James Rush Manley – Writer

“There’s no manna!” Tira burst into the tent, breathless.

“What do you mean, there’s no manna?” she asked, annoyed, without looking up. This girl would tell her the sun was missing if she could get out of work.

“I looked everywhere. We all did. It’s just not there. What are we going to eat?”

Her daughter’s trembling question sank doubt’s claw into her own heart. What’s wrong? They walked across the river, and no one got wet. As soon as they were out of the channel, back came the water, high and furious. Then, all the men… What a bloody, messy affair. At least they’d quit moaning and were walking again. They ate the Passover the day before yesterday. Surely that would satisfy Him. What now? She sighed, turned towards Tira, shook her head slightly, and then looked down again at the roasted grain. Wonderful stuff. It was so good to taste something new, different. But was God mad? Weren’t they supposed to eat it? The Levites said it was okay … What was going on? read more ...

The pilot pushed the Saberliner throttles forward and relaxed only a little. The Army’s Commanding General stayed too long. Now he, the aerial chauffeur, had to turn this jet into a time machine. Okay, what can I do? he asked himself. Let’s see … skip the fuel stop; there’s enough. Forget the airways; fly direct. They could still make the meeting if everything went right. Later, still making it and only twenty-three miles from the capital city, he called approach control with his deepest, in-complete-charge voice. Earlier, the en-route controller had mentioned something about weather. But he didn’t need any holding delays. And, he realized, he didn’t have enough fuel for a missed approach or flight to an alternate field. This one had to count. read more ...

Right tools bring joy, but wrong tools fail. Dust china cabinets with feathers, not brooms. Pound nails with hammers, not screwdrivers. Wash dishes with sponges, not grinders. Eliminate flies with swatters, not shotguns. God’s kit includes every tool we need for life.

So, for example, we manipulate creation with strength, not wishing. Twist a lid, open a jar. Burn gasoline, fly a plane. Keep running, complete a race. Work hard, make money. Outmaneuver the competition, win a lover. If we change things by strength, can we change more things with more strength? Christ our Lord is strong, but so is our enemy, Satan. If the stronger devil beats us, does Christ beat him by even greater strength? Even God says, “Go in the strength of the Lord.” read more ...

Life seems simple when you fly. Takeoff, turn to 135 degrees, and climb to 5,500 feet. After thirty minutes Copataza slides under the left wing. Turn right, follow the river, and in another five minutes, pass over Mashient. Gently lower the nose until the vertical speed indicator settles on a 500-foot-per-minute descent, and clock nine minutes more. Voilá, Charapacocha appears magically out of the jungle with the plane at pattern altitude. A clear lesson emerges. Fly straight enough to hold heading, climb high enough to miss hard things, keep track of the time, and you will reach your destination. You can’t get lost. read more ...