When I’m researching a historical novel I go through all sorts of information in a book, at a library, or on a website. Sometimes hours can go by as I wade through words looking for something relevant and, hopefully, fascinating and unusual, a scrap of info I can use to liven up my story. Of course if you knew exactly what you were looking for it might not take so much work, but the digging is part of the fun. And the digging always pays off.

Everyone Needs Encouragement. You and I need encouragement from others, and others need it from us. Well, the same is true of your children! Even though the difficulties they face may be of a smaller scale, still, to them, their problems may seem overwhelming. When they are struggling, a hug or word of encouragement can go a long way toward giving them much-needed confidence and hope.

Eternity is a big concept. We read in the pages of Scripture that God has “put eternity into man’s heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). As one Christian leader put it, “Within each of us is an inner sense or feeling that death is not the end, but that there must be something beyond the grave. Even if we deny it or ignore it, this inner yearning is still there—and it is universal. Where did it come from? The Bible says God placed it within us.” (Blanchard, 1993)

Though we live in a world of time, we have intimations of eternity in our hearts. We instinctively think of “forever.” We seem to intrinsically realize that beyond this life lies the possibility of a shoreless ocean of time. It is wondrous to even think about it. 

A lot. Especially when we talk about knowing God through His names. Getting to know God by His names is more than simply learning a new word or discovering a new title He goes by. Learning to know God by His names opens up the door to knowing His character more fully and experiencing His power more deeply.

In Scripture, God reveals Himself to us through His names. So to fully grasp the significance and power of God’s names, we first need to understand the importance of names in ancient cultures.

There’s a unicycle hanging in our garage.  I know that because I bump my head on it two or three times every summer.  It’s never been ridden. And that’s okay.

We bought it for Randy’s ninth birthday for about 75 bucks. He gave it a try, spending a total of maybe six or eight hours goofing with it.  His brothers and sister also experimented with the one-wheeled contraption.  Isaac probably stayed up the longest – eight or ten seconds.  None of them ever really got the hang of it and the unicycle now hangs in my garage as a memorial to one of the great secrets of how to be a good dad.    

Pressure. We never seem to have enough time—pressure! We want to do well as a spouse and a parent—pressure! We are called to be good stewards of finances and effective managers of a home—pressure! Jobs, friendships, responsibilities to aging parents, health problems, and even service at church—all of these bring on pressure and too easily squeeze out the peace of God.

We can thank the Lord that as we live in the whirlwind of life and the flurry of daily demands, His peace is available to us. We don’t have to live in a frazzled fashion—breathless, anxious, worried, fretful, and rushed. But how?

When someone points a camera your way, what do you automatically do?  Hopefully you smile!  But what about smiling throughout the day even when there’s no camera? 

One of my favorite books is Dale Carnegie’s classic How to Win Friends and Influence People.  As a part of his human relations courses, he asked business people to smile at someone every hour of the day for a week and then come to class to talk about the results.  A New York stockbroker wrote Mr. Carnegie a letter about how he had been married 18 years yet seldom smiled at his wife or spoke to her before leaving for work.  He was one of the worst grouches to walk down Broadway.

He decided to do an experiment with smiling for one week. 

The story of Noah is one of the most epic tales in human history. An account involving faith and depravity, deliverance and destruction. Scripture paints a portrait of an ancient world, dark and destined for wrath.

“Welcome Home.” It’s a comforting sentiment, isn’t it? Spoken or written, you immediately feel as though you’ve stepped into the familiar. Found a place of rest. Discovered unequalled comfort.  It is no accident that this is the thematic foundation of Harvest House Publishers' new blog. We at Harvest House are pleased to officially welcome you home.