The Daily Memo

Samiah* hated the local tribe. Its soldiers committed atrocities against her family during the war in her homeland—sexually assaulting her daughter and murdering her brother. Now at a refugee camp in Southeast Africa, her hatred for the tribe was just as fierce as the day she arrived there. Steeped in anger, Samiah vowed to never talk to any member of that tribe as long as she lived. She wished she could kill them. But that wish changed the day she saw the JESUS.…

Had the wireless radio been on, they would have known the Titanic was sinking. Cyril Evans, the radio operator of another ship, had tried to relay a message to Jack Phillips, the radio operator on the Titanic—letting him know they had encountered an ice field. But Phillips was busy relaying passengers’ messages and rudely told Evans to be quiet. So Evans reluctantly turned off his radio and went to bed. Ten minutes later, the Titanic struck an iceberg. Their…

R.T. Kendall writes, “For Joseph, vindication on the spot might have done something for him in that moment; but it wouldn’t have done anything for the kingdom of God. When we are mistreated in any way, we must realize that our suffering has profound and vast implications for the greater kingdom of God. There are unseen reasons for continued suffering. Who knows what God will do with your life if you take mistreatment with dignity?” I had a recent…

Most of us are painfully aware of how much crime, violence, sin, and deprivation exist in our world today.  Traveling back in time and through scripture, we’ve become familiar with a climatic paradise that apparently needed no rain because it was watered by a mist coming up from the ground (Genesis 2:6).  There were no storms or harmful natural occurrences like hurricane Laura that recently decimated the South. Everything about God’s creation would…

Every woman knows now that she is not what she was meant to be. And she fears that soon it will be known—if it hasn't already been discovered—and that she will be abandoned. Left alone to die a death of the heart. That is a woman's worst fear—abandonment. (Isn't it?) Rather than turning back to God, reversing the posture that brought about our crisis in the first place (what Eve set in motion and we have repeated ad nauseum), we continue…

In the incredible, abundant blessings of Scripture and the Holy Spirit, God has demonstrated his longing for us to know truth. Truth is a powerful weapon against the schemes of the enemy. Truth has an ability to bestow confidence and freedom on all who find their satisfaction in it. And truth in the eyes of God is completely founded in relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. May God grant us a hunger for truth that is deeply satisfied in communion with our loving…

“If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.” (Ecl 10:10 NIV) Wow, is that packed with wisdom? Let’s dig in. Basically, Solomon is saying that if the axe is not sharpened it requires more strength to get the job done. Simple, right? But if you’re smart, you’ll sharpen the darn axe. It’s just way easier to cut wood if the axe is sharp. Abe Lincoln said if someone gave me 6 hours…

I fell down the basement steps a couple of days ago. In a rush to get the laundry out of the dryer, in my stocking feet, I turned the corner heading downstairs  -  It was like a sheet of ice when I jogged onto the first step of the polyurethaned hardwood. Both feet shot into the air and my elbow hit the second step as I grabbed for the handrail. Imagine me bouncing on that elbow and my right foot before I got hold of the rail with my left hand 7 steps down. Badly…

…one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray…"  Luke 11:1 Prayer is not a normal part of the life of the natural man. We hear it said that a person’s life will suffer if he doesn’t pray, but I question that. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a person is born again from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve or…