by Bob Hostetler At 6:55 on a cold March evening, twelve-year-old Valerie Webb, who lost her father in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York’s World Trade Center towers, threw a switch that sent twin towers of light into the sky. The bright beacons, a tribute to the nearly 3,000 lives lost at […]

The post A Fitting Memorial appeared first on Bible Advocate.

by Bob Hostetler Maybe you’ve said it. I know I have: “If I had my way . . . ” Sometimes it’s prompted by dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs. At other times, it has more to do with a disappointment I’ve faced or a fear I have. And most of the time (maybe […]

The post “Thy Will Be Done” appeared first on Bible Advocate.

How to heal from damaging relationships. by Bob Hostetler Families are a gift from God. They can provide us with life and love, hope and happiness, strength and security, blessing and beauty. But families can also be the source of our greatest concerns and deepest hurts. Even the healthiest families can wound us in multiple […]

The post When Families Hurt appeared first on Bible Advocate.

by Bob Hostetler Matthew Emmons aimed his rifle at the target one last time. He was one shot away from his second Olympic gold medal in Athens. He squeezed the trigger. It was a perfect shot. Unfortunately, he had aimed at the wrong target, an embarrassing and disqualifying mistake that dropped him from first to […]

The post Living a Truly Successful Life appeared first on Bible Advocate.

The new Little League baseball player had just struck out. He ran to his father in tears. “He won’t let me hit it, Daddy!” The father, although moved by his son’s tears, didn’t complain to the umpire or scream at the opposing pitcher. He gripped his son’s shoulders and faced him squarely. “He’s not supposed […]

The post Surviving Spiritual Conflict appeared first on Bible Advocate.

Before Iron Man, there was Spider Man. And before Spiderman, there was the Fantastic Four. And before the Fantastic Four, there were Captain America and Wonder Woman. And before them was the Flash . . . and Batman. And before them all was Superman. Those are just a few of the superheroes that have become […]

The post What Makes a Hero appeared first on Bible Advocate.

Maybe your life has been just one steady climb, rung by rung, up the ladder of success. Maybe the soundtrack of your life is filled with only happy songs. But maybe that doesn’t adequately describe your journey. Maybe, you’ve experienced your share of ups and downs. You’ve been blessed and you’re grateful. But, frankly, sometimes […]

The post When Life Stinks appeared first on Bible Advocate.

I picked up the hotel room movie guide and was struck by the tag line for a program titled Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: “We will be known forever by the tracks we leave behind.” We don’t often think in such terms. We live our lives from day to day with little or no […]

The post A LEGACY of  Leadership appeared first on Bible Advocate.

My daughter, Aubrey, was ten or eleven years old the time she and I went together to the grocery store. I wore an old Cincinnati Reds t-shirt and a pair of red cotton shorts, white socks, and white tennis shoes. As we got out of the car and started walking side by side, I made […]

The post A Whole New You appeared first on Bible Advocate.

It was early on the morning of the Sabbath. Bearded, robed men passed between rows of pillars as they took their seats in the dusky room, lit by a clutter of low-hanging oil lamps. In the center of the room, an angled desk topped a low platform. Backless benches lined all sides, and a balcony […]

The post Mission: Jubilee! appeared first on Bible Advocate.

At sixteen years old, I found the love of my life at a Salvation Army camp. Three years later, we were married. There aren’t enough words in the English language, not enough words in all the languages on earth, to express how wonderful it is to find the love of your life. I consider it […]

The post How to Find the Love of Your Life appeared first on Bible Advocate.

Wouldn’t it be nice to hear from God? For students who are struggling to choose a school, a major, a career; for sweethearts contemplating marriage; for a parent who’s worried sick for a child; for an entrepreneur considering a new risk; for nearly anyone who is hurting, floundering, or fearing, it would be so nice […]

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