November 30, 2009
To read and study the Bible is essential for a growing faith in Jesus. What has helped you to consistently spend time in God's Word?
an ignatian prayer
I ran across this prayer on generosity by Ignatius the other day. It impacted me, and I want to share it with you.
Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for…
on whose terms?
Let’s consider a couple of hit songs from country singer Carrie Underwood. In “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” she sings about a young mother whose car is sliding on an icy road, and just as she is about to crash she cries out for Jesus to save her. “Jesus, take the wheel,” she sings, “take it from my hands ’cause I…
made in God's image
My wife, Merryn, and I once visited a large market in Sydney. On that day a man was cutting out small silhouettes of people’s faces from black cardstock. He would complete one in two minutes for two dollars. We gave him the money and his shiny scissors went to work, his eyes darting between us and his handiwork. Within 2…
seasons
The Great Migration is considered one of the grandest spectacles in the natural world. More than two million mammals participate in this annual parade. The seasonal conditions of the Serengeti, a vast East Africa ecosystem that spreads from Tanzania’s plains to Kenya’s Masai Mara, establishes the timing of the event.
Leading the procession are the zebras, usually about 200,000 in…
startled
No matter which country you visit, when places of power come into view, you generally find what you would expect: foreboding architecture, opulent surroundings, symbols of strength and prowess. Whether it’s the Kremlin, the Pentagon, or Red Square, governments exert massive expense and energy to send the visible message that they are powerful and ought to be feared. It’s the…
provision
Four years ago, Egypt was at the top of our list of dream vacations. Scheduling conflicts, however, left Egypt on our wish list as we chose another destination. We still hope to visit Egypt one day.
I especially would like to see the Valley of the Kings, a series of tombs tunneled in the rugged and harsh mountainside. Having held…
being there
Last week my wife had five teeth removed—all in one morning. Ouch. Needless to say, it’s been a painful and—due to difficulties with some of the pain medication—nauseating experience for her. As she’s been pretty much bedridden over the past several days, my caregiving repertoire has included ice packs, warm washcloths, liquids, soft foods, and simply spending time with her.…
lost your way?
I was 15 years old when I first witnessed a basketball player score for the opposing team. It was late in a game, and my team had the contest in hand. One by one, my coach began sending in players who rarely got a chance to play.
One of my teammates, Sam, bounced out on the court with tremendous enthusiasm.…
November 23, 2009
As we grow in Jesus, Colossians 2:7 tells us that our lives should "overflow with thanksgiving." What are you grateful for today?
precious marks
Maybe no one will notice. I turned the coffee table so that the flaw would be less visible to the members of our Bible study. Still, my friend Wendy spotted the little notches and I had to admit our son had cut his first teeth there earlier that week. She smiled and said, “Oh, now you’ll never be able to…
seek and save
Recently, I took my children to the mall for lunch. As we were eating, I noticed a little girl frantically looking for her dad. With tears welling up in her eyes, she called out: “Daddy! Daddy!” There was no sign of him. Suddenly he appeared, and she was visibly relieved. I said to my children, “I’m glad she found her…
not my story
Child,” said the Voice, “I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own.”
That quote, from C. S. Lewis’ A Horse and His Boy, continues the allegorical tales of Narnia through the eyes of a young boy named Shasta. Facing adventure and hardship, he appears at first to be a wanderer with no…
the guardian of truth
A December 2008 report released by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life listed this startling finding: Fifty-two percent of Christians in the US who attend churches that believe Jesus is the only way of salvation accept this idea: “Some non-Christian faiths can lead to eternal life.” In an earlier 2008 survey, only 39 percent of the Christian respondents…
