The Daily Memo

If someone asked what your gifts are, what would you say? We may struggle with such questions because we either aren’t sure or don’t want to seem conceited. And sometimes it’s hard to know if something is a gift or a talent. How can we tell the difference? Generally speaking, a talent is something that you’re naturally good at—such as sports or art or science—and can excel at through training, practice, and experience. It can be a…

Think about a time when you received praise from a parent, a teacher, or an employer. How did you feel? Did it make you glad or uncomfortable? For many people, praise is nearly as difficult to handle as criticism. Because God’s Word instructs us to be humble (Matthew 18:4; Philippians 2:3), we may sometimes feel confused about how to receive compliments. Here are three ways to respond: 1. Acknowledge the comment by thanking the person. Don’t explain why you are…

In 1917, a young seamstress was thrilled to get admitted to one of New York City’s most renowned fashion design schools. But when Ann Lowe Cone arrived from Florida to register for classes, the school director told her she wasn’t welcome. “To be blunt, Mrs. Cone, we didn’t know that you were a Negro,” he said. Refusing to leave, she whispered a prayer: Please let me stay here. Seeing her persistence, the director let Ann stay, but segregated…

At some point in our 20s (or maybe 30s), we begin to have a gnawing feeling that there’s some elusive secret to life – something beyond ourselves – and in typical human fashion we invest a lot of our own time and energy trying to figure it out. So we try things. Good things and not-so-good things. Advanced education. High-powered careers. Sex. Drugs. Alcohol. Political causes. Anti-political causes. Alternative lifestyles. Alternative religions. Military.…

When you listen to their stories, it becomes clear that perhaps the most difficult part of being a prisoner is isolation and loneliness. In fact, one study revealed that regardless of the length of their incarceration, most prisoners receive only two visits from friends or loved ones during their time behind bars. Loneliness is a constant reality. It’s a pain I imagine Joseph felt as he sat in prison, unjustly accused of a crime. There had been a glimmer of hope. God…

The secret of happiness is this: God is the love you are longing for. We live in a love story. We are created for romance and we have an insatiable capacity for it. Now, God gave us such a heart; it was one of his first gifts to us. (You have to have a heart to live in a love story). Then he gives to us this world that is so breathtakingly beautiful. The earth is filled with the love of the Lord (Psalm 33:5) and you see it in the fact that he made grass just firm enough…

Robert Todd Lincoln lived under the extensive shadow of his father, beloved American president Abraham Lincoln. Long after his father’s death, Robert’s identity was engulfed by his father’s overwhelming presence. Lincoln’s close friend, Nicholas Murray Butler, wrote that Robert often said, “No one wanted me for secretary of war; they wanted Abraham Lincoln’s son. No one wanted me for minister to England; they wanted Abraham Lincoln&rsquo…

Updating the Payleitner family dog history.Cubby, 1985, a mutt from the pound. Named by then two-year-old Randy. Cubby was slowing down when we got Madison, which perked the old girl up for two more years!Madison, 1996, Golden Retriever. Mostly Rae Anne's dog. Came into our lives when Rae was just three-years-old. My daughter and I cried and cried in the vet's office when we said good-bye. An illustration of Maddy by Rex Bohn even made it into my…

Well, he created laughter. And think of the crowd he dined with. These rabble-rousers quickly earned Jesus a reputation as a drunkard and a glutton, and it wasn’t because they served water and crackers. This was a wild group, and surely such a crowd got rolling in laughter from time to time, if only from the joy they were experiencing being with Jesus. Now, surely the creator of these colorful characters didn’t sit there frowning, looking pious, Mr. Killjoy, Mr. I’m-Above-All.…