These days, I am toting two smartphones, one is my personal phone, the other is the church phone. Friends raise their eyebrows whenever I lay my two phones on a table at restaurants. They give me a subtle, amused look that says, “Somebody sure thinks he’s important.” Thankfully, I am not all that important, so having two phones has not resulted in twice as many phone calls.

Well… it finally happened to me. It was always something that happened to other people – even good people. I would watch it happen and think “What’s next for them? What are they going to do?”

Jonah lived in the country of Israel more than 700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. Israel’s greatest enemy at that time was the country of Assyria.

There is a meme going around that says: My wife just stopped and said, “You weren’t even listening, were you?” I thought… “That’s a pretty weird way to start a conversation!”

Have you realized there is a difference between hearing and listening? Yes. There definitely is.

During the Spanish-American War, some transport ships with supplies for General Shafter’s army found it impossible to drop anchor off the coast of Cuba and were compelled to steam slowly back and forth along the coast.

This week I am providing you with 4 daily devotions for your reflection and prayer. Some may fit with circumstances in your life, some may not.

Have you ever interacted with someone who challenges you – and not in a good way? I refer to the type of person who “has to be myself” and says whatever is on their mind whether it is good, irritating, or hurtful. They step on toes, and the feelings of others don’t matter.

Angela Goodman of Vancouver, British Columbia, wrote: It was Christmas, 1968. I had just emigrated from England to Canada, and I didn’t know a soul.

As Christmas Day approached, I felt homesick and lonely in a strange city. Being of the Jewish faith, my family never really celebrated Christmas, but mother always cooked the traditional kosher turkey. No tree or presents. We only listened to the Queen’s message.

Often, when faced with reports that stretch the imagination, we want proof. Even when those who report what seems to be impossible are reliable witnesses, we still struggle to believe them.

That’s what happened to Thomas when his friends told him that Jesus had visited them the evening of his resurrection (John 20:19-29).