My childhood memories of many sermons in church were from men who seemed angry about a lot of things. They preached long and hard about world conditions and the imminent battle of Armageddon. I greatly feared the nations of Gog and Magog! Late at night, I thought I could hear those evil armies crashing over […]
The New Testament often paints its greatest truths with the broadest brush strokes. From it we get the big picture about the ministry of reconciliation, being ambassadors for Christ, and being compelled by love. But with these grand principles, the New Testament also sketches smaller portraits that show us what these truths look like in […]
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 […]
Despite the best effort of some, we live in a world fractured along ethnic, religious, political, and racial lines. Peace seems to elude the human race. Many of us believe that under certain conditions, peace would be attainable. If only we all had the same religious or political beliefs, or if only we were more […]
Peace Where is the peace the angels proclaimed? The earth still swirls with sin and pain. Only humble hearts swept clean Contain the Holy Gift. Believe, trust, bow low. Wise men still seek Him to know. Our true Peace. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. . . . Do not […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters: The death of George Floyd at the hand of a Minneapolis, Minnesota policeman was brutal, unnecessary, and outrageous. We unequivocally condemn what was done to Mr. Floyd and encourage all members of the Body of Christ to pray for Mr. Floyd’s family and for our community, state or provincial, and national […]
At 9:00 am each morning, my children and I drop what we are doing, gather in the living room, and drop to our knees to “pray like Daniel prayed.” My husband joins us when we drop again in the evening, as the six of us anchor our hope in Christ as a family. It hasn’t […]
In exploring the ministry of reconciliation this year, we will spotlight six chapters from the Bible to aid us in understanding it and all its implications for life in the church. But before we jump into our first selection, here’s a fascinating piece of trivia. Have you ever wondered how the Bible got the indispensable […]
Tuba players can be difficult neighbors. Denise discovered this firsthand as a property manager for an apartment complex. “He just didn’t understand that he shouldn’t play his tuba at two o’clock in the morning.” Of course, situations like this tend to escalate quickly. Neighbor A (the tuba player) wakes Neighbor B. Neighbor B parks in […]
Venturing out on the lonely highways and byways of Asia Minor in the days of the early church put travelers at risk of robbers, beatings, and other perils. Seafaring journeyers also faced multiple dangers, and the apostle Paul experienced them all, on land and sea alike. Perhaps the hardest thing he had to endure was […]
