Guidelines For Living Devotional

Understanding The Struggle With Good And Evil

The press called it, "Sunday a Hero, Monday a Bum!"  It is the strange story of a man who risked his life one day to save an eleven-year-old boy from certain death, his clothing aflame, while at least fifty people stood by and did nothing.  The next day the same man was charged with burglary.

10 Helpful Tips for Successful Parenting

While there are many ways to fail as a parent, there are also some sure-fire, 100% ways guaranteed to help you succeed.  No, I haven't copyrighted them, but I have certainly tested them.  They work, provided you will put them into practice.
I call them Guidelines for Successful Parenting.

What Is The Meaning Of Life?

Any college student who has read Albert Camus for a philosophy class understands that Camus was an existentialist, and his brand of existentialism left no room for God.  Flat outright, he was an atheist.

Turn Your Eyes To The Lord

What do you do when you forget that God never sleeps? You stay awake nights, restlessly tossing and turning.  You think a lot, but it's usually negative, unproductive thinking.  You look into the future, but the darkness obscures everything.  The smallest shadow appears to be the reflection of a giant monster.  You see the very worst case scenario.  And you worry, and you worry, and you worry some more.

Learn To Live Above Your Circumstances

“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful.  Honour and recognition in event of success.”  So read the advertisement that the famed explorer, Sir Earnest Shackleton, was said to have posted when seeking a crew for the ill-fated South Pole bound voyage of his ship, the Endurance.  Historians have argued as to whether or not Shackleton really placed the advertisement but what is sure was that bitter, cold, long hours of complete darkness were indeed, the constant companions of the 27 men who ultimately escaped the shipwreck.  Shackleton became a hero for saving the lives of his men by keeping up their spirits through days made up of 17 hours of utter, frigid darkness.

Can I Rely On God For Strength?

 "God if you will just get me out of this mess, I'll…"   Have you ever said those words?  Or possibly it was, "God, let's make a deal…."  It may have been when you were in the military, the shells were exploding, and you wondered whether a bullet had your name on it.  It may have been when your car was skidding down the icy slope, out of control; or when a typhoon came screaming across the South China sea and was headed directly for your island.  It may have been when rebels were about to invade your village, murdering the elderly and children, raping and abusing the women.

Stop And Listen For God’s Voice In Your Pain

When you are in a pit, and it is so dark that the only time rays of sunlight filter into your prison is at high noon, you don't play games with God.  You don't tell him what a nice person you are, or how much you have done for His cause.  You go one-on-one with God, pleading your case, asking Him to intervene for you.

Walking Through The Darkness

Have you ever worked the night shift?  Getting used to the schedule isn't much fun.  It means eating supper and going to bed when everybody else is eating breakfast and getting ready for the day.  Days and nights are reversed.  It means sleeping when others are awake, working when others are playing, watching the moon instead of the sun, working in the dark instead of the day.  It's different.  Not everybody can take it.  Too lonely, too dark, too much of a difficult thing. 

5 Guidelines To Handling Change

"Dear Dr. Sala," writes a friend, "Would you have any suggestions to help people who have reached their eighties and feel they have nothing to live for?  I admit feeling very useless at times.  I am 82, in a wheel chair, and have little energy."

Let Us Draw Near To God

He rowed alone across the Pacific Ocean 8,990 miles but fell short of his goal 33 miles away.  Peter Bird attempted to become the first man to single- handedly row from San Francisco in the United States across the Pacific.  He almost succeeded, but approaching the east coast of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Bird encountered stormy weather and choppy seas.  He was looking for a passage through the coral.  Actually, he was within one nautical mile of the reef when he had to radio for help fearing that he could not make it.