By James Castellano

Success comes in many forms. At times it presents itself as a neatly disguised problem. At times, it can be quite elusive, similar to grabbing a handful of air. And still at other times, success can be grasped and held onto easily. While i ...

By Tom Barnette
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith..." Ephesians 2:8

Some people think that Grace is merely the name of the girl who lives next door, but grace is a theological concept. Some have attempted to define it, saying that it ...

By Barb Winters
Growing up I longed for the day I would dance in the arms of a man who would make me feel special. At age ten, I shut my bedroom door, walked past the lace-white canopy bed, picked up a 45 (think CD), and put it on the record player. I dragged my chair acr ...

By J. Merritt Johnston
Flip through your TV channels and you're almost guaranteed to find a daytime talk show dishing out paternity tests to a line-up of potential "baby-daddies." ...

By James Castellano
There are several traits consistent with effective leaders. One in particular is creating healthy relationships with others. They see the value in building allegi ...

By Dr. Tom Barnette

A Question to Consider: Why do so many people get stuck in a ditch and not seem to be able to climb out to save their life?

Well, technology came first, but man, being naturally lazy, invented ditch technology.

Ditc ...

By Joel Engle
There is no doubt that 2010 was a year of tribulation for my family and me. Dealing with the loss of my best friend and then my father-in-law was a very tough time.
Honestly, the suddenness of my best friend Thomas' death nearly derailed me from minis ...

By Deborah H. Rabern

When Mercy came down to earth, He slipped sideways through the curtains of history and nestled into a virgin's womb. Mercy manifested Himself in a manger, helpless in the ...

By Ed Cyzewski
On Christmas Eve one year I realized that I'd done nothing to prepare for Christmas outside of buying a few gifts. I would attend a service that evening, but the majority of my ...

By Deborah H. Rabern
A virtual supermarket of spirituality permeates cyberspace and any store that stocks printed material. Christianity vies for space with the Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, a ...

By Ed Chinn

My wife loves birds. She has feeders all around our deck. So that area is often a blur of flapping wings and choir of bird chirps. What on earth would these creatures do without Joanne?
I recently found out. When she went out of town for ...

I've frequently heard that you never know how something as inconsequential as a smile for a stranger passing on the street, or helping someone in need, can radically change their life and yours. Sometime ago I experienced it myself.
An old gentleman named Elmer had been coming around to our ...

By J. Merritt Johnston
We have two crazy little miniature dachshunds at our house named Aidan and Addie. Though they are the same breed, they could not be more opposite. Aidan i ...

By Deborah H. Rabern
Although our DNA sets our physical traits, some people seem naturally disposed to optimism, happiness, and goodness. Others are troubled or in trouble almost from birth. The whole nature versus nurture pendulum swings with current pop psycholog ...

By J. Merritt Johnston
Society at large has an infatuation with procrastination, and on this matter, I would have to cast my lot with the rest of society. I've always prided myself on being a hard worker, but if I were honest, I would have to confess that I often ...

Hamlet's Blackberry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Ages
By William Powers

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By Barb Winters
My eyes widen. My voice quivers. My hands shake. My husband tries helping me up the stairs, to no avail. My mind wills my foot to move, but it will not do its job. Panic sets in as I absorb this new development. And I lose it! My body writhes in ...

By Sara Mitchell

I remember when I first woke up. Freshman year of college, in the middle of a night with wild and very cold air - a Honduran, a guitarist, and I had just watch ...

By James Castellano
Read Part One and/or Part Two
The final two pieces of VALID leadership are not as concrete as the first three. They are i ...

By Keith Jennings

When I think of balance, I picture some daredevil walking a tight rope. One wrong shift and kersplat!
Balance is popular concept. We're told tha ...

By Deborah H. Rabern
Four-letter words offend me and arouse my anger or disdain. Sometimes they shock me. However, one four-letter word frightens me. It rears up out of the biblical text as soul-stopping as a spitting cobra. Holy - a word almost framed in neon ...

By J. Merritt Johnston
I really love to eat. And even when I'm not eating, I often find myself flipping to the Food Network to see what's cookin'. Although the celebrity chefs ...

By Dr. Darrell Horn
"Literary theft." Simply stated, "Plagiarism occurs when a writer duplicates another writer's language or ideas and then calls the work his or her own. Copyright laws protect writers' words as their legal property. To avoid the charge of plagiar ...

By Darlene Stern
While shopping at a thrift store, my son spotted a hat that shouted volumes. It has become one of his prize acquisitions. The hat is white with red embroidery. A little red pig sits above the motto: "The Sty is the Limit."
One's first thought ...