How? Consider Psalm 37:4-5: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him, and He will make it happen. Don’t be anxious or upset when someone else’s dreams come true. Instead, be silent before the Lord; wait expectantly for Him.”Continue reading “Your Dreams Can Come True.”
Author Archives: Steven Wales
Owning vs. Renting.
Benny is a miser of legendary exploits. He buys NOTHING without a coupon. He spends hours fighting with customer service representatives. “Let me speak to your manager!” He stops at twenty restaurants on Veteran’s Day to collect free meals—all of them to-go. “Oh, I WILL get what’s coming to me.” His stories progress from amusingContinue reading “Owning vs. Renting.”
He Was Despised, Rejected.
“All of the other reindeer” reject Rudolf because of his freakish nose—then he saves Christmas. And the Ugly Duckling is ugly and awkward and the ducklings reject him. But he grows up to be a SWAN. Abraham Lincoln is similar: critics mocked his appearance, calling the tall, skinny man “the unlikely cross between a windmillContinue reading “He Was Despised, Rejected.”
Reboot.
Does every computer problem—every unexpected glitch, no matter what it is—provoke the question, “Did you try turning it off and back on?” A call to Microsoft customer service certainly begins that way. Same with your printer, your cell phone, your smart TV, your iPad. Why? It works. There’s something about powering down and powering up—andContinue reading “Reboot.”
Rejection.
Ever felt rejected? It is awful. A terrible, universal experience. Everyone has been there—or will be. Jesus knows the sting of rejection. He was rejected by powerful religious leaders, by government prosecutors, by the people of his hometown who tried to stone him the day He began His ministry (Luke 4:29), by the crowds shoutingContinue reading “Rejection.”
Famous Last Words.
In the spring of 1985, Willie Wales was dying. A child of another century, he was born in 1897. Now he was 88 and nearly bedridden. He picked up emphysema during a 40-year career at ESSO Baton Rouge, the world’s largest oil refinery. The lung disease wrecked his health. We went to visit. I wasContinue reading “Famous Last Words.”
A Whole Heart.
Distracted attention: when you are looking at your phone and walk into a wall—that is distraction. Just as your attention can be distracted, so also your HEART can be distracted. Is your heart wholly loyal to God and His calling for your life? When David’s life was coming to a close, he commissioned his sonContinue reading “A Whole Heart.”
A Father’s Prayer.
When children are small, parents do everything for them. It is difficult work. It’s rewarding, of course—but parenting can be overwhelming. It consumes your entire life for a few years. In the beginning, parents have all the AGENCY, that is, parents have control over actions and consequences: everything important in a child’s life is decidedContinue reading “A Father’s Prayer.”
God Expects You to Teach Your Children.
God expects you to teach your children about Him. Will you be ready? Do you know enough? You will teach them to walk and talk and ride a bike and clean their rooms and cook a meal. What will you teach them about the Lord? “Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them WHATContinue reading “God Expects You to Teach Your Children.”
He is Your Keeper.
Keeping animals, being a “keeper” as the old-timers called it, means providing food, shelter, and protection for animals. And as if that were not enough, after dark cowboys on the trail would sing to calm the cattle with their voices. Keepers love their animals. Even cattle ranchers develop a fondness for these huge beasts theyContinue reading “He is Your Keeper.”
Household Words: 