Most Americans don’t have to strain too hard to name at least a couple of our Founding Fathers, but what about our Founding Mothers? Some might say Abigail Adams or Dolley Madison, but they’re far less likely to identify the woman who wrote a comprehensive history of the American Revolution: Mercy Otis Warren. 　　Few women in the late 1700s were...

　　When Imperfections Turn into Blessings 　　So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. --Isaiah 41:10 　　Snowflakes are fascinating. They come in all different shapes and sizes. Some appear as delicate lace doilies others as...

　　On April 7, 2024, Mitchell West was arrested for handing out free burritos to the hungry. While West and other members of a local charity distributed food to impoverished community members in the courthouse square in Dayton, Ohio, a police officer approached and told them to stop. West doled out one last burrito. The officer placed him in handcuffs.  　　  　　In Dayton, no one...

　　A Prayer for Unwavering Faith in the Waiting 　　By Kristine Brown 　　Bible Reading: 　　“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.” - Hebrews 10:23 NLT 　　Listen or Read Below: 　　A woman named Rahab in the Bible received a promise from God. Rahab lived in Jericho, and one day,...

　　Abundant Peace 　　Your Nightly Prayer for Jan. 6, 2025 　　by Christine F. Perry 　　TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE“Abundant peace belongs to those who love your instruction; nothing makes them stumble.” Psalms 119:165 CSB 　　SOMETHING TO PONDERHave you ever had those days when you’re anxious and can’t seem to shut off your mind? Your mind mercilessly jumps from one problem to the next or...

　　British philosopher Antony Flew once cautioned against turning generalizations into tautologies when faced with new information. If an ostensible Scotsman puts sugar on their porridge, despite your conviction that no Scotsmen take sugar with their porridge, you are faced with a decision: you may admit that some Scotsmen do, in fact, sugar their porridge, or take the act of sugaring...

　　Communion with God 　　Weekly Overview: 　　This week we’ll spend time breaking down the individual components of First15 by sharing God's desire for each of them. The majority of First15 is dedicated to encountering God and learning about his character, but every now and then we will cover some teaching and tools that will help in pursuing God to greater depths....

　　Saturday, January 4, 2025 　　You Must Be Born Again 　　“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NLT) 　　John 3 　　Not all Jewish religious leaders opposed Jesus. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the ruling...

　　Howmanyageshence 　　Shallthisourloftyscenebeactedover 　　Instates unbornandaccentsyetunknown! 　　HowmanytimesshallCaesarbleedinsport … 　　—Shakespeare, Julius Caesar (3.1) 　　Humor is “the best guide to changing perceptions,” writes Marshall McLuhan. Because “older societies thrived on purely literary plots” and “demanded storylines” to channel sophomoric energy, they employed elaborate farce in poems, plays, operas, and later books and films. But formed by modern communications technology, a wilder sense of levity...

　　The Process of Becoming One 　　By: Kia Stephens 　　That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. - Genesis 2:24 　　I can still remember the first date with my husband. We sat across from each other at Olive Garden in our tiny table for two. There was instant...

　　During Donald Trump’s first term as president, he installed a portrait of Andrew Jackson in the Oval Office and visited the seventh president’s tomb at the Hermitage. While pundits speculated about the extent to which Trump truly identified with a populist Democrat, they largely ignored Jackson’s legacy as one of the few statesmen who shaped a distinctive school of American...

　　Last month, I had a medical emergency and ended up in an ER. There, they solved the emergency by implanting a temporary device. The use of such a device implies an increased risk of 3 percent to 10 percent per day of having a severe infection, on top of limiting my mobility to the point of making it extremely difficult...