Daily Challenges Archive

I remember, as a teenager, my buddies would often refer to “that lucky guy.” It referred to someone they saw in a relationship with a beautiful and famous actress or musician. I probably agreed with that shallow perception at the time. Many years ...

In today’s dollars, $258.5 billion ($14 billion in 1929 dollars) was lost in a single day in 1929. That day became known as Black Tuesday, the day of the market crash. Many people, including some relatives, lost everything they had. They went to b...

My grandparents had integrity and strong morals. They were religious in the way many Depression-era families were. They believed in the God of creation and His sin-atoning death on the cross. They also celebrated the resurrection without letting i...

In over a decade of doing these devotions on the Proverbs, I have, like with all the chapters, read this one at least 12 times a year, which adds up to over 120 times. Not once have I read this verse without it hitting me in a powerful way. Reflec...

This is a common and obviously important theme for Solomon. He saw literally no value in fighting. I’m not talking about war with the enemies of the Israelites, which was a pretty common activity for that beleaguered nation. In the approximately 3...

I recently read an article about why men typically don’t read. I’m a reader, but not when it comes to instructions. Typically, I try to put things together or operate something without bothering with the instructions. I have never opened the owner...

Mean people are often foolish. They may be intelligent, but they do dumb things. The result is that they create unnecessary and destructive conflicts. This can affect everything, from interpersonal relationships to entire nations. This verse goes ...

With the holiday season just about to get underway, families and friends will be gathering to celebrate and enjoy one another’s company—hopefully. I just saw a story about a young woman who has decided that her goal at her family’s gathering is to...

I told my grandkids that for the fall festival party, I was going to dress up as a “grumpy old man.” The 7-year-old cackled with glee and said, “Grandaddy, you’re already dressed in that outfit!” We had fun with that conversation. In real life, fo...

This is a longer quote than I usually like to include in these short devotional thoughts, but I find it important enough to break my usual practice. Dorothy Day appears on many lists of famous peacemakers. She once famously said, “What we would li...

Our view of God is that of the eternal creator and ruler of the universe, or something less. Whichever we hold determines how we live every moment of our journey on this planet—or at least it should. When we reverently respect God for who He is, i...

Lots of kids are reminded many times as they grow up of various life rules. How many times in life are we reminded to eat our fruits and vegetables? Maybe you still hear “brush your teeth.” Another one is to treat others the way you want to be tre...