A story in the news caught my attention. It was about a copy of the famous novel, “Gone With the Wind,” by Margaret Mitchell. Here is what happened. A copy of the novel that had been checked out more than half a century ago was mailed back to Rogers High School in Spokane, Washington. The book was last checked out in 1949 by a student, Betty Mansfeld. But it was never returned. No one at the school figured out that it was missing, until 65 years later. The school's pri

Brennan Manning was an author and public speaker who is best known for his book, “The Ragamuffin Gospel.” He told a story that he heard from an older man in Holland. “I am one of thirteen children. One day I was thirsty and I went into the pantry of our home in Holland for a glass of water. My father was sitting at the kitchen table with a neighbor, but my father didn’t know I was there. The neighbor said to my father, ‘Joe, there’s something that I’ve wanted to ask you. Yo

You probably know the story of Elizabeth Barrett. She was one of the most gifted poets of her generation. She fell deeply in love with another poet, Robert Browning. Their love was strong, but her parents despised the match. So when she married Robert against their wishes, they completely disowned her. For most people, that would have been the end of the story. But not for Elizabeth. In spite of her heartbreak, she continued to write to her parents. She wrote letter after

The first head coach for the Dallas Cowboys was the legendary Tom Landry. He was their coach for 29 years. Over his career, he had 20 consecutive winning seasons, two Super Bowl titles, five NFC titles, and 13 divisional titles. Those were the days. Oh, how I miss them! Tom Landry has the fifth-most wins for an NFL coach. I have looked up to and admired Coach Landry for as long as I can remember, not just for his coaching ability, but for his character. Coach Landry wrote

She is an employee at a local establishment. I noticed a shirt she was wearing the other day that said: "The only ghost I know is the Holy Ghost." The words on her shirt really spoke to me. It was a word that I needed to hear. One of the oldest creeds in the Christian faith is The Apostles' Creed. In the middle of the creed, these words are found: "I believe in the Holy Spirit." Volumes have been written about the theology of the Holy Spirit. But I want to affirm toda

I don’t mean to sound sanctimonious, but I always try to stick to the speed limit. Some time ago, I had to drive from Lake Charles to Shreveport. As I passed through a small town, the speed limit dropped from 65 miles per hour to 40. I saw it coming, so I slowed down and set my cruise control to the correct speed. A few minutes later, I noticed a police car coming from the opposite direction, maybe half a mile up the road. About that time, an 18-wheeler came flying past me

Lucy is my eleven-month-old puppy. She is a big girl, almost 80 pounds. She has already taught me a few things. When Lucy is in the house, “sneak eating” is impossible. She sees all, hears all, and smells all. If I’m eating something, she knows. She cannot be fooled. Lucy, of course, doesn’t watch the clock, but she knows when it is time to eat. She lets me know. When I give her a treat, she’s convinced there is always more. I have to prove to her that I’m out of snacks,

Daniel Webster was a famous senator and orator in the first part of the 1800s. He practiced prominently as a lawyer before the U.S. Supreme Court, and he served as Secretary of State for three United States presidents. He is one of the most famous figures in American history. Towards the end of his life, he talked about attending a church service in his hometown of Salisbury, New Hampshire. The pastor was a wise older man. At some point in the worship service, the pastor

The expression comes from the early days of boxing. If a manager wanted to stop the fight, he would throw the towel in the ring, and the...

Corrie Ten Boom was a watchmaker from the Netherlands. She later became a Christian writer and public speaker. She worked with her...