Welcome To THE ILLUSTRATOR Birthdays August 22, 2025 ...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Thess. 5:18 NIV ~ My birthday was a few days ago. It is funny. When I was a child, I longed for my birthdays to come. I would receive gifts, for one thing; but more importantly, I would be "catching up" to my older ...Continue Reading

Welcome To THE NUGGET The Grapes By: Lynne Phipps --------------------------------- August 21, 2025 "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." (2 Corinthians 4: 7 NIV) The last of the green grapes had been in the refrigerator for at least two weeks. I decided it was time to eat them up or throw them out, someth ...Continue Reading

Welcome To THE ILLUSTRATOR Wrong Place at the Wrong Time August 20, 2025 Peter denied it. 'I don’t know what you’re talking about,' he said, and he went out into the entryway. Just then, a rooster crowed. ~ Mark 14:68 NLT ~ "Peter denied it. 'I don’t know what you’re talking about,' he said, and he went out into the entryway. Just then, a rooster crowed." (Mark 14:68 NLT) ...Continue Reading

Welcome To THE NUGGET The Overthinker By: Paul Smyth --------------------------------- August 19, 2025 No ifs, ands, or buts—I’m an overthinker. For fun, I looked up the definition of an overthinker. The Merriam Webster dictionary app on my phone says this. “To think too much about (something)—to put too much time into thinking about or analyzing (something) in a way that is more harmful ...Continue Reading

Welcome To THE NUGGET Right in Their Own Eyes: The Time Before the Kings, Conclusion By: Lyn Chaffart --------------------------------- August 16, 2025 Last week, in The Time Before the Kings, Part 18, we learned from a horrific story of near genocide in Israel's history that we need to avoid the poisons of impulsivity at all costs by consulting with God before we act rashly! This story c ...Continue Reading

Welcome To THE NUGGET The Day After By: Kari Vo --------------------------------- August 14, 2025 "Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done .... Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, 'So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not [kill you] by this time tomorrow.; Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life .... But [Elijah] went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat dow ...Continue Reading

Welcome To THE ILLUSTRATOR The Price Tag August 13, 2025 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ~ John 3:16 NIV ~ "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NIV) Sophie ...Continue Reading

Welcome To THE NUGGET With Laughter and Smiles By: Joseph Mazzella --------------------------------- August 12, 2025 "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength." (Proverbs 17:22 NLT) When I was a young boy every Summer Mom, Dad, my brothers and I would climb into our beat-up old car and drive 7 hours over curvy, mountain roads to visit my Mo ...Continue Reading

Welcome To THE NUGGET The Poisons of Impulsivity: The Time Before the Kings, Part 18 By: Lyn Chaffart --------------------------------- August 9, 2025 Last week, in The Time Before the Kings, Part 17, we learned from a strange story about Micah and his idol that we must take every step possible to keep our lives pure, for in so doing, we will never have to worry about being responsible for causing others to sin! ...Continue Reading

Welcome ToTHE NUGGETThe Pink SocksBy: Alice Burnett ---------------------------------August 7, 2025   Have you ever accidentally put a coloured item into a white wash? Sometimes you can get away with it, especially if you wash with cold or lukewarm water. But our family was using a washing machine in Slovakia, and I had decided to use the hot water cycle to get the boys' socks really clean. What I didn't know was that the washer actually heated the water to the boiling point, reminiscent of ...Continue Reading