“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7, NKJV).
God cares for us so very much. This care is not superficial like how we care about our favorite sports team or favorite food. He truly thinks positive thoughts toward us each and every day, and He wants the best for us.
God is a relationship-focused God who shows this throughout the Bible in countless ways. He pulls out all the stops to establish and deepen relationships with whomever—be they Jew or Gentile.
Story by Andrew S. Lay
During Alumni Weekend 2021, Highland View Academy (HVA) renamed their gymnasium in honor of Harvey J. Byram, principal from 1980–1987, who worked
tirelessly to build up the HVA campus and begin the varsity athletic programs at the school.
Byram raised money to build the library and science wing of the classroom building, the E & I Barr building that houses the cafeteria and music departments, and the DeHaan Hall and Hartle Hall dormitories.
On July 16, a father and son sea kayaking team will embark on a self-styled expedition they’ve named the #bay200challenge, a 12-day kayaking project that will take them on a 200-mile (320 km) north-to-south traverse of the Chesapeake Bay, the largest bay in the United States. The challenge will help raise awareness and support for one of the most pressing COVID-19-related issues affecting people today—hunger.
Maryland resident Hearly Mayr and his 13-year-old son, Andreas Mayr, decided to create the challenge to spend time together outdoors this summer after more than a year of being mostly home due to travel and social distancing restrictions.
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28, NKJV).
This verse has taken on many meanings throughout the course of my life. I remember first hearing it while listening to the radio program Your Story Hour. Throughout the story, the main character kept saying that “all things work together for good.” To my young self, this meant that, no matter what, everything would be OK, and nothing too terrible would happen to me because God wouldn’t let it. Of course, now I think a little differently.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4, NKJV).
One fateful Friday in 2015, my wife, Hellen, and I were celebrating our fifth anniversary in Cancun, Mexico. We spent the morning on the beach. Shortly after lunch, my head started aching severely. Back at the hotel, I felt sick and began to vomit. I thought perhaps it was due to food poisoning.
When I woke up several hours later, I had no strength to move. My wife helped me to the bathroom, where I began to vomit again. Then I experienced something that changed my life forever: “Sweetheart, I am seeing double,” I told my wife.