Download Life Guide In 1989, a man walked into a Pennsylvania flea market. As he perused the market’s wares, he spotted what he called a “dismal painting.” As dismal as the painting was, he thought the ornate frame that bordered it was beautiful. The vendor priced the frame at $4, so the man paid $4…
Download Life Guide “Will you marry me?” What major will you choose in college?” “Will you accept the job offer?” “Are you willing to relocate?” “Should we have more kids?” “Should we take Dad off life support?” We’d call those “all-important” questions, right? All-important, because those questions could drastically change your life. But when you…
Download Life Guide It was a valid question, as they looked around and saw results much different than they expected. As the servants stood before a sea of wheat, slowly shaking their heads in disbelief that the field was suddenly overgrown with weeds, they couldn’t help but ask their master, “Sir, didn’t you sow good…
Download Life Guide I recently attended a workshop by MLC Professor Mark Paustian called “Communicating Christ in the 21st Century.” One of Prof. Paustian’s phrases stuck with me. “Our current cultural narrative strives to reach a point where no one is condemned for who they are or what they do.” Basically, society wants to establish…
Download Life Guide You were just hired to work in a carpentry shop. Your first day on the job, your boss assigns you the task of making a beautiful cabinet. Excited for your first project, you grab the necessary lumber, and ask your boss where he keeps the tools. He responds, “Oh…yeah, sorry! We don’t…
Download Life Guide He wakes up every morning at 5am and runs 12 miles. Then, after work, he goes home and runs 15 more miles. His couch potato coworker wonders incredulously, “Why do you live that way?” He responds, “I’ve always dreamed of finishing the Boston Marathon.” Pounding coffee until 3am every night this week…
Download Life Guide Their hope was growing. For the past few years, they’d heard him teach with uncommon authority. They’d witnessed his amazing miracles, curing people’s diseases and demons; filling stomachs with bread, and minds with wonder. Their hope bloomed, initially with anxious whispers, “We hope he is the one who will redeem Israel, who…
Download Life Guide What are you afraid of? Unless you’re playing the macho card, we have to admit, we’re all afraid of something. Maybe you’re afraid of mice or spiders; big crowds or tight spaces. Maybe you’re afraid to lose your job, your health, or someone you love. Maybe you’re afraid of your guilty past,…
Download Life Guide Darkness. That’s all I’d ever known. I’d never seen a beautiful sunset, or a flickering lantern, or a star shining in the night sky. My life was total darkness. Because I was born blind. From the moment I came into the world, I couldn’t see my mother’s smile, or the Sea of…
Download Life Guide “It’s good for us to be here!” That was my thought as my wife and I sat on a beautiful white sand beach in Mexico. It was complete relaxation, free from the fears, troubles, and responsibilities of the real world. The only trouble was we didn’t want to come home from our…