My 70-year-old father-in-law jumped in the water first. But he couldn’t get to my daughter. His arms flailed, tangled in the camera strap around his neck. “Mommy!” three-year-old Jinny cried, her eyes wide with panic. She’d started swim lessons at 18 months and did fine in shallow water, but she’d drifted into the deep end of the motel pool. Jinny reached frantically for me. She was in the middle of the pool, too far for me to pull her to safety from the deck. Before I could do a thing, she went under. Read More: Lifted Out
[More]
I write a biweekly column called ‘Life is Mysterious’ for The Greenville Sun. It’s all about the miracles, big and small, that I encounter in everyday life. Sometimes people ask me, “Ella, how can I attract more miracles?” I don’t have a foolproof method for producing miracles (I wish!). But there are some things you can do to be more open to the miracles all around you. Here are my five steps for seeking out the wondrous in life. Read More: 5 Ways to Discover More Miracles Around You | Guideposts
Daylight was just spreading across the horizon. My best friend, Jennifer, and I stood on the beach, gazing out at the ocean. It was our last day on Maui—we had a plane to catch in a few hours. But I was glad we’d gotten up early for one last breathtaking view, a visit to a mysterious spot I’d heard about from our hotel’s cultural advisor, Clifford, the night before. A place called Makalua-puna Point. “I don’t want to leave,” Jennifer said. I didn’t either. Hawaii felt like heaven. Even more than I’d imagined it would when Maui’s tourism board
[More]
Should I open it? Should I wait? Should I…? I sat in my Nissan in the hospital parking lot, holding the envelope with my MRI results, frozen with indecision. My appointment with the neurologist wasn’t until the following afternoon. Should I wait for him to open the envelope? Then again, I’d been a nurse for more than 40 years. I didn’t exactly need a doctor to understand what the radiologist had found. And whether or not my worst fears had come true. Since I was 15, I’d suffered from neurofibromatosis, a neurological condition that causes painful, but usually
[More]
“Stop the car!” Deb King said to her husband, Jim, that Thursday afternoon. She didn’t mean to shout, but it came out that way so she squeezed Jim’s arm to reassure him. “Honey, I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have gone this way. I should have taken a different route.” “No, it’s okay, Jim. Just stop the car. Now. Please. It’s important.” Jim pressed down on the brake and pulled the car over to the shoulder of the interstate. It was the exact spot where he and Deb had had the accident. Jim is a pastor,
[More]
“A lost cell phone on a cold, rainy day in the woods turns out to be blessing in disguise.” Cell phones can be a pain in the neck. Whenever I seem to need mine, I can never find it. And this was one of those times, standing by my SUV shivering and wet. It was whitetail hunting season—a day my three buddies and I had been anticipating for months. We parked our SUVs on a private, rural lot just after dawn and hiked two miles—lugging rifles and backpacks filled with food, water, flashlights, extra clothing, twoway radios
[More]
I already had four dogs. But I couldn’t resist the adorable furry face in my Facebook feed. A chocolate teacup poodle who’d been liberated from a puppy mill down South. I contacted the Maine-based rescue agency that had posted her photo, said I was interested in giving her a loving home. I was honest about my concerns, though. Would she and my other dogs get along? What if the puppy mill had left her so traumatized that she needed an owner’s undivided attention? The rescue coordinator told me not to worry. The poodle would be among a group of
[More]
Nurse Sarah Pemberton has heard it all. She works in the surgical recovery room at Mountain View Regional Medical Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico. People coming out of anesthesia “are pretty chatty and say all sorts of things,” she says. Personal problems, embarrassing revelations. “I always say, ‘Why go to the movies when we can hear people’s stories here?’” But one thing she’d never heard was her name—first and last—uttered by a patient she’d never met before. It was a late summer afternoon when Denise Fajardo of Silver City, New Mexico, was wheeled into Pemberton’s recovery room.
[More]
Snow fell three days before Christmas, covering the barren ground with a lovely white carpet. The temperature was just cold enough to freeze all the nearby ponds. School had let out early that day, and Joanne was home by noon. She told Mom that all her friends from school were going ice-skating. She wished she had some skates, so she could join them. At those words, Mom pulled a present from under the tree and handed it to my sister. An early Christmas gift— skates! Joanne wasted no time. “Can I go skating now?” she asked excitedly. “Yes,” Mom said,
[More]
My date, Lisa, and I were huddled in the pitch black on a wooded ridge in the Colorado Rockies. All around us were rocks and sheer drops. We’d lost the trail. We were still a mile or more from the car. And it was getting colder by the minute. I couldn’t believe I’d gotten us into this mess. I’d met Lisa through a family friend and invited her to hike Eagle Peak with me as our first date. I felt responsible for our safety and guilty that I’d put both of us in danger. After all, I should’ve
[More]
In just over two hours, I was expecting 100 people at my house for my father-in-law Larry’s seventieth birthday. I was right on schedule, putting the finishing touches on my corn casserole, when I froze. Where was the can of corn? I ran to my pantry, thinking I might have left it there. No luck. Did I buy frozen corn instead? I rushed to my freezer and rummaged through bags of icy vegetables. Nothing. Larry’s health wasn’t great, and I really wanted to make this party special for him. I’d planned meticulously, making a list of ingredients I’d
[More]
04/16/19 “Some sobering thoughts by Michael Boldea Jr., who experienced living under Communism, on the nature of Socialism/Communism that should give us good reason to see that neither ever rear their ugly head here. You can read his 30 latest blog posts here: http://proofthebibleistrue.com/michael-boldea-jrs-30-latest-blog-posts-always-a-good-read” Admin Before acquiring power, and running what was once known as the breadbasket of Europe into the ground, Nicolae Ceausescu’s dream, the pinnacle of his aspirations on this earth, was to be a shoemaker. He never succeeded at becoming a shoemaker, he just dreamed of being one. Although there is nothing wrong with being
[More]
07/14/20 In India, it’s said there are millions of gods; although, no one has an exact count. Worshipers often travel to ancient temples to make small sacrifices and mark themselves with a talika—a mixture of ash, clay, turmeric or sandalwood—across their foreheads as a religious symbol. However, within the second-most populous country in the world, millions of people are finding the one, true God—and their lives are never the same. These new believers are not marked with a talika on the foreheads but with the love of Christ on their hearts. One of these believers is named
[More]
07/14/20 John* arrived at the airport late in the evening. There was only one more hurdle to get through before he was safely with his contacts, secret Christians who were following Jesus in this Middle Eastern country we can’t name. He had to make it through the border. He went to the customs line at about 9:30 pm. His hope was the customs officers wouldn’t ask to see inside John’s suitcase; he hoped they would just wave him through. That’s not what happened. Read More: Confessions of a Middle East Bible smuggler
07/14/20 I love a good smack to the face. A solid punch to the gut. A round kick that leaves you breathless. I got beat up listening to Coach and Joe today, but not in a way that pushed me down. It was in a way that tore apathy from my eyes and roughed me up so that I could rise up, stand in all that I’ve been given, and to stop being so dang petty. Read More: A Wake-Up Call for Apathetic Christians — Charisma News
07/13/20 It’s one thing to have a readily identifiable enemy, an external force wanting to do you harm, or an army of marauders at the gates keeping you under siege. It’s quite another when the enemy is within, plotting and scheming, using anything they can as a pretext to achieve their ultimate goal. An external enemy unites the people of the nation being attacked. The people mount up a resistance, they fortify the battlements, they defend the homeland, and they push back the enemy. It brings them together, having the singular purpose of protecting their families, their homes,
[More]
06/30/20 For the most part, we’ve already proven the church is a mass of do-nothing pearl-clutchers more aghast at the thought of the President tweeting something snarky then seeing people getting their heads caved in on live television. We have seen that cowardice runs through our veins, and we are willing to prostrate ourselves and kneel at the feet of those who moments earlier burned down our businesses and violently accosted our neighbors. Fear of retribution has kept us silent, and none dare speaks the unspeakable truth that if this was ever about George Floyd and his untimely death,
[More]
06/19/20 The fruit of Pat Robertson’s ministry as the founder of Christian Broadcasting Network, Regent University and Operation Blessing, and as a prolific author, is undeniable. He’s helped lead multitudes to Jesus as the founder and CEO of the Christian Broadcasting Network, and his flagship program, The 700 Club, reaches millions daily with the gospel of Christ. But if there’s one thing Robertson wants people to understand, it’s that God is not just a celestial being who controls our lives. He’s the living God, one that everyone—believers and nonbelievers alike—can seek every day for comfort and guidance.
[More]
I could feel her staring at me, the woman sitting next to me in the waiting area. Do I know her? I wondered. This is getting uncomfortable. I glanced over. Like me, she was getting tests done. X-rays, blood, whatever. “Have we met before?” I asked. “No,” she said, and paused. “I’m actually very shy. I’ve never done this before. But God is telling me to pray a healing prayer for you.” I must really look sick for some random stranger to want to pray for me, I thought. Or maybe this woman just went around to different hospitals praying for sick people.
[More]
It was 2:30 a.m. on a cold November morning and I was wide awake in bed, my wife sound asleep beside me, my three children slumbering in the loft above us in our tiny rented bungalow. Winter was beginning to wrap her icy, bony hands around my throat, and anxious thoughts about the cost of Christmas gifts and our rising utility bill overwhelmed my mind. Suddenly, a small but shrill voice pierced the quiet. Only a few muffled words, then silence again. One of the kids, mumbling in their sleep? I turned toward the drop-down ladder leading up
[More]
Sheltering at home can be stressful, but it also provides lots of time and opportunity for home projects you’ve been putting off. To help you, we’ve created a collection of all the best, expert-approved decluttering tips on Guideposts.org. Read More: Every Decluttering Tip You Need to Clean Out Your House Right Now | Guideposts
“Please help, Mom,” I whispered. “Show me that everything’s going to be okay.” It was a quiet Wednesday night, and I was in bed, trying to fall asleep. My husband, PJ, was already asleep beside me. The past three months had been hard for us. It all started when a terrible flu triggered a mysterious pain in my right side. It continued to worsen by the day. Is this the beginning of the end? I wondered. Am I going to meet the same fate as my mother? Read More: A Sign from Heaven Comforted Her During Her Illness |
[More]
I liked structure, things going according to plan—my plans. But lately there had been so much upheaval that I hardly recognized my life, or myself, anymore. I was going through a divorce. My dad had a terminal illness. I couldn’t focus on my job as a labor and employment lawyer, and hard work was something I prided myself on. (Even in law school I’d worked a side job as a cheerleader in the NBA and NFL.) I put on a smile for my daughters—Gabby, four, and Gigi, two—but I cried in the shower. I woke up in the middle of
[More]
Cornelia Arnolda Johanna “Corrie” ten Boom was a Dutch watchmaker who helped many Jews seek refuge during the Holocaust. In her unforgettable biography, The Hiding Place, ten Boom recounts her extraordinary experiences through World War II and illustrates how Christ’s strength sustained her. Ms. ten Boom has long been honored as a heroine of Christian faith in action. Her words and stories continue to have great relevance and impact in our world today. Here are a few of our favorite quotes from this inspirational figure. Read More: 10 Inspiring Quotes from Corrie ten Boom | Guideposts
I drove slowly back from the store, content to go below the speed limit. I was in no hurry to get home. No one would be there waiting for me. Only a few weeks into my new life as a single woman, my studio apartment was still a maze of stacked cardboard boxes and chaos. It felt so empty. Especially now that Ginger was gone. My dachshund had come to live with me after the divorce. Ginger had always been an anxious little thing with boundless energy. Deep down, I knew she wasn’t cut out for apartment living. But
[More]
I was leaving work when my phone rang. “Hello?” I answered. “Hey, Dusty,” said a voice. “It’s Martha.” Martha? She was an old work acquaintance, someone I hadn’t spoken to in years. “I know this is random,” she said, “but I believe I found a Bible that belongs to your family in a secondhand shop.” I froze. It couldn’t be? Could it…? “What does it look like?” “It’s bound in green leather,” said Martha. “There’s a family tree on the inside, and your name is written on it! The pages are also a little singed—”
[More]
It happened in the blink of an eye. It was 2004. A normal day for professional race car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. He was at California’s Sonoma Raceway, practicing for the American Le Mans Series race later that day. No one saw the accident coming. Dale miscalculated and took a turn too quickly. The Corvette he was driving spun out of control, clipping the wall and catching fire. It was later determined that the car’s fuel line had ruptured, leaking gasoline everywhere. All that was needed was a spark. As cars continued to drive past, the car burst into
[More]