Many of us act as if repentance is a matter of the will. [But] we can't "will" ourselves into change. We can't "will" ourselves into feeling contrition or remorse. Repentance isn't doing something about our sin; rather it means admitting that we can't do anything about our sin. We cannot woo ourselves into anything but the most external form of repentance.

All our effort, striving, and willpower have ...

These are the unanswered questions of Martina Phillips, a mother with a wayward son whom she hasn't seen for four years:

How
How does a parent, who has prayed daily, deal with the rebellion of a child?

How does a loving parent accept the rejection of her offspring?

How does a parent keep from giving up hope?

How does a parent resist envy and bitterness when other people's children progress?

Why Why does ...

Most of us spend the first six days of each week sowing wild oats, then we go to church on Sunday and pray for a crop failure.

—Fred Allen, U.S. comedian (1894–1956)

On January 1, 2007, Texas Tech basketball coach Bob Knight won his 880th game—the most by any coach in men's Division I college basketball history. In a press conference after the game, he said: "I did it my way—and when I look back on it, I don't think my way was all that bad."

When I was about ten years old, my dad, a medical doctor, received a special gift from one of his patients: a beautiful globe with shiny sequins. The globe spun around on its base and played one of my dad's favorite songs. My dad proudly demonstrated how it worked: grab it by the base, slowly wind it counter-clockwise, and then release it, letting it spin clockwise while playing beautiful music. He ...

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is the youngest signal-caller ever to win a Super Bowl. He is a rising superstar in the NFL and has been the recipient of a number of endorsement opportunities. However, as of June 2006, he also has a new perspective on freedom.

In July of 2005, ESPN reporter Andrea Kremer asked Roethlisberger to explain his decision to ride his motorcycle without ...

While most office workers will admit to making mistakes on their computer in the routine hustle and bustle of a workweek, it's doubtful many make a $38 billion mistake. One computer technician in Alaska knows how it feels to hit the wrong key on a computer and create a costly debacle.

A worker at the Alaska Department of Revenue deleted all the crucial information for an oil-funded sales account ...

The movie Comeback Season is about Walter Pearce (Ray Liotta), a married man who has a one-time adulterous encounter with his assistant at work. When he confesses his indiscretion to his wife, she kicks him out of the house. Walter then enlists the help of Skylar Eckerman (Shaun Sipos), the local high school football star, to win her back. In this scene, Skylar asks Walter to explain the slippery ...

When adults were asked by researchers what they would do if diagnosed with an incurable disease, the percentage who said:

• They would pursue treatment at any cost: 52
  
  
• They would do nothing: 12
  
  
• They would spend all their savings in pursuit of pleasure: 6
  
  
• They would try something they ordinarily wouldn't: 5
  
  
• They would quit their job: 1
  
  
• They would do none of the above: 22

In May of 1990, the cargo ship Hansa Carrier was hit by a severe storm during its voyage from South Korea to the United States. In the middle of the tempest, a large wave swept 21 shipping crates into the sea, five of which contained Nike shoes.

About six months later, a dedicated beach scavenger named Steve McLeod spotted a clump of Nikes while walking along the Oregon coast. Then another. Then several ...