Good suggestions

SPIRITUAL LIFE What to Say to the Depressed, Doubting, Skeptical, Confused & Angry John Piper If you care about people and risk talking to the depressed, the doubting, the skeptical, the confused, and the angry, you will soon run into a person who will minimize your counsel and say it doesn't work. Read the full article here Two Tombstones: The Story of the Samaritan Woman Max Lucado This excerpt from Max Lucado's newest book Cast of Characters compares the story of the Samaritan woman with one of her many modern day counterparts. Read the full article here

NEWS & CULTURE Can McCain-Palin Fend Off the Welfare State? Johnnie Byrd The Democrats can taste it. They believe they are just weeks away from an economic coup d'état that will allow them to restructure America's economy in ways that would make FDR blush... Read the full article here

FAMILY Rethinking Halloween through 7 Scary Stories of the Bible Shawn McEvoy A couple years ago my friend and co-worker Fred Alberti shared with me a lesson he prepared for the boys' class he was teaching. It was a big hit in that it didn't focus on the meaning of Halloween or whether we as Christians should celebrate it. Rather, it just provided another way to get the lads excited about the Scriptures... Read the full article here The Right (Best, Easiest) Way to Pay Off Your Mortgage Mary Hunt I get the same basic question a lot, and it comes in several versions: What's the best way to pay off my mortgage quickly? Read the full article here

ENTERTAINMENT Oliver Stone's "W." Neglects Key Elements of Bush Biography Christian Hamaker Oliver Stone has now turned his attention to George W. Bush in W., written well before the completion of his second term and rushed into release before the end of his time in office. The perils of such an approach are evident in this entertaining but unresolved account of Bush's life and presidency. Read the full article here Q&A with The Annie Moses Band Lindsay Williams On the heels of recording their first Christmas project, This Glorious Christmas (Reunion Records), The Annie Moses Band answers some holiday questions and shares its Christmas faves. Read the full article here