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

D ark and dirty and housing almost seven thousand inmates, the 300-year-old Russian prison was a picture of despair. Ward Coleman and a team of Americans were visiting the prison as a part of Operation Care Lift, an annual ministry outreach to the people of the former Soviet Union sponsored by the Josh McDowell Ministry. As Ward approached cell number sixteen, a very small metal flap was unlocked by the guard. Immediately, a face appeared. “The face stunned me,” Ward sa