RECENT ARTICLES FROM THE NUGGET
It was the big day. My parents, my brother 16 and I at 17 sat in the courtroom. We dressed for the occasion and our hearts wore unprecedented excitement. My family worked hard to meet the requirements and lead us to this event that would change our lives. The red,...
Last Thursday, in "The Pearl, Part 2", we saw that Jesus used the pearl, a gem that was unvalued and considered "unclean" by the people of His day, to teach us that the "pearls" we will grow out of our trials should be sought after at all cost, even to ourselves. He...
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4 ESV) An...
"We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor." (Romans 15:1-2 NRSV) Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) buried his wife and two children in...
It was a full day. On this, our third day on the island of Grenada, we decided to take a tour of the entire island with a local tour company. We had a friendly guide who picked us up at the door, took us to several of the local attractions and provided us with history...
Sometimes depression is the monster that can destroy our peace. But when we know where to find peace, freedom finds us. I received this announcement in the mail. It read: "The Foundation Fighting Blindness is sponsoring a dinner dance in the dark." A clever thing. Not...
I don't know about you, but I can't help but think how nice it would be, in the midst of our difficulties, to have people praying for us...I mean, "God, can't you just send someone to pray???" I would propose, however, that perhaps God has already done this, but we...
I was making a cake. I had bought all the ingredients and put them together in a time-proven way, and I knew the cake would turn out well. And of course it did, it cooked perfectly so when a visitor arrived I could honestly offer her a piece of 'my' cake. Another time...
Have you ever been at a point where you felt that you couldn't go on unless God stepped directly into your life and made His presence known in no uncertain terms? Maybe you're there now. The disciple Thomas was there when he declared: "Unless I see the nail marks in...
"Your freedom ends where your brother's begins..." I don't know how many times I heard my mother say it. I never fully comprehended what it meant, however, until much later in life; and even then, its fully meaning wasn't perhaps permanently drilled into my mind until...
Most of David's life sets a prime example of faith for each of us. Even in the midst of his darkest mistakes, his faith never wavers. Take, for example, the day the Amalekites destroyed David's home town of Ziklag and carried off everything, including his wives and...
This beautiful truck won first prize at a local classic car show. Not just because of the impressive exterior, or the great paint job or even those snazzy wheels. It won because of the engine, its components, the way it was built, the clean look and its performance....
Anyone from a French culture knows exactly what is meant by the word, "Carnaval", or "Carnival", as we write it in English. Depending upon where Carnival is being celebrated, this could mean anywhere from three days to seven weeks of celebration, celebrations always...