It had been a long time since Horace Walpole smiled. Too long. Life for him had become as drab as the weather in dreary old England. Then, on a grim winter day in 1754, while reading a Persian fairy tale, his smile returned. He wrote his longtime friend, Horace Mann, telling him of the “thrilling approach to life” he had discovered from the folk tale.
Read MoreTag Archives: Isaiah
Something Old
There is something grand about old things that are still in good shape. Old furniture, rich with the patina of age and history, is far more intriguing than the modern stuff. When you sit on it or eat off it or sleep in it, your mind pictures those in previous centuries who did the same in a world of candlelight, oil lamps, buggies, and potbelly stoves. Each scrape or dent holds a story you wish you knew.
Read MoreLet Every Heart Prepare Him Room
If news networks had been invented in 1809, they would’ve covered one story: Napoleon sweeping across Austria like a wildfire. Napoleon was the talk of the world, on the move from Trafalgar to Waterloo. Everything was about Napoleon. Now, at the same time, babies were being born, but who cared? Someone should have! Whole cadres of world-changers took their first breaths in 1809. Let’s take a trip back and see for ourselves.
Read MoreA Tiny Gift . . . Wonderfully Wrapped, Silently Delivered
Since the first Christmas celebration, one word has crossed everyone’s lips more than any other this time of year. It isn’t the word carol or tree or food. It’s gift. Gifts are so inseparably linked with Christmas that we can hardly think of one without the other. If you listen to conversations in stores this […]
Read MoreGod’s Promises Regarding His Faithfulness
Someone once counted all the promises in the Bible and came up with an amazing figure of almost 7500. Among that large number are some specific promises servants can claim today. Believe me, there are times the only hope to keep you going will be in something God has declared in His Word, promising that your work is not in vain.
Read MoreHumility
“I forget what is behind” is a statement that assures us Paul was not the type to live in the past. He says, in effect, “I disregard my own accomplishments as well as others’ offenses against me. I refuse to dwell on that.” This requires humility. This becomes especially clear when you examine Paul’s past.
Read MorePainful Days
Are you in physical pain today? Someone reading this is in pain. Perhaps it’s you. Or maybe you know someone in pain. Pain rarely makes sense and often continues without relief. Throughout the ages, others who have endured pain have turned their attention from the temporary pain to things eternal by meditating on passages of […]
Read MoreOf Prophets and Angels
Has it ever crossed your mind that Isaiah—often called the “Prince of the Prophets”—would have wanted to trade places with you? Think about that for a moment. Isaiah lived in Jerusalem and had ready access to the kings of his day: some great, like Hezekiah, some not so great, like his predecessor, Ahaz. Isaiah had […]
Read MorePeace that Exceeds Understanding
Peace. Whisper the word to yourself and you can almost feel your heart relax. When you’re at peace, you feel an inner confidence that things are not running wild—regardless of the circumstances. Your mind is at rest. Your heart doesn’t flutter with anxiety. Your focus is clear. But far too often, peace is like that […]
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