through the Son
Paul Borthwick was boarding a plane when he saw former US President Gerald Ford being escorted by two dark-suited men. Paul wanted to meet him, but he wondered: “Why would he want to meet me?” Then he recalled having met Ford’s son Mike, when he was in seminary. So he boldly approached the former world leader just before the Secret…
man of God
Recently a colleague asked me, “What would you like to be?” I replied, “Well, in terms of career planning, I don’t know. But I want to be someone who is wise, compassionate, and humble.”
In Paul’s letter to his protégé, he didn’t instruct Timothy to become an A-list pastor; rather he reminded him that he was a “man of God”…
a must-read book: Song of Songs
One of my friends read the book of Ecclesiastes every year-end. She said it's a good book to help her reflect on the year gone by and to prepare for the year ahead. Perhaps, we need to keep the Song of Songs as an annual must-read book too.
Pastor and Author Ray Stedman said, “As you read in this book…
December 29, 2011
How is the ringing in of the new year a sacred thing for you?
exhaust forgiveness?
I had a listener call my radio show recently. “I’ve been a Christian for 5 years, but I haven’t always lived like one,” she said anxiously. “I want to know, does there come a time when God won’t forgive us anymore?” I recounted the following story to her: Jesus had arranged a secret location to eat the Passover dinner with…
desire for vengeance
I once spoke with a father whose son had been brutally murdered by a family friend. In the years that followed, he talked of his burning desire for revenge. He knew that bitterness had overtaken his heart and crowded out that which was good. Although he wanted to turn this festering burden over to Jesus, he struggled with letting go.…
don’t be cruel
Have you noticed how difficult it is for elected officials to break bad news to their citizens? Numerous countries are drowning in debt, yet most leaders refuse to raise taxes or cut benefits. Figuring that bankruptcy will be the next government’s problem, they happily kick the crisis down the road.
These leaders act like the false prophets in Jerusalem. God…
Lord, help me
Matthew 16:19 I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
Even as Christians, we don't always understand the ways of God. As I was praying today, the Lord was speaking to me about people, saved and sinners…
December 26, 2011
What is a favorite Christmas tradition that you enjoyed again this year? Why is it important to you?
good call
Early in 2011, a US baseball coach made the best call of his career. Tom Walter, the coach of the Wake Forest University baseball team, chose to give up one of his kidneys so that one of his players could live. A freshman player, Kevin Jordan, had been stricken with a disease that attacked his kidneys and left them functioning…
near
A musician friend of mine has a cousin named Emmanuel. My friend wrote a song alluding to Emmanuel’s fairytale-like wedding. The ceremony was outdoors in a picturesque setting with fine weather and wooded surroundings.
As the time to commence neared, however, many grew nervous because no one had seen the groom all day. Soon, however, a distant figure came through…
a Christmas prayer for you
Luke 1:30-38 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name Him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David. And He…
prized
When I was a kid, my parents had a rule that I was not allowed to call guys. Considered provincial back then, the rule seems positively antiquated according to current societal norms. While I am not new to youth culture, I am increasingly perplexed and concerned at the level of aggressiveness I see in young women today. Because they’re desperate…
no brown m&m’s
When rock band Van Halen was riding the wave of popularity, they insisted that a bowl of M&M’s be provided for them backstage at their concert venues. Yet every brown M&M had to be removed from the bowl. If the band arrived and found even a single brown M&M in the bowl, they would cancel their performance but still receive…
grace to enter the presence of God
Hebrews 10:16-23 “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then He says, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any…
