James Rush Manley – Writer

God works on our behalf full-time, not just when:

Life flows badly; we fear the worst; the worst arrives; life flows well; we seek the best; the best arrives; we plead; we act right; we think right; we dream right; we pray; we sacrifice; we give; we love others; we love him; we follow him faithfully; we backslide; we repent; we try hard; we try harder.

God doesn’t:

Get distracted; get overbooked; get confused; get tired; get tired of us; get too busy; get bored; forget us; forget to care; forget to act; forget the time; forget the context; forget the details; lose sight of us; lose us in the crowd; lose interest; have blind spots; have bad days; go on vacation; go somewhere else; go home; go away; go nuts; give up on us. read more ...

In the hangar, he pulled the torque wrench, steadily increasing pressure until it clicked. “250-inch pounds exactly,” he said to himself, confirming both instrument and manual. But deep satisfaction evaporated as he remembered the evangelist’s words, all too clear even in this newly acquired language. His stomach turned again, picturing going door-to-door with the congregation. “Lord,” he implored, looking up, “why did you bring me here?”

Across town, his wife asked her neighbor over tea, “But I don’t understand yet. What finally gave you the courage to turn away from tradition and follow Jesus?” read more ...

At least he wasn’t chained, not that it mattered much. Crashing water punctuated the wind’s constant howl. The deck he lay on slid, jumped, fell, and rose again—sometimes with regular purposeful beat, other times mad and crazy. Paul wasn’t sure how long since he’d eaten. Wonder if there’s anything dry anywhere? Dry? There was an interesting thought. What was dry? Was there anywhere dry, or was the entire universe just a malevolent, bucking gray sea twisted with angry gray sky? He thought he’d been on his way somewhere for some purpose, some really important purpose, but now … read more ...

Order exists in two flavors—natural and Divine.

Natural order runs down. Observation reveals creation’s beginning—a single, hot birthing point for matter, energy, space, and time nicknamed “The Big Bang.” Since then, the universe dissipates, expanding faster and faster. Eventually, everything—galaxies, stars, planets, people, and flowers—will dissolve, leaving only dark nothing, frozen at absolute zero (about –460°F.) We see it every day. Systems degrade from higher levels of order to lower. Coffee gets cold. Shoes wear out. Airplanes exhaust their fuel. Farms turn to weeds. read more ...

Suddenly, Isaiah stood in the temple, now immense, filled with terrible, glorious light that pierced like a thousand caressing swords. Terrifying desire drew his eyes to the brilliant throne above the Ark. The Lord sat, splendid, more real than life, surrounded by the hosts of heaven. Isaiah’s soul emptied in one agonized cry, “O God! How can I see You and live?”

Indeed. The wise fear Him with good reason. Standing before life’s Giver means also standing before life’s Judge. No one hides. Everything opens. All pretense, lies, and sin evaporate, leaving only the holy. Yet, Isaiah lived. How? read more ...