Have you ever asked, “Why don’t I experience God dramatically, as those early believers did? Why do I not see anyone experiencing God that way?” A man from Old Testament times, a prophet named Elijah, struggled with this in 1 Kings 19.   Elijah lived in a day, much like today, when many people doubted or scoffed at God. He longed to see God move with tremendous power and silence the critics. Sometimes God did that. But there was also a time when Elijah's very life was in dang

E very day, Sharon held an informal discussion with her first=graders that she called “family talks.” These few moments were often the highpoint of the day, a time for students to express their feelings and ask questions.   One morning, Sharon asked the class, “What do you enjoy most about the first grade?”   Little hands shot up immediately.  Sharon thought their answers might be “recess” or “lunchtime.” Looking over her students, curly-haired Jeremy caught her attention.  H

H ow wonderful to experience a joy that need not be limited by favorable circumstances. Yet many of us do not consistently enjoy this blessing. Why is this true? There are several “joy-breakers” that can short-circuit our joy and cause us to wallow in de­spair and frustration.   One joy-breaker is worry . An old man was once asked what had most robbed him of joy in his life. He answered, “Things that never happened!” How true it is that worry about the fu­ture steals our joy