To the Girl on the Elevator
I wish I could have hugged the girl on the elevator. I saw her from a distance carrying what appeared to be a clear trash bag. She stepped inside the elevator just a few steps ahead of me. I looked more closely at the garbage bag and saw that she had partially filled it with clothes. Then I looked at her face. Her eyes were red, and she was fighting tears. She lifted a shaking hand and punched a 3. I reached out and touched the 6, and the elevator doors closed. She was thin and pale and not very old. If I had to guess, I’d say somewhere in her 20’s. There were just two of us on the elevator, but she didn’t make eye contact. She leaned heavily against the wall and looked down at the floor. Her whole demeanor said, “Don’t talk to me.” The second the elevator doors opened, she practically ran out, and when she turned right, well, I knew where she was going. You see, the 3rd floor to the right is ICU. That’s where we – my husband Bill had Covid-19 – were when we arrived back in January. Now…. I’m sitting next to Bill (who is sound asleep and improving) in a dark hospital room on the 6th floor, and I can’t stop thinking about the girl on the elevator. If I could talk to her, I would say, “You aren’t alone!” I know you feel like you are, but there is a God in heaven watching over you. I hope you know Him. Seek comfort from Him. Lean on Him. Pray to Him. Trust Him. There is no one you will ever need in your life as much as you need God. Don’t. You. Give. Up! I don’t care what the doctors, nurses, well-meaning friends, and neighbors say. If they tell you there is no hope, they are wrong. Only God knows what lies ahead. He may say “No.” He may say, “Not yet.” But He may say, “Yes.” Keep hoping and praying even when you are so tired and discouraged that you want to give up. Don’t. You. Give. Up! And, ask everyone you know to pray. The Bible says the prayers of a righteous man or woman “availeth much” (James 5:16 KJV). Find your prayer warriors and let them lift you and your loved one up to God. You will feel their prayers, and it will comfort you in a way you have never felt before. Lean on friends and neighbors. The world is full of good people who want to help. Let them. When you are in the midst of a crisis, it’s okay to say, “I need help.” Cry. Cry buckets full if you want to. Cry on the elevator with a strange old lady who can see your heart is breaking. Tears are a universal language. People hurt. People cry. We don’t hide smiles when we are happy. Don’t hide your tears because you are sad. Take one day at a time. My grandma would say, “Don’t borrow trouble.” I know the “what if’s” are scary but don’t let them overwhelm you. When it’s really, really hard, take it hour-by-hour or minute-by-minute. I wish….. I wish I could have hugged the girl on the elevator. She sure looked like she could use a hug. That’s another bad thing about Covid. It has stolen our hugs and replaced them with fist bumps – which, in my opinion, fall far short of conveying the emotion that comes from having someone’s arms wrapped around you. I will be praying for the girl on the elevator…. even a pandemic can’t stop our prayers. In fact, it probably increases their frequency and their power. I know I’ve spent more time in prayer and thinking about the verse, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Won’t you say a prayer for her, too? And for all those like her who are scared and fighting tears. They need you, and so do I. About the author: Teresa is an accomplished author, speaker, mother, and grandmother. Teresa has been married to Bill for a lifetime of family, faith, and love. They are members of Pleasant Hill Church of Christ in Kentucky. They have 5 children and 4 grandchildren. Teresa is also the author of the popular women’s blog called “NanaHood”!
The Task at Hand
How can we begin to help in a world so full of hurt? Ever suffer from paralysis because of the enormity of a task at hand? This company has to be turned around. My family is in crisis. The nation is at risk. My church is in decline. These are familiar themes. And the sad truth is that not every sinking ship can be floated. Some promising starts will end as dismal failures. Then there are the personal challenges you encounter. There always seems to be a worthy charity that needs money to help children. You hear the call for volunteers at your child’s school or from your church. Someone you know is struggling with drug addiction or has lost her job. There are so many needs. You might begin with the awareness that you can’t do everything that needs to be done. You can’t right all the wrongs. You can’t help everybody who is in trouble. It is arrogant to think you can; it is self-destructive to try. Even Jesus didn’t try to shoulder so heavy a responsibility. And occasionally he withdrew from the press of demands being made on him. He could help many, but not all. So what are you and I supposed to do in the face of crippling poverty and drug or alcohol addiction? How are we supposed to respond to hurricanes, unemployment, and hungry children? How can you be God’s instrument of hope in a world that is filled with troubles and heartache? Dr. Fumio Shigeto was waiting for a streetcar about a mile from the center of Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945. There was a blinding fireball when an American bomber dropped an atomic bomb that had the destructive equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT. A five-square-mile area of one of the chief supply depots of the Japanese Army was devastated, and 60% of its buildings destroyed. Sheltered by the corner of a concrete building at his distance from the blast, Dr. Shigeto survived. He began hearing the screams of victims almost immediately. Not knowing what had happened, he stood bewildered and overwhelmed at the carnage. He was only one doctor wondering how he could respond to a city filled with thousands of desperately wounded patients. He knelt down, opened his black bag, and treated the person lying at his feet. Dr. Shigeto’s experience is our own. Having survived alcoholism or divorce, toxic church life or childhood abuse, what is your calling? Having put your life together after cancer, job loss, or a child’s death, where should you focus your attention? Help someone near you. Reach to somebody whose grief you know. Without making that person dependent on you, help him or her with what you have learned. You can’t address every need. But you can do something. [After a very hard day of demanding ministry we find Jesus on the next day] In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. (Mark 1:35-42 NASB) About the author: Rubel Shelly preached for decades and served as a professor of medical ethics, Bible, and philosophy at multiple universities. He was a former president of Rochester College and Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Lipscomb University. He was the author of more than 30 books and hundreds of inspirational articles. His commitment to a non-sectarian presentation of the gospel touched countless lives.
Today’s Verse – 2 Timothy 1:9
God has saved us and called us to a holy life — not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. —2 Timothy 1:9 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… “Before the beginning of time!”How do you understand when that was? God first thought of us at a time we cannot even begin to imagine. His reason for thinking of us was to demonstrate his kindness, grace, and call in our lives and to bring others to his side. Jesus has always been God’s plan, and we have always been his goal for that. Let’s make sure we respond by living his holy life in our day-to-day world. My Prayer… Thank you so much, Father, for knowing me and thinking of my needs even before there was a world. I dedicate this day and every day that follows to your honor as I seek to live a life that reflects your righteousness, holiness, mercy, and grace. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
09 Mar 2026
Let us not give up when we face opposition or challenges. Our gaze should be on Jesus during such moments. We should let the joy of the eternal life with God motivate us during such times. But let us not forget to pick the lessons we are supposed to learn through the process. Hebrews 12:1-2.
I Was Robbed!
How important to you is your stuff? I’ve often heard the title of this article spoken by a losing team following a ballgame with poor officiating. However, yesterday this phrase took on a whole new meaning for me. Allow me to explain. I was invited to present a seminar on Internet Safety at the Memorial Parkway Church of Christ in Huntsville, Alabama. My good friend and former co-worker, Reed Swindle is one of the preacher’s there. I left Glasgow immediately following Sunday worship service and arrived in Huntsville, Alabama at 3:30 p.m. Since the building doors were unlocked upon arrival, I entered and went to Reed’s office. I sat and talked with Reed for approximately 5 minutes when a wide-eyed man suddenly appeared in Reed’s doorway. The guy who appeared in the doorway had on a hooded sweat jacket, a cap, and a bandana covering his face like in the old Western movies. He pointed a gun at both of us and demanded all our money! Reed and I both laughed at him at first. I thought it was one of the kids in his youth group and he thought I had brought someone with me who was playing a joke. As he pointed the gun at our heads, it eventually dawned on both of us that this wasn’t a joke, and that he was serious. We gave him all the money we had and as he kept the gun trained on us, he said as he was about to leave, “I’m sorry I have to do this.” At that point, I didn’t know whether he was sorry for having robbed us, or if he was telling us he was sorry for what he was about to do. Fortunately, it was the former. The young man then fled the building, and Reed called the police. Fifteen minutes later I had to begin presenting four lessons on Internet Safety. Actually, I don’t remember much of what I said. I probably owe the good brethren at Memorial Park a do-over – but good luck getting me back down there … Ha! (By way of side note, when the detective asked me what kind of pistol the man had, I said, “Pistol? From what I could see, it looked more like a bazooka!) It is amazing how many thoughts flash through your mind while an event like this happens to you. I can’t begin to share all of them with you, but I’ll share a couple of thoughts that occurred to me immediately following this incident. I was reminded of how quickly and unexpectedly life can be taken from you. I can certainly tell you that when I woke up Sunday morning, I didn’t think I’d have someone pointing a gun at me before the day was over, but I did. It caused me to reflect on how many people awaken every morning, having no idea that this day will be their last day on earth. Some day we will all awaken to our last sunrise. Will we be prepared when the day arrives? Also, moments after this man ran from the building, I recalled the words written by the Bible commentator, Matthew Henry. On one occasion in his life, he was robbed. That very evening, he recorded the following words in his journal as he gave thanks to God. “I thank Thee first because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth because it was I who was robbed, and not I who robbed.” As bad as things may be, there are plenty of reasons to give thanks if one chooses to do so. Well, I’m certainly thankful that things worked out as they did. Reed and I are both fine. I’m back safely in Glasgow with a renewed appreciation for a lot of blessings I take for granted. How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog – it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. (James 4:14 NLT) About the author: Steve Higginbotham is a native of West Virginia. His father also preached. Steve serves the Karns Church of Christ in Knoxville, TN and is an instructor in the Southeast Institute of Biblical Studies and an editor for Think Magazine. Steve & Kim have four children, Kelli, Michael, Matthew, and Anne Marie.
The Lady Who Can’t Forget
Is this a blessing or a curse? I don’t have the best memory. My wife, of course, says playfully that I – like all husbands she has heard about – have both selective hearing and selective memory. She just might be correct. Psychologists say that we humans do practice a sort of selective memory. We let certain embarrassing, painful, or disconcerting memories go. It is part of the coping mechanism that lets us move on with our lives. It would be incredibly difficult to have to hold every adolescent silliness or adult transgression in constant memory. I can imagine how it could be utterly debilitating. Maybe you have heard of Jill Price. She is a California lady who is in her 40s now. She appears to have near-perfect recall of every detail of every day of her life since her mid-teens. It isn’t photographic-memory recall of texts. It isn’t even recall of every public event of history. It is the detailed and specific recollection of things from her personal experience that stays with her. All of it. She has been interviewed by Diane Sawyer and Oprah, written about in both USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. There is a popular YouTube clip of a Diane Sawyer interview from 20/20 in which Price – an avid TV viewer – is being grilled on her recall of televised events she saw ranging from the “Who shot JR?” episode of Dallas to the date for the final episode of M*A*S*H. She gets every one! But she appeared to miss the date of Princess Grace’s death. When did Princess Grace die? “September 14, 1982 – that was the first day I started 12th grade,” answers Price. Oops! Sawyer informs her that she got that one wrong! The correct date was September 10, 1982. Price stands her ground and insists it was September 14 – only to have a 20/20 producer break in to inform Ms. Sawyer that Price was correct and her source notes were wrong. My first-blush reaction to reading about Jill Price was to be a bit jealous of her superb memory. The more I have thought about it, though, I’m not so sure. One piece I read is from a scientist who thinks she may have less-than-perfect memory and be cursed instead by an obsessive focus on the past. Even Price admits her vivid ability to bring up the past has some unpleasant consequences. Bad experiences linger. She still feels their pain. They disrupt her sleep. I suspect my “selective memory” serves me better than a perfect one would. I suspect your ability and mine to let some things go and to refuse to obsess over failures and mistakes from the past is an asset to our sanity. Then there is forgiveness – the greatest asset yet to help us deal with the really terrible things of life that won’t quite fade into oblivion. My faith tells me of a God who knows all things – including every detail of my past – and forgives me. Forgetfulness can be a blessing. And forgiveness is even sweeter still. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9 TNIV). About the author: Rubel Shelly preached for decades and served as a professor of medical ethics, Bible, and philosophy at multiple universities. He was a former president of Rochester College and Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Lipscomb University. He was the author of more than 30 books and hundreds of inspirational articles. His commitment to a non-sectarian presentation of the gospel touched countless lives.
Last Things
Are they last or are they lasting? It’s the last week for me. I will preach for the last time for a precious group of people who have loved my family and me for 22 years. I wasn’t forced out and I’m not leaving because I am mad at someone. God has called me to a new place and new opportunities. God is calling this church family that I know so well to begin a journey with someone new … they just haven’t discovered that person yet. It’s scary and emotional for all of us. But the good-byes have all been said and we are not going to have a maudlin farewell and an overly teary last Sunday together. The good-bye party happened several weeks ago. We are going to focus on welcoming visitors and meeting folks we don’t know on this last Sunday we’re together. Why?Why leave?Why end this way?Why leave the familiar?Why go to another place?Why drag my family to a new situation? So often we settle down into what we think are safe places. We think they are safe because we know them and have become comfortable with them. They feel safe. But, for many of us, little by little, we grow deaf to the leading and nudging of God. We come close to giving up listening for the call of God for the security of what is familiar. God, however, has repeatedly challenged his people with new things, new places, and new opportunities. Sometimes, in fact oftentimes, God’s “new things” come as quite a surprise at the most unexpected of times. For the new things to happen, we must give up our grip on what is familiar. We must go through the grief of letting go of what we have embraced and taking the hand of God on a journey into the unknown. So this week, these people that we love and with whom we have been privileged to share irreplaceable moments of grace, will say good-bye to us. We will then begin our new journeys … separately. We will pray for them and they will pray for us. We will be very interested in what God is doing with them. We will remain connected in many ways. But inescapably, this will be a week of last things. My books are packed and mostly gone. My office will no longer be “my” office. The familiar faces of those who have blessed me and enabled my ministry will not be the faces I see each day. I will step up to the podium and preach for the last time as this church’s preacher. I will do my last wedding as their preacher. Donna, Megan, and I will drive away Sunday afternoon and our world, our lives, and our futures will change. Last things … last times … last glances … However, there is one reality that won’t be last. Instead, this reality will be lasting. These will be my people and we will be their friends – forever. We believe the partings that we have in this life are only temporary. The changes we make in location are all preparatory for the ultimate change … when we are changed and made ready for an unending life of joy in the presence of God who will welcome us home. I’m leaving a ministry, a building, a period in my life, but I will never ever completely leave these people nor will they leave me. We’re bound by something deeper than place, time, and familiarity. We’re family. We’re bound by the grace of God, the love of our Savior, and the Holy Spirit who connects us together … forever. These are not last things, but lasting ones. “These three abide: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Thanks, dear friends, for sharing these three with us in abundance. About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.
Daily Prayer for March 9
But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, then we share together a common life, and we are being cleansed from every sin by the blood of Jesus his Son. 1 John 1:7, NEB Dear Father in heaven, we thank you as your children, whom you know how to gather. You have brought us into community with you in a wonderful way, in the midst of a world full of unrest, full of misery, and full of sin. For you know your children and lead them into community with you. You comfort them. You give them strength of faith, and confidence in your rulership and your kingdom, which will prevail over everything evil and deathly that still seems to control humankind. But your dominion reaches far, far beyond. You will keep us in your hands. For the sake of those who trust in you, you will send your grace and your help into the whole world. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Elegy for Sammy Basso Rosemarie Garland-Thomson The life of a young man with a rare genetic condition stretches our understanding of what it means to be human. Read now Mortal Flesh Sofia Carozza Dissecting a cadaver taught me reverence for life and eternity. Read now Thérèse of Lisieux’s Little Way vs. Friedrich Nietzsche’s Big Guns Karl Stern Two nineteenth-century contemporaries had very different views on how to live. Read now In the Footsteps of Saint Francis Frank Mulder A vibrant Franciscan community in the Ardennes attracts young people thirsty for faith. Read now A Ride to the Hospital Midge Goldberg One good deed calls for another, and another. Read now
The Toll Over the Long Haul
What difference does a little criticism really make? I mentioned recently hearing Bob Russell talk about the toll that criticism takes over the long haul. He told about an Easter service a couple years ago that he thought was the best he’d ever been part of. Knowing Bob, that means that the resurrection of Jesus was proclaimed clearly. But afterwards, an older woman came up to him and complained that it was the first Easter service she could ever remember where the song “Up From the Grave He Arose” wasn’t sung. (So we’re not the only ones who sing that song?) He also mentioned a guy coming to him recently after one of his messages and bragging about his sermon. But he said, “It reminds me of the kind of messages you used to preach years ago when we came to this church.” Some compliments hurt … because they are complaints with complimentary ribbons on top. Recently I preached my little heart out at the ACU lectureship. The next morning I ran into someone from our church who said, “I heard you last night. It was so wonderful to finally see you in a suit again.” That was it. Thanks so much. A few Sundays ago, when the second assembly was over, someone came to me and said, “That was great. It really seemed like you meant it today.” Uh, yeah. Thanks. I don’t usually mean it. Both of those anecdotes are so small and insignificant. But Bob was right about the long haul. I’d like to continue growing into the image of Christ so much that some day I can receive every criticism. I’d like to be so centered in my inner being, so reliant on God’s acceptance of me, that I could hear the truth in criticism and not be bothered by what’s not true. But in the meantime … I’ll keep reading Henri Nouwen. He struggled with the same thing! About the author: Mike is is intimately involved in New Wineskins magazine and Heartbeat, and his popular blog, Preacher Mike.
Belief?
Can we grow the gift of faith? Belief. I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief. These are words I say to God every day. Words taken from Scripture (Mark 9:24). I asked Jesus to be my Savior when I was in the 7th grade. After studying and making the choice, I asked my dad to baptize me in our swimming pool. That very day I was saved, but it took me 20 years to make Him my Lord and Savior. What’s the difference? By submitting myself under His Lordship, I have been given a gift – a gift to trust Him to guide me where He wants me to go. For much of my late teenage life and early adulthood, I trusted no one. I was trying to check out of my life mentally and emotionally by using drugs and alcohol. I was searching for love in places where there is only darkness. God saw me through that time and called me to Him. Gratefully, I felt I had no other options left … so I followed. Fast forward a couple of years, and I had been living a Christian life, working in a church, and doing all the “right” things. But, I was still not submitting all that I am to Him. How do I know that? Because I allowed worry, anxiety, and need for control to be my lord. I thought that was normal, because it was everywhere I turned. Many people (not all) were worried themselves, worried about money and the lack of it, worried about health, worried about their kids, worried about their jobs, and worried about … I fit right in. I was confronted with a real choice. Did I really believe that God was in the details of my life? Or, did I just believe that He was to be worshiped on Sunday and then real life happened after that? When I began in depth bible study a number of years ago, my eyes opened a little to this lack of faith I was struggling with. I longed, and still long, for the faith of a champion of God. Along the way, however, God led me to an exciting discovery. The Bible has a faith Hall of Fame (Hebrews 11). These are people who had the kind of faith to be recognized by God as special. Yet as I looked closer at them, I found that many struggled to gain that faith through difficult circumstances. In fact, their faith was grown through those circumstances and struggles. God uses broken people – people like you and me. In fact, that is when God’s strength can often best be seen. Last week in Bible study, I was touched by a quote: “God is drawn to weakness.” Thanks be to God for that, because I am weak. Yet God calls me to grow stronger in Him each day, to move from milk to meat, to move from a faith that is easily shaken to a faith that has been tested and can weather a storm that might have toppled it just last week. Faith through circumstances, struggles, and storms can lead me to growth! Our faith is refined by fire; the more fires we walk through the stronger our faith grows. Fire burns, but what it burns away is our pride, greed, and selfishness; and what it leaves is a humbled servant of God ready to say, “Here I am Lord, I will go where you lead.” To be content in our circumstances and trust God that we are part of His great plan are gifts that brings tears to my eyes. Thanks be to God. The gift of trust, this genuine faith I’m talking about, is one of the greatest earthly gifts we could ever receive. I don’t want to waste this gift any longer. I think it is one of the traits that shine the light of Jesus through Christians. So how does one get this faith? God grows faith, we just need to seek Him with all of our heart and He will increase it. So how do I seek Him? I seek Him through prayer, Bible study, and reciting Scripture … I take Scriptures that stand against whatever I am struggling with and I quote those Scriptures throughout the day. I keep them with me. I say them over and over. I keep putting the words of God into my head and into my heart. I believe this is a crucial exercise. Jesus tells the story about a man who cleans out his house of the one demon that is living there, but he leaves his house clean, yet empty. So the demon comes back and brings his evil friends who take up residence in the house. The end of the situation of the house is worse than it was at the first of it (Matthew 12:43-45). The point for me is simple. I can push out the fear, worry or anxiety, but if I am not re-wallpapering my mind with the promises and faithfulness of God, then the fear and worry come back fourfold – debilitatingly more powerful. So I seek God through prayer, Bible study, and repeating Scriptures. Does my life always look like I want it to? Hardly ever. But God is with me. I am never forsaken. Are there hardships? Absolutely! Yet these hardships are the times where “the rubber meets the road.” I can either shine for Jesus or wither like a lilly in a drought. So I call on God in the hardships. And, if I am willing to seek Him, He gives me peace and shows me the way He wants me to go. It’s then that I realize, through it all – the hardships, struggles, and even weaknesses – He has answered my prayer. God has grown my faith. And so I pray it again, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief.” Tammy is part of The Coffee Group, a varied group