Devotionals

Dating to 200 B.C., the first known method of long-distance communication was the smoke signal.  It was used by China to deliver messages along the great wall.  Its only competition was the carrier pigeon used by Egypt, which continued for well over a millennium.  It wasn’t until 1635 that Charles I instituted the Royal Mail, and just two hundred years later the telegraph was [...]

Use God’s Word to frame your thoughts, prayers and conversations regarding thanksgiving.  Think about why God chose to include these verses in Scripture and how you can personally join the psalmist, the Son and the host of heaven in giving heartfelt thanks for who God is and what He has accomplished. Present yourself to God with a heart of thanksgiving Offer to God a [...]

Old Order Amish are known for their rigorous commitment to being dissociated from the modern world.  In their dress they prohibit the use of buttons or zippers, and clothing color must be dark or, even better, black.  Men’s hair length is regulated and they’re required to grow a beard, whereas women are prohibited from cutting their hair.  And they have virtually no modern conveniences.  [...]

If you have ever tried to feed an infant that obstinately refuses to accept it, then you know that willful defiance is not a behavior that takes years of social programming to learn.  Not even one lesson is necessary for a child to grasp the effectiveness of a forceful, stubborn attitude.  And it doesn’t fade over time.  Adults lament the stubbornness of teenagers, bosses [...]

Cleaning staff, childcare workers, farmers, food workers and caregivers top the list of the most “thankless jobs” according to one website.  You wouldn’t think that a lack of gratitude would be so common in a society that teaches its children to say please and thank you from the time they form their first syllables.  When you think about it, it’s not the please that’s lacking as frequently as the thank you.  [...]

If I asked you who Fred the Baker was, you probably wouldn’t know, but what if I told you he was famous for saying, “Time to make the donuts”?  Instantly you can picture a mustached man, half-asleep, rolling out of bed before dawn and shuffling toward the door while he flatly mutters, “Time to make the donuts” every day.   It has turned out to be marketing [...]