Other than three years of early teen torture at Miss Gates Dancing School, the closest my wonderful parents came to child abuse was subjecting me to five years of French class in elementary school. Hence, I do recall the above French phrase, which literally means “the joy of life.” The dictionary defines it as, “a delight in being alive; keen, carefree enjoyment of living.” Given …
Finally… The Day of Pentecost!
Dear Son-Shiner, Greetings, blessings, and welcome to Summer—a good time to get out and share the Word of God with people. This year, the Christian calendar celebrates Pentecost on June 9, the seventh Sunday after Easter. The monumental significance of what happened that particular day, as described in Acts 2, cannot be overstated. The record begins with the words, “And …
CHILDREN SMILE ABOUT 400 TIMES A DAY
I recently read the following in an airline magazine: “Children smile about 400 times a day. That’s quite a workout for their little facial muscles, but hey, smiles are contagious, right? Apparently not for adults. According to Ron Gutman, whose TED study on the subject went viral, only a third of grown-ups smile more than 20 times a day, and …
THE SPECTRUM OF HIS-STORY
Here we are at the beginning of another month. It’s hard to believe that 2012 is almost half gone. If you have watched The End Times video, you may have thought how privileged we are to be able to step back from the hustle and bustle of life and take a broad biblical look at the spectrum of His-story from …
ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH SON?
If you live in a seasonable climate, you are probably loving the warm weather that May brings and the opportunity to soak up some vitamin D-filled sunshine. In college, we sun-worshipers called that “getting some ‘bennies’” (i.e., beneficial rays of the Sun). Little did I know back then that I would one day worship The Son and get way more …
HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE AT YOUR “WAKE”?
The answer to the above question depends upon how many people are now in your wake. Words is fascinating, ain’t they? That is especially true when we realize that GOD is the Author of language, the medium by which He intends us to know Him and His Son, Jesus Christ, and the medium by which we are to make them …
A HEALED THUMB GLOWING IN THE DARKNESS
May the glory of the Lord Jesus be ever more manifest in your life as you consistently reach for his heart and hold fast to him. I once said in a Bible teaching that the only way in which I (a four-year college point guard) have surpassed the Apostle Paul is that he never experienced the unmitigated exhilaration of bringing …
“YOU’VE GOT MAIL!”
February is a month when the U.S. “Postal Service” (can you say, “oxymoron”?) is flooded with mail, as both men and women send Valentine’s Day cards to the love of their lives. Try to imagine the confusion if each would-be Valentine somehow got in the wrong envelope, and people sat there reading words addressed to someone else’s lover. It would …
2012: THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE!
Did you wake up this morning with palpable expectancy and corresponding excitement about living another day with your heavenly Father and your Lord Jesus Christ? Do you think there is a possibility that today will be “the time of your life”? That’s an interesting phrase, isn’t it? And if we look at it in regard to the biblical Greek words …
UNWRAP THE GIFT YOU ARE
It’s hard to believe that this is the last FRUIT OF D’VINE for 2011. As they say: “Time flies when you’re having fun!” Honestly, this is the most “fun” I’ve ever had in 44 years of ministry. What I mean is that I’ve never been more fulfilled in my relationship with the Lord Jesus (though I think I’ve only scratched …
