As a preteen city kid, I was a little nervous that first night of our Girl Scout campout in the Appalachian Mountains. I’d never set up a tent before, for one thing. “Looks good and sturdy,” one of the troop leaders said when she inspected our work. “It’s supposed to be windy tonight.” We had dinner around the campfire and got ready for bed. The leaders headed off to their own tent nearby. As soon as we curled up in our sleeping bags, the wind started to howl. A huge gust hit the tent and a section collapsed. We
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We had a long list of things we wanted to do that summer, including going to the playground across the street by ourselves. My sister was 12, my twin and I were 9—old enough not to need the watchful eye of our mother, we decided. “Please, Mami?” we begged. “Can we go?” Our parents were protective Puerto Ricans, determined to shelter us from big-city dangers as best they could. Mami was hesitant, but she looked at the picture of Jesus that hung on our dining room wall, closed her eyes and made the sign of the cross. “Okay,” she
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Kristen: I’d just drifted off to sleep when a face appeared before me. Handsome, with tan skin, dark hair, bushy eyebrows, light blue eyes and a kind smile… I woke with a start. Why am I dreaming about Kyle? I thought. I don’t even know him. I had seen Kyle only once, briefly, a few weeks before. I was visiting my friend’s business. Kyle was also there visiting his girlfriend. I thought nothing of it. He was in a relationship. Dating was the furthest thing from my mind. So why was I dreaming about an unavailable guy I’d
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I was out on a walk,my eyes downcast, trying my eyes downcast, trying to sort through my thoughts. A few days ago, my husband, Russ, and I had lost our house of Russ, and I had lost our house of 28 years to California’s Camp Fire. We’d had to move into a hotel. It was all so hard to process. An emergency phone call had alerted us early in the morning a few days prior. “Wildfire,” the robo-call repeated. “Evacuate immediately.” We sprang into action. Our next-door neighbor came over to check on us and helped Russ wrestle our
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I looked over my holiday shopping list. Two weeks until Christmas and I had everyone in the family covered—except for my daughter, Christel. I was a little stuck on her present. The one thing she wanted, I had no power to give. Christel and her husband, Mike, had been trying to have a baby ever since they got married, 10 years earlier. Now, at age 33, after countless treatments and consultations, she didn’t know if she could take one more failed pregnancy test. I looked back at my Christmas list and Christel’s name with nothing beside it. God,
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Christmas Eve, 1944. My uncle Leonard was fast asleep aboard the troop ship SS Leopoldville. He was one of the more than 2,000 American soldiers aboard, all members of the Sixty-Sixth Infantry Division headed for France from England. Suddenly, a massive explosion woke him. A German submarine had torpedoed the ship. “You could see water coming up through the hold like a geyser,” he told us. Uncle Leonard ran above deck in his long johns. Another ship in the convoy had already pulled up alongside the Leopoldville and was attempting to take on troops, but rough seas
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In 1954, when I was six years old, my family went on a road trip that has since become legend. My parents, sister and I were driving from our house in Fayetteville, Arkansas, to Mom’s hometown in Texas. As night fell, we found ourselves on a deserted dirt road in Oklahoma, nearly out of gas. We hadn’t seen a service station in hours. It was getting late. My parents tried to hide their growing panic as the gas gauge crept toward empty, as empty as the road ahead of us. Then a gas station appeared on the horizon.
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Heaven-Scent Diane Stark from Brazil, Indiana The stink hit me as soon as I opened my parents’ front door. I stopped in my tracks and struggled not to cry. Obviously, I needed to investigate and then clean up whatever was causing the odor, but just the thought was overwhelming. I’d been struggling with depression for months, ever since my husband had left and I’d had to take my kids and move back home. Even with Mom and Dad’s support, the adjustment to being a single mother wasn’t an easy one. A bad smell felt like more than I
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“Marion, why don’t you get another cat?” a friend suggested one day last spring. “You loved Minnie.” “That’s exactly why I don’t want another one now,” I said. “That cat broke my heart. I’m not ready to go through something like that again.” Two years had passed since we put down Minnie at age seventeen. I still missed her every day. I missed her spying out our living room curtains at the bird feeder, running to rub against my legs every time she heard the false promise of the electric can opener. There were those luminous yellow
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“There are 3 good podcasts to listen to at the link below.” Admin Warnings From God 17 Minutes • June 24, 2021 There are hundreds of warnings throughout the Bible given to protect, preserve and instruct us. Too often we look at the warnings of God as a reason to fear. Many people even resent the notion that God warns man about hell. Learn more in today’s podcast with Bill and Annette. Listen: Believers, Don’t Be Surprised When Your Faith Offends
06/24/21 If you’re a Christian, you already know you should be sharing your biblical faith with people of other faiths. Yet if you’re like most Christians, you lack the courage, confidence and skills to do so. That’s OK. Let’s change that. Read More: 4 Ways You Can Start Spiritual Conversations — Charisma Magazine
“After the article is an audio interview with her.” Admin Blood was everywhere. The drunk driver collided with the family when they were on their way back from church service. Angela’s 15-year-old body laid lifeless in the car. Nevertheless, the family refused to accept death, and they prayed. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew over the car, and her lifeless body gasped for air as she miraculously regained consciousness. This was the beginning of a long list of miracles God performed as He showed Himself faithful to His Word as prayer went forth with steadfast faith! Steadfast
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“There are many wonders to see if we just look for them.” Admin The gray sky outside my kitchen window matched how I felt inside. Hopeless. I sighed and turned away. Life had lost all meaning. Nearly a year earlier, on a sunny Fourth of July day, I drove to a nearby lake to celebrate with friends and family. It was my birthday. After a long workweek, I was looking forward to our picnic. And I couldn’t wait to get in the water. I loved to swim. “Here I go,” I shouted, laughing, as I dove headfirst
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”I’ll be back in a couple hours,” Dad said as the screen door slammed shut that late afternoon. Two hours, I told myself. You can do this. I took a long, deep breath and turned to face Mom. Through her cataracts, at least, she couldn’t see the worry in my face. Keeping Mom’s anxiety at bay while she struggled with Alzheimer’s could be next to impossible. If she had an episode, I didn’t know if I could handle it alone, especially at the end of the day. Read More: She Feared Being Alone with Her Mom with Alzheimer’s
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06/16/21 Where all dogs are welcome, especially the ones that are broken and scared. “This dog is not normal,” my friend and fellow veterinary technician Shannon said, studying a tiny bulldog mix puppy who’d been born at the clinic where we worked. We watched Rosalie try to find her balance. As soon as we put her on her feet, she would flip onto her back. “Something’s definitely off,” I said. “But I’m going to figure out how to help her.” Rosalie’s breeder thought the kindest thing would be euthanasia. No way, I thought. This eager puppy,
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I live near Omaha, in southeastern Nebraska. If I ran to the basement every time I heard a tornado siren go off, I’d never get anything done. So when a siren wailed one Friday in June, just two days before Father’s Day, I didn’t pay it much mind. I wanted to get my dusting done before settling down for the day. Besides, it wasn’t even raining, with barely a cloud in the early-evening sky. Maybe they’re testing the system, I thought. They do that a lot around here. Asher, our 12-year-old grandson who lived with us, winced at the
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06/16/21 “What a great idea! What if we did this once a month or week, think what a positive impact we could have.” Admin My mom always made birthdays special. She died of cancer when I was 32. After that, I dreaded my birthday because she wasn’t here to celebrate with me. As I approached 40, I decided that I wanted to have joyful birthdays again. A friend told me that she’d read about someone who spent their birthday doing random acts of kindness. My mom would have loved that. Why not give it a try? I thought.
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Visits from a Hummingbird from Jackie Waters in Williamsburg, Ohio I woke up early and headed to the front porch. My family was still asleep, and I needed a moment to myself. My sister, Tracy, had been battling brain cancer for years, and now there was nothing more the doctors could do. I hope Tracy will be at peace soon, I thought. Just then, a hummingbird flew up to the porch. It hovered in front of me, looking directly at me before flying away. Short as it was, the visit felt important. This property has been in my
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Delivering boats is a regular job of mine as a professional yacht captain. I bring them from Florida and the Caribbean, up the Eastern Seaboard to New England in the spring. Come fall, the process is reversed. The boat I was taking to St. Thomas that day was an old wooden sailing yacht. It was supposed to be a straightforward job: Sail the boat from Newport, Rhode Island, to the U.S. Virgin Islands. I would follow the coast, then jump off from Ft. Lauderdale or Miami for the offshore run to St. Thomas. That was the plan, but
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We Are Stronger is a faith-based film exploring a veteran’s battle with PTSD. While Vic struggles to recover from his physical injuries, reclaim his marriage, and adjust to life after combat, he discovers he can’t do it alone. This film was made in cooperation with the Stronger Alliance, Mighty Oaks, CRU Military, Amos House of Faith, Armed Forces Mission, and more who are dedicated to trauma recovery. Rated PG-13 (mature thematic material and brief bloody war images). Director: Robin Murray Cast: Ulises Larramendi, Angela Sweet, Don Ortolano, Justina Page, Bryce C. Miller, Jamie Higgs, Rachel Francis, Carson Whittaker
Solomon is crowned King of Israel and rules the land with love, peace and respect. While visiting the city, Solomon meets the beautiful Queen of Sheba and falls in love. When she returns to her homeland, Solomon falls into a deep depression, departing from his once idyllic world of peace and luxury while his kingdom threatens to collapse. Directors Roger Young Starring Ben Cross, Vivica A. Fox, Max von Sydow
Most of the song she sings beautifully in acappella. Cynthia Clawson – Official Video for “Softly and Tenderly (Live)”, available now!
Cynthia Clawson – Official Video for ‘Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus [Live]’, available now!
Cynthia Clawson – Official Video for ‘Did You Ever Go Sailin’? [Live]’, available now!
He sailed in 1793 to India with a reluctant wife and four children to bring the message of Jesus. There he encountered so much hardship it is amazing he didn’t abandon his mission and go home. But he stayed for over 40 years. One issue that tormented him was sati–the burning alive of widows when their husbands died. He would not rest until this practice was stopped. Facing insurmountable odds, he “plodded” on to influence the abolition of sati and to become the revered “Friend of India” and “Father of Modern Missions.” Director: Tony Tew Writer: Tony Tew Stars: Richard
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When the family patriarch dies suddenly, the Delvecchio’s are thrown into crisis. Family secrets and simmering feuds between brothers, fathers and sons threaten to undo the family until God intervenes. Director: Rick Lalonde Writer: Rick Lalonde Starring Andrew Cheney, Robert Miano, Jason Collett
Mickey Rooney stars in this made-for-TV movie about a young girl who wants a grandfather for Christmas. She instead finds a “pseudo-grandfather” in homeless ex-con Elmer (Rooney), who helps to teach the girl about the true meaning of Christmas. Director: Peter McCubbin Writers: Peter Ferri, Peter McCubbin Starring: Mickey Rooney, Simon Richards, Lesley Kelly