“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34, 35). Although familiar with Jesus’ command, I balked when it applied to a sister in Christ. Elaine and I […]

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I was a young teenager when I first heard the saying “It is a choice, not a child.” Young and rather innocent, I had no clue what abortion is. Then there was this ethereal news item about a court case called Roe v. Wade, which said abortion was not only legal in the United States […]

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Do Christians lose salvation when they sin? We do not lose our salvation by sinning. If we did, none of us could remain saved very long. More than a few scriptures affirm the reality of sin’s presence in us all — all our earthly lives (1 Kings 8:46; Psalm 53:3; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:23). The […]

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The Bible instructs us to be like God, but many attributes of His we cannot attain to or even mimic: His eternality, His knowledge of all, His power over all, His transcending presence, and His perfection, to name a few. But some attributes we may properly aspire to, such as His loving-kindness, mercy, grace, and […]

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Pen in hand and a fresh scroll in front of him, Luke assayed to address his longtime acquaintance, Theophilus, concerning the strange happenings in the last while. Where to begin? Though not an eyewitness, Luke had numerous contacts with those who were, along with an accurate knowledge of historical events that reinforced the veracity of […]

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I came back to the church because God forgives and people prayed for me. I learned to forgive myself and others.

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The Bible says much about the subject of reconciliation. Through the blood of Christ, God forgave our sins and reconciled us to Him. But what happens when someone does wrong to us? We can gain insight through the story of Jacob and Esau. Family conflicts Long ago, there were twin brothers born to parents who […]

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This year’s National Forgiveness and Happiness Day is scheduled for November 1. This year’s message will take the form of the following pledge. We pledge allegiance to care for one another, encourage one another, love one another, listen to one another, and forgive one another no matter what. We pledge allegiance to follow the 28 […]

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Visionary Leadership in a Global Crisis These are troubling times. As I’m writing, the World Health Organization is reporting over 16,000,000 global cases of COVID-19 and over 650,000 deaths. The Center for Disease Control reports that 4,000,000 of those cases and nearly 150,000 of those deaths are here in the United States. I know several […]

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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 […]

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Of all the ladies I cared for as a private caregiver, Bee was one of my favorites. I loved so many things about her, including her melodramatic manner. When Bee experienced a troubling symptom (that may or may not have indicated something serious), she’d let out a heavy sigh and say, “Well, if I die, […]

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In the Bible we find a wonderful story of reconciliation between two brothers, Jacob and Esau (Genesis 33). For a long time they lived separated from each other due to Esau’s anger and Jacob’s fear. Jacob, influenced by his mother, Rebekah, stole the blessing that by law belonged to his brother. Esau’s anger and frustration […]

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