Dante’s neighborhood in Manila was prone to flooding. On rainy days, the little boy reached school by crossing a makeshift wooden bridge put up by a neighbor. “Mr. Tomas helped the community get around,” Dante said. “He’d guide me on the bridge, shielding me from the rain.” Years later, Dante joined a church north of…
Adolfo Kaminsky knew how to remove indelible ink from paper. As a member of the anti-Nazi resistance in France, he altered identification cards to save hundreds from concentration camps. Once he was given three days to forge nine hundred birth and baptismal certificates and ration cards for three hundred Jewish children. He labored two straight…
Richard Griffin was Queen Elizabeth II’s personal police officer for fourteen years. Accompanying her on a picnic in the hills near Balmoral Castle one day, they met two American hikers. “Have you ever met the Queen?” they asked, not recognizing the monarch in plain dress. “I haven’t,” the Queen quipped, “but Richard here meets her…
When I accompanied my friend to the salon on her birthday, we were delighted by the pampering we received. Soothing music and a personal attendant welcomed us to the tranquil, dimly lit spa. The whole experience was calm, quiet, and restful. I had to suppress a giggle, however, at a sign displayed on a table…
On September 22, 1959, a devotional article appeared in Our Daily Bread written by Dr. M. R. DeHaan. He wrote about how he yearned for a box of Cracker Jack candied popcorn. His intention was to relate it to the yearning for the Scriptures. But to his surprise, a few weeks later, boxes upon boxes…
When a patch of irritated skin formed near my left eye, I used makeup to cover it. Temporarily, this kept my problem a secret. After a while though, the swollen red spot didn’t clear up, and I knew it needed medical attention. On the morning of the doctor’s appointment, I was tempted to apply makeup…
Years ago, a lumpy package arrived in my mailbox. I noticed my best friend’s return address on it and smiled. Joe sometimes sends me unexpected things. This package qualified: Inside was a dark brown shark’s tooth—five inches long. Joe’s letter explained: It was a fossilized tooth from a prehistoric shark, a megalodon many times bigger…
Her husband’s death began a period of transition for Nora. She took over his hardware business and cared for their three children on her own. “Be strong,” friends often told her. But what does that mean? she’d think. That I must deliver without fail in my responsibilities? God gave great responsibilities to Othniel in a…
Doctor Dolittle, the fictional doctor who converses with animals, has delighted fans through books, movies, and plays. However, few people know that author Hugh Lofting first wrote the Dolittle tales to his children from the ghastly trenches of World War I. He later said that the war was too awful to recount in his letters—so…
Early in the basketball season, the coach at our neighborhood middle school seemed to work hardest convincing his players to risk shooting the ball. “Shoot!” he pleaded from the sidelines. His players eagerly passed the ball. Dribbling was a favorite too. The season was half over before most of them would shed their doubts and…