toddcast

When my daughter and son-in-law traveled abroad recently, they encountered the familiar chorus of street vendors at every tourist destination. Desperate to move their merchandise, these sellers would shout to passersby, "Almost free! Almost free!" The phrase "almost free" is clever marketing, but it reveals an important truth: "almost free” still costs something. Almost free means you'll need to reach for your wallet. Almost free confirms what we've always known—nothing in life comes without a price. My father's wisdom echoes in my mind: "There are no free lunches." From childhood, we learn that everything worthwhile must be earned through effort and payment. This universal understanding makes the Gospel message so revolutionary. When God extends His offer of salvation, He doesn't shout "Almost free!" from the heavens. Instead, He whispers something that defies everything we think we know about how the world works: "Abso...

Several years ago, my family and I were at a family reunion at a lakeside resort in central Texas. Included in the resort were all kinds of activities. One was canoeing. The six of us (my wife, four kids, and me) decided to give it a try – three in one canoe, three in another with my wife and I serving as “captains” of our respective boats. We were a little nervous. The kids were young and neither of us were canoeing experts, but the attendant assured us that this type of canoe was nearly impossible to tip over. Well, you can guess what happened. The canoe my wife was in tipped over. The water was only waist deep and I sensed no imminent danger, so I yelled out to my drenched wife and kids, “Swim for the shore.” Maybe I should have jumped in (there was no maybe about it in my wife’s mind). But I thought there was no sense me getting all wet as well. Needless to say, it was not one of my proudest moments. While I was shouting helpful advice I spotted out of the corner of my eye that the...