The school day starts at 4 a.m. for high school dropouts in Los Alamitos, California. It’s referred to as the “Shark Attack.” The Youth ChalleNGe Academy is one of 35 such schools in 29 states run by the United States National Guard. To date over 120,000 teens between 16-18, both ...

We don’t have satellite TV at our house, but we do have “farmer’s cable” meaning our channels are limited to a small selection including infomercials. Between the Snackeez, Pillow Pets, and everything else in between, my kids love to try and convince me of how desperately I need, or should ...

So white…so plain…so blank. That’s how every amazing story piece starts–with an empty page. Whether it’s a page from a book or from a digital device, our efforts to piece together our creative ideas unfold when we put a pen to paper or finger tips to keyboard. The finished product ...

At the most pivotal moment in history, God deliberately interjected activity between celestial realms and our domain. He did this by choosing to involve lowly shepherds with Jesus’ birth. What’s that about? After all, they were just tending flocks soon to be slaughtered for temple sacrifices. Probably unskilled, disrespected and certainly ...

“It isn’t about money,” she said. “I just want to go to college.” You’ve seen the recent headlines: College student sues parents for tuition, judge rules they must pay Student Sues Her Divorced Parents For Tuition, Wins 21-year-old NJ woman sues parents for college tuition New Jersey college student, Caitlyn Ricci, ...

For most of us, our earliest knowledge of frankincense and myrrh is from the gifts that the Magi presented to Jesus, the Christ Child. But they also have wonderful healing qualities. “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell ...

Rushing down the grocery aisle, my eyes darted across the plethora of cracker choices. Anywhere from a circle, to a square, a triangle, and even animal shapes were shouting out at me to taste them. Grabbing the least expensive choice in the cheddar snack cracker category, I wrapped up the ...

There is a rule in the writing world, a basic rule:  “Show, don’t tell.” It seems like no matter what it is we do, God can use it to teach us.  If you jog, He can use it to teach you.  If you paint, He can use it to teach you.  If you ...

‘The LORD is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?’ Psalm 27:1 (NIV) Christmas shopping should be called holiday shopping.  I don’t like to call it holiday shopping, but unfortunately, to many, that’s just what it is.  And along with the holiday shopping comes the public display ...

Perception and reality often are poles apart.  The impact of Christianity on the world is a prime example.  The tendency to perceive Christianity as negative and limiting is rampant.  Increasingly, the world reacts to Christianity as a negative, often trying to silence it.  Yet there is transformational power in Christianity! ...