Bruce Wilkinson wrote A LIFE GOD REWARDS, examining the statements of Jesus about rewards in Heaven. Wilkinson concludes Heaven will be loaded with rewards. God will lavish rewards on you for things you do for Him. But isn’t it wrong for you to WANT rewards? Wouldn’t it be better to serve God without thinking aboutContinue reading “Is it Wrong to Desire Rewards?”
Author Archives: Steven Wales
Chinese Tallows.
We may have a hundred Chinese Tallow trees. This invasive species grows fast, and has bright green leaves twisting like pinwheels in the wind. In autumn, they create some of the most flashy fall colors in the South. Plant stores used to sell them as fast-growing shade trees. But fifty years later, birds have spreadContinue reading “Chinese Tallows.”
Trees.
Marshall and I drove a golf cart around Legendary Oaks Golf Course on Saturday. We had not played there in a while and were surprised how many oak trees had either collapsed sideways into the earth, or bore the scars of having had half their limbs cut away with a chain saw. At one pointContinue reading “Trees.”
Parent-as-Teacher: The Highest Calling.
Do you expect the church to teach your kids about God? Yesterday a friend posted words on Facebook that I found true and honest and vulnerable: “Please don’t make the same mistake I did. Don’t expect your church to train your children. That expectation isn’t even Biblical. Don’t breathe a sigh of relief and thinkContinue reading “Parent-as-Teacher: The Highest Calling.”
Life is Short.
Have you ever faced your own mortality? People who know they should be dead, but got a second chance at life often make changes. It is as if they suddenly realized what matters most. A man on TV’s “I Should Not Be Alive,” was lost 20 days in the jungle at Cozumel—he had no food,Continue reading “Life is Short.”
Obituaries.
One of the most popular sections of the newspaper is the obituaries. Friends of mine scour the obits, collecting nicknames. “Oh, look at this name: Booboo Eddie! I love that!” I’ve also heard: Bingo Willie, Rookie Amtrak, Sugar Foot, and Momma Peaches. But an obituary is so much more. It is a chance to sumContinue reading “Obituaries.”
The Prayer of Jabez.
Have you heard of it? Bruce Wilkinson wrote a bestseller about this obscure verse in the Old Testament: “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because she said, ‘I gave birth to him in pain.’ Jabez called out to the God of Israel: ‘If only you would bless me indeed,Continue reading “The Prayer of Jabez.”
The Time Machine.
What if you could go back to the days of Job or Abraham? There are no written scriptures. Everything you know about the One True God came to you by word of mouth passed down through generations: stories about families and wars and the flood and animal sacrifices and a God who might be listeningContinue reading “The Time Machine.”
Better is One Day.
Most days are average. Hum-drum. Boring, even. Most are regular—not great, not awful. We love mountaintop days. Who doesn’t love those greatest days, days of excitement and joy, victory and success, achievement and celebration? Every life has rare days you look back on, islands of excitement in a sea of the ordinary. I look backContinue reading “Better is One Day.”
The Rich Man.
The news is filled with the rich because the non-rich are intrigued by them. Whether it is the Hebrew shepherd who wants to hear all about King Solomon, or today’s housewife watching documentaries about Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, “regular” people remain fascinated by rich people. But what good are riches, really? Wealth affords food,Continue reading “The Rich Man.”
Household Words: 