Author: Jon Gauger

A digital photo frame—for only $4? It seemed like the garage sale deal of the century. And the frame came with a story. On top of the box was a Christmas card affixed with a Santa gift tag. The card was addressed to Linda, who (according to the card) had recently lost her mother. The hope was that Linda would fill that frame with photos of her mom—to fill up her soul with good memories. It never happened. The photo frame was not just in the original box. It was still covered in shrink wrap. But seven years after it…

When was the last time you got hammered by Scripture? In Philippians 2:20, Paul says this about his spiritual protege, Timothy: “I have no one like him.” What made Timothy so unique? Was he a great preacher, a great scholar, or maybe a great evangelist? Paul’s answer: “For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.” Timothy’s focus was outward, others oriented. And that’s what made him so valuable. Turns out, in every age, the genuinely concerned have always been in short supply. Comedian Milton Berle once quipped, “An egoist is someone who is…

Purity. It’s big in today’s America. Pure Fitness is opening a ton of new workout centers across the country. And when showering after your workout, you can rely on Dove soap. It’s “99 and 44/100% pure,” we’re told. Thirsty? Grab a bottle of Pure Leaf Tea or Mr. Pure orange juice. And every well-equipped home should consider installing a Pur brand water filter system (not sure why they dropped the “e”). Today, we insist on pure diets, foods, and workouts. We might purchase Pure brand olive oil or Pure Food protein powders and supplements. And let’s not forget about Pure…

Nope. It’s not just your imagination. People are saying please and thank you less and less. UCLA researchers suggest the word please is going the way of the corded phone and VHS tapes—quaint if you have shelf space. In their now-published study of one thousand “request attempts,” adults used “please” just 7% of the time. Among children, it was used in 10% of requests. According to a 2023 report, just 52% of US adults consider politeness an essential quality for kids. Here’s the kicker. “When ‘please’ is used, it’s typically to stave off resistance from the requestee. Turning down a…

The morning was cold, the ground was hard, and Emma’s nose was runny. She and her sister Ava had spent the night at our camper. Though they’d set up chair cushions for mattresses, they’d slid off onto the trailer’s hard floor by morning. That’s when five-year-old Emma began to sneeze. “Bless you,” came big sister Ava’s reply. Emma sneezed again. “Bless you!” I replied. Less than a minute later, a third and a fourth sneeze followed. But a fifth sneeze awakened Emma’s curiosity: “Wait! How many ‘bless you’s did I get?” “Five,” I answered, unable to stifle a chuckle. Then, I…

What does Hamas feel about their war with Israel? In America, we get a heavily filtered look at the facts. However, the actual sources reveal at least three chilling alarms many Christians overlook.   Alarm #1: Hamas intends to repeat the October 7 Attack. During an October 24, 2023 interview on Lebanese television, Hamas member Ghazi Hamad declared: “Israel is a country that has no place on our land […] because it constitutes a security, military, and political catastrophe to the Arab and Islamic nation.” But there's more! Hamad vowed to repeat attacks like October 7 "time and again until…

As I walked through a Jacksonville airport store, I was confused. On the table was a stack of red and white lifeguard shirts. But since when can just anybody buy and wear a lifeguard shirt? Don’t you have to first be trained? Certified? Looking closer, I realized the shirts were merely souvenirs for a popular swim spot known as Jax Beach (shown in much smaller print). No doubt the shirts sell well because our age is consumed with “looking the part.” Going into a sporting goods store these days, you'll find very little sports equipment. It's primarily athletic wear, or…

I saw something unusual the other day at the King's Camp as I played with Ava (7) and Emma (5). The front wall of “Shelter B," where outdoor church services are held, features a wooden cross. Nothing unusual about that, right? But firmly attached to one side of that cross, we discovered a bird's nest. Round and reedy, the thing perched perfectly on the crossbeam. Naturally, Ava and Emma urged me to find out if there were any eggs (or babies) inside that nest. But a respectful search revealed nobody was home at the time. At first, the presence of…

Imagine a fragrance with the hypnotic power of ocean waves or the delicate dance of a candle flame. That's the perfume Diana spritzes every morning. The scent floats through our home and totally distracts me from whatever I'm doing. I immediately track Diana down for a kiss! It's one thing to be distracted by your spouse, but it's another to be distracted by Jesus. How often does that happen to you? What I mean is, as you’re reading the Word—or praying to the Living Word—does He turn your head? Does Jesus occupy your thoughts? Are you fascinated with Him? In…

To inhale the intoxicating fragrance of lush green grass —suburbia at its finest. That’s all we wanted. But should growing new grass be all that difficult? I couldn't wait to see the results as I sprinkled the "guaranteed-to-grow" seed on that long patch of soil. But there were none. Not in three days. Not in a week. Not in ten days. Not a single sprout of green. I was frustrated. I'm no green thumb, but I'd never experienced this colossal failure when planting grass. With a last gasp of hope, I grabbed the hose and watered it one more time….