We hurried to a fast-food restaurant to have lunch together on my friend Jerrie’s short work break. Arriving at the door about the same time, six young men got inside just in front of us.

The first grader called the number for emergency dispatch. The 9-1-1 operator answered. “I need help,” said the boy. “I have to do take-aways.”

“I can’t believe what I’m seeing!” My wife, Cari, called me to the window and pointed out an adult doe in the woods just outside our fence, bounding from one end of our yard to the other.

A few years after I received salvation and dedicated my life to God, I felt Him directing me to lay down my journalism career.

Talk about a layover. Phil Stringer waited eighteen hours to board a flight that was delayed due to thunderstorms. His patience and perseverance paid off, however.

When I was a young believer, I thought “mountaintop” experiences were where I would meet Jesus. But those highs rarely lasted or led to growth.

Applause rang out as a school’s top students received certificates of excellence for academic achievement. But the program wasn’t over.