However, if you've lost your home, tent camping isn’t the s…

This year is the 60th Anniversary of National Safety Council's defensive driving program. Some of the principles that it incorporates are based on techniques that were known even before that.  One o…

Here in Mark, we hear of an instance in which the Pharisees accused Jesus of "trespassing." He crossed a fence that others had made to protect God's command and gift of the Sabbath by healing a man i…

Does the Church seem weak and disappointing? Is your pastor less than movie-star material? Don’t worry. Chances are good, as God’s Word points out, that even if you had Paul as your preacher, or a co…