tending lives
Liberia’s civil war ended in 2003, but the scars still linger on the streets of its capital, Monrovia. That tangle of weeds and concrete used to be a fountain, that mound of rubble was once a radio station, and that pockmarked building was an office.
As my host pointed out one devastation after another, we felt like the Pevensie children…
a transforming vision
Where there is no vision, the people perish,” states the well-known proverb (29:18 KJV). Or, as the New Living Translation puts it: “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild.” In this most simple of statements lies a profound spiritual truth. When we lose sight of God’s revealed wisdom, we experience moral decay. Like the Israelites with their…
November 16, 2009
How do you live out being in the world, but not of the world? (John 17:14-16).
there is no other
One afternoon, at a hospital in East Africa, I was preparing to bathe a 6-year-old cancer patient named Henry. To my astonishment, beneath the sick child’s shirt was a filthy rag tied tightly around his waist. Henry’s mother explained, “Our village healer put it there to drive away evil spirits so Henry will get well.”
Having spent several months assisting children…
bold faith
Recently, a 6-year-old boy missed his morning bus to school. Determined not to miss his school breakfast or gym class, the tyke grabbed the keys to his parents’ car, crept out of the house as his mother slept, and drove nearly 6 miles toward his school. The Associated Press report gave amazing detail of the boy’s remarkable jaunt: “He made…
the first cut
In 2003, Sheryl Crow covered the old Cat Stevens song “The First Cut Is the Deepest.” In this song, she bemoans her first love, who wounded her so deeply that she now struggles to feel anything. She wants to love again, but because her heart is broken she doesn’t know if she ever can.
The songwriter’s first love has moved…
read this! from an ODJ print version member in Switzerland...
“I believe that the church needs a revival here and that church and state should be separate. I know that this is hard to change, but not impossible. I just cannot believe that in this day and age church could be so outdated in its ways of thinking. Stale.
“Again, I just wanted to thank-you for your regular distribution of Our…
consumed
An Ethiopian farmer hid more than $12,000 in a haystack—which unfortunately was home to some hungry rodents. Just three weeks after he stashed the cash, he discovered that rats had chewed through almost one-third of his savings!
When I read about this farmer’s misfortune, I couldn’t help thinking back to Jesus’ words: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth” (Matthew…
to the rescue
Back in the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve sinned and slinked off into hiding, God came looking for them. Commencing with these words spoken to Adam, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9), God launched the largest rescue mission known to man.
Though we—the human race—betrayed our Creator and fell into the grip of sin and Satan, God did not…
what's your life verse?
So what’s your life verse or favorite Bible passage? I new a guy who claimed this was his life verse: “At Parbar westward, four at the causeway, and two at Parbar” (1 Chronicles 26:18 KJV). Needless to say, he had a wry sense of humor. :)
My life verses are found in Proverbs 3:4-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your…
seeing the light
Thanks to cornea transplants, some people who were born blind have gained functional use of their eyes. Nevertheless, success is rare. In his book Catching the Light, author Arthur Zajonc described the plight of one young patient this way: “The light of day beckoned, but no light of mind replied within the boy’s anxious, open eyes.”
In John 9, Jesus…
encouraging the rejected
Several years ago, a 30-something new believer attended our worship service. He had long, multicolored, spiked hair. He was dressed in dark clothes and had multiple piercings and tattoos. It was a good thing that only the pastors knew he had AIDS. Some people openly gaped and others just gave him that “It’s good to see you in church, but…
November 9, 2009
There are many things in life that can cause us to fear. What do you think the apostle John meant, when he wrote, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear"? (1 John 4:18 NIV). How do you apply this verse to your life?
choice
Situated between old neighborhoods and new businesses, a 30-year-old community pool seems oddly out of place. The old pool and its adjacent building sag from forlorn neglect. Left uncovered, the pool fills with rain and debris; its algae-coated, muddied contents belying the cool, crisp water of youthful summers long past. More than an eyesore, it withholds hope. Not far down…
a persecuted people
This news item appeared in the Lausanne World Pulse: “While officiating at a wedding on June 3, 2006, Pastor Hasim received a text message on his cell phone: ‘Pastor, you will die today.’ The 47-year old Filipino pastor had been receiving death threats for months. After the wedding, he and his daughter Mercilyn headed home by motorcycle. Their bodies were…
