Randy Alcorn

Instead of a paternalistic single-story, “those-poor-ignorant-people” point of view, Christians, of all people, should view others as true equals whose lives are as complex as our own and who do not have a single story but many stories that characterize themselves, their families and their culture.

I have heard many stories from restaurant servers, both believers and unbelievers, who say that they get the smallest tips from people who come to eat after leaving church on Sunday mornings. This should not be.

I've heard parents say, “But I don’t want my children to think I don’t trust them.” Trust is important, but it is never unrealistic. 

I’ve blogged about six false expectations we can have that will diminish our happiness. So what truths should raise our expectations of happiness? Here are seven worth focusing on.

Imagine you’re part of a NASA team preparing for a five-year mission to Mars. After a period of extensive training, the launch date finally arrives. As the rocket lifts off, one of your fellow astronauts asks, “What do you know about Mars?” Envision shrugging your shoulders and saying, “Nothing. We never talked about it. I guess we’ll find out when we get there.” It’s unthinkable, isn’t it?

“God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). This doesn’t mean we should give only when we’re feeling cheerful. The cheerfulness often comes during and after the act of obedience, not before it.

As a grandfather of five boys, mothered by my wonderful daughters, I very much enjoyed this short meditation on little boys and toads.

I get that life is busy and money can be tight. But make it a priority to date your spouse. Put it in your schedule and your budget!

Thursday, June 2, Robertson McQuilkin went to be with Jesus at 88 years old. I wrote about Robertson in my book If God Is Good, sharing how at the peak of his career, he resigned as president of Columbia Bible College in 1990 to become the full-time caregiver for his wife, Muriel, who had Alzheimer’s.