One evening, a mother was talking with her daughter about her grades. The problem was not what you might expect—the girl’s grades were perfect. She had never gotten a B in her life, and she wasn’t about to start now. But her parents were concerned about her nevertheless. “Are you asking me to not study?” …
God Above
Gracious God above us, we thank You in the name of Jesus Christ, and we pray to You in the authority that the Holy Spirit gives to us. We look forward to the arrival of yet another Lord’s Day, another opportunity to rejoice before You together with our people. We thank You for the food, …
Too Educated To Be Wise
One afternoon, a pastor was leading a Bible study at the church with a group of seminarians, young men with gray eyes, profound thoughts, and ambitious hearts. They were hanging on his every word, or were at least trying to, because the noise from the youth group upstairs was irritating and distracting. The pastor was …
Bus Fare
One gray afternoon, there were five people standing at a bus stop. There was a minister with his clerical collar, a school teacher, a mechanic, a professor, and a street walker. The bus was running a little late, and so they all lined up eagerly when they finally saw it approaching. But when the doors …
Please. Come In.
Once there was a man with gifts in accounting, but it has to be said that he became intolerable. He, of course, did very well at his job, which was an accounting job, but his problem was that he could not be made to understand that all of life was not like that. He thought …
Junipers and Streets
Once there was a boy who had just learned to ride his bicycle. He had never had training wheels, but the previous Saturday his father had spent a good portion of the morning trotting behind the bike and holding the seat, letting go of it for a few seconds from time to time. After much …
The Table and the Ball
Once there was a table, and on the surface of the table there was a ball. For a long time they both just sat there, but one day the ball—who had been taking some philosophy classes at the local community college—spoke to the table. “I don’t know why you think you’re so important,” said the …
Much Better
Once there was a high school girl who decided that she wanted to become a fighter pilot. She had decided this after watching a movie with her brother, and in the movie it had all worked out perfectly. She knew that it would involve a great deal of hard work, but to be honest, she …
Sammy the Stinkard
Once there was a young boy named Sammy. His father had been on quite a few business trips recently, and was working long hours even when he was in town. As a result, Sammy had not seen much of him for the last several months, and neither had Sammy’s mother. Now you might think that …
Ezra Nehemiah 4
Introduction The task that the returning exiles had was that of rebuilding in the midst of ruin. The work was overwhelming and the challenges huge, and we are very much in a similar position. As we have noted, one of our basic tasks is that of learning from them. The Text: “And when the seventh …