by J. Randal Matheny, editor "For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly." 1 Peter 2:19 ESV To be mindful of God means to be aware of his presence, knowledgeable of his will, conscious of his help, confident of his reward. It means to react to th...

by J. Randal Matheny, editor When I was a kid, my grandfather had a Boston Terrier, a small dog with square bulldog jaws and a sweet temperament. We'd throw the tip of a rag in his face, and he'd grab it for a game of tug-of-war. While we pulled on the rag, the dog would keep his end clamped in his ...

by J. Randal Matheny On Friday a Brazilian Catholic cardinal declared, in jest, to reporters, that the family is "the world's greatest problem." This Bidenesque comment was his throw-away phrase to deflect speculation that doing away with celibacy among the clergy might raise the number of priests i...

by J. Randal Matheny, editor During the last week, our summer temperatures have soared. I grew up in rural Arkansas among the cotton and soybean fields. In those days, nobody had air conditioning, and we seemed to get through the humid summers with no major problems. Seems to me, though, that the tr...

by J. Randal Matheny, editor We have been given a universe full of galaxies, systems and worlds that invites our imagination and, perhaps, one day, our explorations. Man has created space journeys and star adventures and unearthly creatures, from H.G. Wells to C.S. Lewis to Isaac Asimov to Stephen S...

by J. Randal Matheny "And he said to them, 'I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.'" Luke 22:15 NET When Jesus wants something intensely, it's worth paying attention. Intensely. He said literally, "With desire I have desired." Some scholars understand this as a hango...

by J. Randal Matheny, editor The ceiling fans, one over the dining room table, the other above the coffee table in the living room, whir almost inaudibly. The aquarium pump hums in the corner, and water gurgles up as the fish dart across their little world. The computer fan just behind me is the lou...

by J. Randal Matheny, editor Last Thursday U.S. Airways Flight 1549 collided with a flock of birds shortly after take-off from New York's LaGuardia Airport. The pilot set the plane down intact in the Hudson River in Manhattan, saving the lives of the 155 people on board. We all give thanks to God fo...

by J. Randal Matheny, editor At times Jesus refused to give people what they asked for. Sign-seekers got a flat no. "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation" (Mark 8:12 ESV). When the Jews demanded to know where he got the authority to teac...

by J. Randal Matheny, editor Luke Bower, youth minister with the Baker Heights congregation in Abilene, Tex., told of a visit he, his father and uncle made to a small modern art museum in San Angelo. "I don't think we went by any painting or sculpture when I didn't hear some sarcastic remark," he sa...