The Daily Memo

A mail carrier became concerned after seeing one of her customers’ mail pile up. The postal worker knew the elderly woman lived alone and usually picked up her mail every day. Making a wise choice, the worker mentioned her concern to one of the woman’s neighbors. This neighbor alerted yet another neighbor, who had a spare key to the woman’s home. Together they entered their friend’s home and found her lying on the floor. She had fallen four days…

As we close out 2023, it’s natural to consider this period as an ending. But each ending is also a beginning; it’s a matter of perspective. And while it’s healthy to reflect on the year we’ve completed, it’s important to embrace each day God gives us and approach it with openness, gratitude, and hope. With His help, we can be like the snowdrop flower—the first to emerge from the winter ground and bloom. The snowdrop is a symbol of resilience&mdash…

The best thing you can do at this point is simply begin to love Jesus. Just love him. It will open up your heart and soul to experiencing him, and to receiving his life. Just begin to make a practice of loving Jesus. As I’m driving in my car, I will simply tell him, “I love you.” Not once, like a sneeze, but over and over again: “I love, I love you, I love you.” It turns my whole being toward him in love. When I wake up and the sunshine is…

Doing hard things requires us to be lion-like – bold, steely and courageous. Doing things the right way means being like a lamb – gentle, meek and submissive. We are supposed to be a godly mixture of the qualities of both the lion and the lamb. But how can one person be both ‘the Lion’ and ‘the Lamb’? In C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books, the lion, Aslan, represents Jesus. In the most famous of these books, The Lion, the Witch and the,…

We all felt the pain of the moment when it was reported that Michele, a 61-year-old women, had died tragically when a propane tank exploded in the office at a small local motel in our community. She was a night auditor there and had worked for the family-owned business for 34 years. Our hearts are hurting, even though we may not have known her personally. The headlines in today’s newspaper read: “The Most Loving” – Hundreds gather to honor woman who…

Jill Price was born with the condition of hyperthymesia: the ability to remember in extraordinary detail everything that ever happened to her. She can replay in her mind the exact occurrence of any event she’s experienced in her lifetime. The TV show Unforgettable was premised on a female police officer with hyperthymesia—to her a great advantage in trivia games and in solving crimes. For Jill Price, however, the condition isn’t so much fun. She can&rsquo…

Several of the gospels mention children coming to Jesus (Matthew 19:13-14; Luke 18:15-17; Mark 10:13-16). Some of them probably climbed onto His lap, while others perhaps sat at His feet. We might picture them asking Him lots of questions, begging to hear more parables, and whispering secrets in His ear. It isn’t surprising that they would gather around Jesus, who loves us perfectly. Contrast this snapshot of Jesus’ warm nature with the picture some Christians…

Some people have the wrong idea about the Christian life. Once they become believers, they expect smooth sailing. However, Jesus made it clear that we’ll all face troubles. His own life was no exception—He endured false accusation, rejection, betrayal, and separation from His Father. As His followers, we too can expect difficulty. Some problems arise from the fallen nature of the world, while others result from spiritual warfare. And we can cause our own…

They will call him Immanuel, which means “God is with us.” (Matthew 1:23 NLT) I was listening to a few refrains from “O Holy Night”: “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices” and something deep in my spirit said, O yes, dear Jesus, we need hope. Come for this weary world. Actually, this world is more than weary, it’s coming apart at the seams. Something deep is unraveling. I wonder if you’ve felt it too. The barrenness of,…