Do You Turn Away from God When You are Hurting?
Have you noticed that it seems so many Christians are turning away from God and the church lately? What makes us do that?
How Does Prayer Transform You? Part 1
Prayer is the interactive work of the Word, Holy Spirit and human intellect that God uses to build a relationship between himself and you.
The Fullness
Most of us have a favorite verse of Scripture and, if asked, could tell why we like that text a lot. Could we also explain how the verses just before and after our favorite impact and help unpack its full meaning? Without revealing its location yet, I’ll tell you my favorite verse for today and […]
Becoming Conformed
Do you remember your first memory verse? I do. Dorothy Keim taught it to me at a church convention in 1973, when I was seven. It’s beloved by many — Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to […]
When We Hit Rough Waters
The Gospel of John was written by the direction of the Holy Spirit as comfort, life instruction, and theology for every individual. John is a spiritually thrilling book. Its words and message are straightforward and so basic that this Gospel moves us to clearly understand the very heart of Jesus and comprehend why He came […]
On Mission . . . In Myanmar
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 […]
River of Life
Along the muddied banks of the Jordan, thin reeds, the color of sage, reached toward the sky, bending gently in the breeze. A silver mist clung to the water’s surface, and as the sun pierced the clouds, the haze glistened in the morning light. I would have preferred solitude, being alone with my thoughts and […]
Skin and Bones Discipleship
The story is told of a busy father who wanted to occupy his toddler so the boy wouldn’t distract him. The father tore a world map into several pieces and sent the little boy to his room to put it back together, instructing him not to return until the job was done. Surprised by his […]
A Beautiful Witness
Cosmos and cosmetic — two words that don’t seem to have much in common but share a common Greek root. The Greek word has two primary meanings: order and beauty. While these ideas might seem disparate to us, in Greek they were closely related. Things in proper order, like the cosmos, were beautiful. Beautiful things […]
Empowered Witnesses
Jerusalem, ad 33. The fledgling church had been given a mission, a call that would challenge social norms, upend religious traditions, and identify her members as a group of radicals. It was a call they ran from. Yes, the disciples had seen Jesus resurrected. They had heard Him speak and watched Him ascend. But that […]
