I’m a water-skier.  

At the age of 6, I started skiing on two skis behind a pontoon boat. Then, in middle school, I began my love affair with the slalom ski. One ski, both feet, smooth sailing. 

Her voice was so loud that I almost dropped the phone. 

She was crying and extremely upset. 

Her marriage was in trouble, and she called me to talk about it. 

Over the course of the year, my friend Melanie Redd and I have been writing articles about doctrine, theology, and significant Bible topics. 

These articles have been carefully researched, prayed over, and shared with the hope that many people will want to dig in and learn more. 

The time and place was Germany after WWII.  The church was divided and the hurt ran deep.  In the year’s prior, Hitler had commanded all religious groups within the country to unite. It wasn’t a unity of the Spirit, however, that brought them together.  Rather, the unity was forced upon them so Hitler could better control the churches.

She gave them to us almost every Sunday in church. 

They were the coolest little pencil puzzle books. If you would turn your pencil to the side and brush it back and forth across the page, an image would “magically” appear.  

My brother and I would enjoy page after page of these magic puzzle books, anticipating what images might be revealed. 

I’ve sent up more than a few frantic, “help!” prayers in my lifetime.  There have been times when I just didn’t know what to say how to pray.  There have also been times when I’ve prayed those quick prayers and experienced what I can only describe as a supernatural power shortly afterwards.  My faith has been strengthened from these events and I want to give full credit to where that power came from: the Holy Spirit.