“A picture is worth a thousand words.” We know this from experience. In fact, just reading this saying brings images to mind. For some it is a newborn baby, for others the Twin Towers on 9/11. For me, a picture comes to mind from a courtroom. In 1995 former professional football player O. J. Simpson […]
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself . . . (2 Corinthians 5:18, 19). Paul’s second epistle to the Corinthians surprises us each time we read it. One […]
Myanmar is a member of the International Ministerial Congress of the Church of God (Seventh Day). It is a Buddhist country in Southeast Asia, sharing its border with India, China, Bangladesh, Laos, and Thailand. In this environment Jesus Christ is moving in the lives of more people. Challenges But there are challenges. Christianity experiences significant […]
At twenty-five years old, Phil Vischer had a simple goal. He wanted to blend the love of his faith with his love of filmmaking. Each profitable VeggieTales video meant he could afford to delight children with a new Bible-inspired story. Then his goal got bigger. Captivated by the concept of adopting a goal so big, […]
Faced with eviction from the only home they had ever known, Adam and Eve were escorted out of their garden paradise. Adam remembered the warning words of God: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in […]
The theme of reconciliation is as old as humanity itself. Because of sin, humans damaged their relationship not only with God but also with their neighbor. Because of the Fall, communion between Adam and Eve was lost, giving rise to individualism. Both covered themselves with fig leaves, which they had not needed before: “I was […]
In the last “Spotlight” we examined Revelation 21 and the new creation that began in Christ and the ministry of reconciliation. This time we focus on the new covenant. Just before Paul communicates that reconciliation is a God-given ministry and that we are ministers of God (2 Corinthians 5:18; 6:4), he writes that God has “also […]
Waving her arms around isn’t enough. The movement must be clear, timed, and the same as in practice sessions. This is the role of my cousin, Rachel, a classical music conductor at a local church. With a small baton in her hand, she methodically guides her musicians to play a distinct way and brings everyone […]
As a Sabbath school teacher who prays regularly about instilling confidence in my students, I recently had a “God moment.” He revealed people in my life who have true, meaningful confidence. In prayerfully meditating on these lives, I realized that one thing was always present: a committed earthly father figure who invested time working with […]
Recently while I was reading Psalm 42, verse 4 took on new meaning for me. It reads: These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. This […]
