I have read the New International Version of the Bible for many years, but for a change of pace, recently I have incorporated the King James Version into my personal devotions. The King James’ phrasing often has a familiar ring to it, like “Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name” (Matthew 6:9), […]

The English author Lynne Truss wrote a clever book about punctuation called Eats, Shoots & Leaves. The book’s title comes from the grammatical misstep of a student who wrote an essay about pandas and tried to explain their plant-based diet. These creatures, the writer meant to explain, “eats shoots and leaves.” Unfortunately, the student inserted […]

Bob Russell tells about a time when he was driving with his wife Judy, and she insisted they should get off the highway at a certain exit. Bob disagreed and kept going, only to discover soon afterward that she was right after all. He admits, “I kept driving quite a while, trying to figure out […]

Do you know that Fig Newtons got their name from the city of Newton, Massachusetts? Other than eating one of those cookies once in a while, I seldom think about figs, so it’s hard to appreciate what fig trees meant in the ancient Middle East. There weren’t many ways to satisfy a sweet tooth back […]

Banished. Isolated. Pushed away. Trying to survive in a lifeless desert. That’s what happened to Hagar and her son Ishmael, according to Genesis chapter 21. Deserts, though, aren’t as lifeless as they appear. God does interesting things in deserts. According to an online article I read recently titled, “127 Stunning Desert Plants,” an amazing array […]