Deception

Charles Cook was anxious and restless. He found it hard to concentrate. When he sat down, he could never relax, so he got up frequently to pace the floor, to get a drink of water, to check the time or to look out the window. Cordial and friendly, Charles was the type of person who made you feel that in him you really had someone who cared about you and your problems.

“Give me a call – anytime,” he would say cheerfully to everyone visiting his office. Or, ‘You’ve got to come over to the house and tell me more about it.”

Some persons took him up on his offers of hospitality. And there was the rub! His friendliness was an act. He didn’t really mean for business associates to call him – let alone drop in at his home. He was just making conversation. [Read more...]

Competing Spouses

When the Dolans, a Christian couple, came to see me, they had not spoken to each other for several weeks. The tension had become unbearable.

The issue was over folk dancing in gym class. Hal Dolan had said flatly that their son should not participate.

Melissa Dolan had agreed in front of her husband, but privately gave their son permission to participate. Hal found out about it through a conversation with a neighbor who had visited the gym class. [Read more...]

The Misery of Unforgiveness

A well-groomed man of nearly 60 sought me out after I had spoken at a banquet and said to me, “I’ve got a story you must hear.” I sat with him and heard an amazing testimonial to God’s grace. Here is his story: [Read more...]

Choices

My wife and I were driving along Interstate 95 through Florida on a beautiful, sunny afternoon. We were chatting pleasantly. The cruise control was set at 55 miles per hour and we were in the middle lane. A car on the left whizzed past us and suddenly swerved into our lane. I had to stomp quickly on the brakes to prevent a nasty accident. My wife didn’t see the car but she felt the effect of the brakes, which caused her body to lurch forward. I calmly told her what had happened. Together we watched that car weave in and out of different lanes until it was out of sight. [Read more...]

God’s Comfort

I remember getting together with Al and his wife at dinner one Saturday night. The next Saturday night, my wife and I were in a funeral home because Al’s wife was in a coffin. This was one of the first times that anybody truly close to us died.

Al came running to me, looking distraught and frustrated. He said with such pleading eyes, “Henry, tell me something I need to hear.”

I had the time that it takes to walk from the coffin to a couch to figure out what to tell him. I needed to pray! The question was, did God have something to say to him in this difficult time, using me as a channel? [Read more...]