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Start children off the way they should go

On March 2, 2010, a 15-year-old Lower Paxton, PA, girl was stopped by police at 1:30 in the morning as she tried to back a stolen car onto an entrance ramp for I-81. When arrested, the girl lied about her age and provided a false identity. Once police sorted out the truth, the girl and the 3 friends with her were charged with auto theft. Commenting on that news story, one blogger wrote, “Come on, kids will be kids. For all you know, the parents are the actual thieves, coaching their kids to take the car.” Another person commented and said, “Ah, they just be kids, man. We all did ...

Proverbs for young people

Humorist Mark Twain didn’t have a high opinion of the American teenager. “Things run along pretty smoothly,” Twain wrote, “until your kid reaches thirteen. That’s the time you need to stick ‘em in a barrel, hammer the lid down nice and tight and then feed ‘em through the knothole. And then, about the time he turns sixteen, plug up the knothole.” Stories about guns in schools and the suicide rate among teens fuels the belief that teenagers are out of control and adults often feel little respect for teens. One man wrote, “The world is passing through troublous times. The ...

Learning the truth and cultivating humility

Success turns some people into jerks. Take, for example, King Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of ancient Babylon. He conquered the Middle East, including Israel and Judah. Nebuchadnezzar was so successful that he believed he should control everyone and everything. Nebuchadnezzar even wanted to dictate how his subjects worshipped. The book of Daniel tells about Nebuchadnezzar erecting an image of gold 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. Nebuchadnezzar brought some of the most important people in his kingdom together, the “movers and shakers” of Babylon, and told them: “As soon as you hear the ...

Make God happy, don’t be a jerk

Tehran’s daily newspaper, Mardomsalari, reported in September 2004 on the trial of a man accused of beating his wife. The court ordered the man to stop beating his wife, but the woman later claimed that she would have been happy with an order limiting the beatings to only one per week. “Beating is a part of his nature,” she said, “and he can’t help it.” The man said, “If I do not beat her, she will not be scared enough to obey me.” What a jerk! Chuck Colson told the story of Marleen, a Christian woman who sought help from her preacher because her husband was abusing her. ...

Believers must examine both motives and actions

Max Lucado tells the story of Charles Robertson in his book, In the Grip of Grace. Robertson entered the Jefferson State Bank in Virginia Beach and filled out a loan application. But instead of waiting for his loan to be approved, Robertson went back to the bank a couple of hours later with a pistol and a note demanding money. Halfway to his getaway car, Robertson realized that he’d left the note with the teller and he went back in and grabbed it. When he returned to the car, Robertson remembered that he’d left the car keys on the bank counter. Instead of going into the bank again, ...

Resistance is futile, but surrender brings peace

There’s some disagreement, but many Bible scholars believe Amenhotep II was the Pharaoh of Egypt during Israel’s Exodus. By the time of the Exodus, Amenhotep had successfully completed 3 military campaigns against Syria, and he’d built a reputation for himself as a master mariner, able to captain a ship on the high seas. Amenhotep also proclaimed himself the best archer and horseman in Egypt, and no one wanted to challenge the king about that! Amenhotep reigned supreme, until Moses showed up. Understandably, Amenhotep didn’t want to grant Moses’ request that Israel be released ...