Grace Alive

Treasure hunting isn’t for the faint-hearted. That’s what hundreds of people have found while searching for one of the most coveted treasures in the North American wilderness (“Fenn Treasure”). Forest Fenn is a retired US Air Force Pilot, amateur archaeologist, and wealthy art dealer. In 1988, he hid an ornate bronze treasure chest, filled with…

Getting stranded on icy slopes is a frightening prospect, but it’s even more terrifying when you’re stranded alone. That’s the unfortunate case that Lincoln Hall found himself in on May 25, 2006. He had suddenly contracted a case of altitude sickness while climbing the world highest peak, Everest. His teammates had worked frantically for hours…

Radio programs have been around for decades. We still have the pleasure of tuning into music, talk shows, sermons, and stories even today, but there was a time when radio was the most pervasive and popular media around. Radio broadcasts have played a major role in history, especially during World War II. But one of…

Hi Everyone! Deborah Moore, our Religious Liberty Coordinator at Saint Maries Adventist Church, has written up an interesting article on religious liberty in our culture today (Thank you Debbie!). She presents people’s opinions on this issue so we can focus better on guarding this basic human right. You’ll find her article below. Happy reading!  …

In November 2010, Ingrid Betancourt described her harrowing 6-year-long ordeal as a guerilla war captive in the jungles of Colombia. She had been captured during a trip with government aides to a remote town and now was wasting away in a jungle camp while being viciously abused by her captors. She talked about how she…

The ear-piercing siren seemed to make the very ground shake. Just hearing this shrill alarm would have been enough to make a person’s heart leap, but the monitoring team at the North American Aerospace Defense Command were doubly shaken because they knew what this sound meant. It was early November in 1979 and the large…

Eric Weinhenmayer was set on becoming the first person to climb Mt. Everest blind. He had an outstanding team around him, he had trained hard, they had a carefully detailed plan. But all this prep was useless if Eric couldn’t make it through the Khumbu Icefall. This was a perilous section of crevasses and glaciers…

A shard of clay pottery may seem like a trivial thing, but in this case the small fragment was a monumental discovery. That’s because this piece of pottery was discovered in Judean ruins near Jerusalem that dated back 3000 years ago. It was a Hebrew inscription that was written by a trained scribe who was…

Last week, we looked at how prayer can become much more powerful and rich when we mention specifics in our conversations with God. We found out how prayer naturally becomes more focused when facing crisis as we looked on as Saul was languishing for three days without food or drink. But the verses before this…

Last week, we looked at Paul’s sudden 180 degree turn in Acts 9:10-16, but I didn’t deal with one part that’s especially intriguing. Let’s take another look at Acts 9:10-12: “In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the…

I still remember holding my seat as a young boy as I watched the fighter jets blazing across the desert sky. Even though I wasn’t seeing the flights firsthand, as a boy who loved planes, seeing a film that followed the Air Force’s most rigorous training exercises, Operation Red Flag, was riveting. All of the…

I’ve always thought of multi-tools, those knives that enclose a collection of fold-out tools, as a modern invention. The first commercial wilderness survival tool came out in 1983, although the Swiss Army had used similar pocket knife survival tools starting all the way back in World War II. The tools became popular among outdoorsmen. But…

The blurry sleepiness that was clouding Colonel Hadfield’s vision suddenly cleared with a jolt as he realized what was happening. He had been sleeping soundly until he suddenly heard a deafening horn blaring in his ears. He felt a cold chill down his back as he realized that it was the fire alarm. He quickly…

Our world definitely has its trials, but perhaps the trial that hurts most is anxiety itself. Anxiety can take a heavy toll on our minds and bodies. As the Psalms show, anxiety can drain the joy from our lives and make us more vulnerable to disease and destructive habits too. Our world definitely has plenty…

The special forces troops that were tackling this mission weren’t planning on wasting time. They had already seen enough danger, adventure, and rigorous training to fill a lifetime, but now on top of that, they were on a mission that could mean victory or defeat for the Allies. World War II had already been raging…

Our world definitely has its woes, but sometimes our blessings also shine more clearly than usual. Sometimes it takes a new perspective to see how many blessings we really have. I was inspired by a professional photographer recently on Instagram who started a new project that highlighted the joys of family time. He offered free…

“I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:4) Jesus tells the disciples that he must continue working while he’s with them. The “night” mentioned here makes sense when you…

Now that we have so much more quiet time on our hands, this is a golden opportunity to reflect on how we get through each day. I’m not talking about revamping our schedule for greater efficiency or retooling our to do lists. I’m talking about digging a little deeper into experiencing the passage of time…

Sleep is a powerful mood-booster and health-enhancer. It also helps us concentrate on the things that really matter, in this case, staying healthy. A tired brain often sees everyday helps like nutritious eating, plenty of water, vigorous exercise, positive thinking, remembering promises, and reaching out to friends as insurmountable chores. A tired brain also urges…

Our world is changing. The powerhouse of human advancement in the last century has brought us plenty of modern conveniences and safeguards. Travel that takes hours instead of days, medical care that has increased the average human lifespan by decades, digital connections that have made reams of information accessible with a few keystrokes. But in…