When we’re going through tough times, it’s easy to get discouraged.
We all worry about our health, our families, our finances, and the future. Believers aren’t immune to these anxieties.
When life is spinning out of control, we often feel overwhelmed. We wonder where God is in our difficulties.
What we need is a different perspective.
I’m not suggesting we put on rose-coloured glasses, but rather heart-shaped ones.
The beating heart of God resounds with love for His children.
Read moreThis is a busy (and nutty) time of year for squirrels.
The little critters are hard at work storing up nuts and seeds for the hard winter ahead.
Depending on the species, they may either store their nuts in one spot (a stash), or hide them by burying them in multiple locations (known as “scatter-hoarding”). They’ve even been known to shamelessly steal nuts from the stashes of other squirrels.
The jury is out on whether squirrels actually remember where they’ve hidden all those nuts. Some studies suggest they can recall the location of thousands of buried nuts. Other research implies that squirrels fail to recover a good number of their treasures, which allows the nuts and acorns to grow into trees.
One thing is for certain: these little guys are single-minded about gathering up nuts before winter, often using unconventional places to store them.
Like cars.
Just ask Bill Fischer of Fargo, North Dakota. For the past eight years, a red squirrel has been using Bill’s pickup truck to store walnuts. Each year, the poor man has to remove thousands of walnuts from every crevice of his truck, including the engine compartment and bumpers.
The critter set a new record several years ago, stashing 348 pounds of nuts in Bill’s vehicle. And this was all the work of one tiny squirrel.
These crafty little animals might exasperate us, but we can learn something from them:
They make sure they’ve “squirrelled away” provision for hard times to come.
I think we should do something similar:
Store up the Word of God in your heart, because you never know when you might need a certain verse to sustain you in a tough situation.
Read more
Central bankers can be inscrutable folk.
They issue statements regarding the economy that can sometimes be a bit enigmatic and vague.
Economists and journalists pore over every word of each press release, trying to read between the lines and guess at what the central banker is thinking and planning.
At other times, however, central bankers are more forthright.
They issue what is known as “forward guidance”: clearcut statements about the likely course of future monetary policy.
They may plainly state that at their next scheduled meeting, interest rates will be going up (or down). People are able to make decisions about mortgages or loans based on that foreknowledge.
Don’t you wish that God offered “forward guidance”?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if God let you know in advance what’s coming down the pike in your life?
Read moreThis is a busy (and nutty) time of year for squirrels.
The little critters are hard at work storing up nuts and seeds for the hard winter ahead.
Depending on the species, they may either store their nuts in one spot (a stash), or hide them by burying them in multiple locations (known as “scatter-hoarding”). They’ve even been known to shamelessly steal nuts from the stashes of other squirrels.
The jury is out on whether squirrels actually remember where they’ve hidden all those nuts. Some studies suggest they can recall the location of thousands of buried nuts. Other research implies that squirrels fail to recover a good number of their treasures, which allows the nuts and acorns to grow into trees.
One thing is for certain: these little guys are single-minded about gathering up nuts before winter, often using unconventional places to store them.
Like cars.
Just ask Bill Fischer of Fargo, North Dakota. For the past eight years, a red squirrel has been using Bill’s pickup truck to store walnuts. Each year, the poor man has to remove thousands of walnuts from every crevice of his truck, including the engine compartment and bumpers.
This month, the critter set a new record, stashing 348 pounds of nuts in Bill’s vehicle. And this was all the work of one tiny squirrel.
These crafty little animals might exasperate us, but we can learn something from them:
They make sure they’ve “squirrelled away” provision for hard times to come.
I think we should do something similar:
Store up the Word of God in your heart, because you never know when you might need a certain verse to sustain you in a tough situation.
Read more
The Faith Cafe 