A Karate Kid Devotional: The Reality of Miracle

Devotional #8: The Impossible is Now Possible Another iconic scene happens when Daniel walks into the house and Miyagi is trying to catch a fly with chopsticks. The legend is that if a person can catch the fly, they can do anything. Daniel sits down and takes a crack at it, too. Daniel catches a fly, making Miyagi mad since he’s obviously never done it. “Beginner luck.” Here’s the setup…

Open the Pearly Gates

"The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass."—Revelation 21:21 A vivid description and powerful image adapted by people of all backgrounds, it is a vision of Heaven as a place with streets paved with pure gold, guarded by the pearly gates. This was an important image for Fredrick Blom. Born in…

Dave Says: Only You Can Make It Happen

Dear Dave, I’ve got so many things I want to address and change about my life, both personally and professionally, in the coming year. Do you have any advice or practices for helping people be successful and achieve their goals? — Tim Dear Tim, Goals are dreams, but you can’t stop with just dreaming. Examining your goals inside and out, and by thoughtfully constructing small, achievable…

Amazed by Grace

Amazed By Grace: Every failure can be replaced by His faithfulness and favor. As believers, we have such a great privilege to bring all of our cares before God’s “throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16). Yet why do so many people allow guilt and shame to keep them from approaching God with their needs? The Bible makes it clear that God can forgive us and restore us after we’ve fallen in our faith. As…

Rise Up with Muriel Gregory

John Farrell: What inspired you to write Rise Up: Awaken the Leader in You? Muriel Gregory: The inspiration came when I worked for this organization called Planting Roots. It’s an organization ran by military women for military women, and by that we mean both active duty and spouses. We based our theme on this verse in Nehemiah, “Rise up.” The inspiration came from that. We’re going to do a…

What Kind of Camp Experience Would You Have at Camp Cool Kids? (A Movie Video Review)

John and Julia-Page are back with another video movie review! Join them as they sit down to discuss Camp Cool Kids (2017) on Inspiration TV. The movie centers around Spence (Connor Rosen) and his older brother Zach (Logan Shroyer) and their week at a local Christian summer camp. After recently moving to the area shortly following their father’s death, their mother signs them up for a week at Camp…

5 Tips for Dealing with Toxic Stress

I don’t know a single person who hasn’t been deeply stressed over the past few years. Maybe as you’re reading this, you’re on coffee number four or still trying to process the latest scary economic news headline. But what if I told you stress itself is actually not the problem? That’s right. Stress is good for us. Feeling stressed during performances or work events shows that your body and…

Dave Says: It’s Just Not Worth It

Dear Dave, Do you think I should get a new hybrid car to save money on gas? A lot of my friends have done this, and with the rise in gas and oil prices lately, they’re telling me I should, too. According to them, I’ll save a ton of money, especially since I have a bigger car and a longer drive to work. What are your thoughts? — Daneen Dear Daneen, I get lots of questions about these kinds…

The Simple Difference: Kindness in Crisis

Excerpt from The Simple Difference: How Every Small Kindness Makes a Big Impact by Becky Keife Fred Rogers famously said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Social media isn’t usually the first place I think to look for helpers. Just scroll Facebook and you’ll likely be…

Where Is That One Special Relationship?

With 70% of the population “partnered” to another, singles find themselves in a world that caters to couples. Historically and culturally – but not biblically — single life is assigned a second-best status, leaving many singles feeling “less than” or “like a third wheel.” An increasing number of people are embracing the single life for its positives and possibilities, but others still long to…