shattered dreams
A friend had been working at a job he loved for many years when he was suddenly laid off. He took another position at a new company, but the work was not as fulfilling and didn’t pay well. Then the first employer asked him to return, which he did with joy. Sadly, he and most of the workforce were again laid off just 7 days later. The other company wouldn’t take him back, and he’s now working a menial, low-paying job. His dreams of having a position he needs and loves have been shattered.
April 7, 2014
How has God’s Word changed your life? What are some Scriptures that have made the biggest impact?
break camp and move on
In his book Seize the Day, Danny Cox, a former jet pilot turned business leader, explained why pilots needed a new ejection system. In the former system, when pilots initiated ejection, all they needed to do was clear the plane and roll forward out of the seat. During testing, however, the pilots wouldn’t let go of the seat during the process. The engineers came up with a solution. Two seconds after ejection commenced, an electronic take-up reel would immediately take up the slack and force the pilot forward out of his seat—freeing the parachute.
work and leisure
Sunday’s here. Hurrah! Let’s go to church in the morning and then catch up on all those things that we couldn’t do during the week. Is that how you view the Lord’s Day? Personal confession: that’s often the way I feel after a busy work week. But is that wrong?
the bottom line
While in college, the great missionary Adoniram Judson lost his faith when he fell under the spell of Jacob Eames, a deist who believed that God never interferes in our lives. When he was on a trip, Judson stayed at a village inn next door to a man who was dying. The man’s groans kept Judson awake and he began to think about death. Was he ready to meet God? The next morning Judson learned that the man had died. He asked the innkeeper if he knew who the man was. “Oh yes. Young man from the college in Providence. Name was Eames . . . Jacob Eames.”
connected
Assigned with keeping up my mom’s garden while she was out of town, my kids and I headed into her backyard to see the anticipated jungle. Walking out from the patio, we were greeted by a messy bed of veggies as some of the string-bean tendrils stood out like cowlicks in an otherwise orderly row. As we worked, my son explained the necessity of coaxing the wayward tendrils onto the runners: Left unsupported, the weight of the growing beans would pull the vine to the ground where it would become more vulnerable to pests and its produce would be damaged.
you choose Q: is the book of Revelation for us today?
Q: Why is it that though Revelation is clearly written to 1st century Christians, for example 13:17-18, people try to put a 21st century meaning to it? —Craig
A: Revelation was written around 95 AD, during the time when Roman emperor Domitian had commenced persecuting the Church. Exiled on the island of Patmos for his faith (Revelation 1:9), the apostle John…
Jesus weeps
It happens often at weddings. The mother of the bride can be seen quietly sobbing. Her tears are a fitting response to the coming of age of her daughter and the memories of the years she had nutured her.
you choose Q: did Mary give birth to other children after Jesus?
Q: In the Scripture versions I read, Mary had several children with Joseph AFTER the virgin birth of Jesus. A friend believes Mary was a virgin throughout her live and had but one child—Jesus. Moreover, the term "brother or sister" was often used when referring to relatives, such as cousin, nephew, etc. Can you enlighten me regarding this issue? —Edward
A: The…
on solid ground
In the film High Fidelity, a character named Rob Gordon lamented his history of passivity. “I guess it made more sense to commit to nothing, keep my options open” he said. “And that’s suicide by tiny, tiny increments.”
war
Journalist Jeffrey Gettleman asserts, “There is a very simple reason why some of Africa’s bloodiest, most brutal wars never seem to end: They are not really wars. . . . The combatants don’t have much of an ideology; they don’t have clear goals. . . . I’ve witnessed up close—often way too close—how combat has morphed from soldier versus soldier (now a rarity in Africa) to soldier versus civilian.”
