tell it to move!
Everywhere I look, there are people facing mountains. High, powerful mountains. Mountains that seem utterly impossible to move.
These immovable mountains are hurting the hearts of many. These mountains come in the form of financial problems for many. Debt so big with no way to overcome it. We do our best to work hard, pay our tithe and offering, pay our debt,…
you choose Q: Due to my sin, will God ever leave me?
Q: Recently I sinned greatly and went against everything I know. I know I’m forgiven, but would God ever have enough of me and leave me? —Linda
A: It’s obvious that you’re aware of your unworthiness before God, and deeply distressed by the sin that is still deeply rooted in your nature. True believers in Jesus realize that they’re deeply contaminated…
history’s steady tune
George Jellinek, former host of The Vocal Scene radio program, says “the history of a people is found in its songs.” Years ago, music was a crucial way for slaves in the US to recount their stories, and music was central to the way the Civil Rights movement retold its vision. If you want to know a culture or its people, you have to know the music they used to pass along their stories. This is how the people in ancient Israel used the Psalms—their stories and prayers helped them to remember God, particularly in the long years when God was silent.
you choose Q: how can I know I'm saved?
Q: I was born in a Christian family, my parents served God. I attended many meetings and answered many altar calls, confessed my sins many times, accepted Christ many times. I don't no whether I’ve sincerely prayed and am convicted—still lacking the assurance of salvation. I face nagging doubts. It almost drives me off. I don't really understand how to…
“he’s gone”
I had the heart-wrenching, joyous, bittersweet experience of losing my dad on January 6, 2012—his birthday. Our loss was truly his gain! He had been battling rapidly deteriorating health before God graciously took him home.
who are you?
Who are you?” boomed front man Roger Daltrey of The Who, channeling guitarist Pete Townshend’s angry lyrics. The 1978 song has attained iconic status, perhaps because it resonates with so many of us. Deep down, we really don’t care what we are. The real question is who we are.
obsession
Return me to the cross
and let me be completely lost
in the wonder of the love
that You’ve shown me.
This is everything I want.
This is everything I need.
I want this to be
my one consuming passion,
everything my heart desires.
Lord, I want it all to be
for You, Jesus.
Be my magnificent obsession.
These lyrics…
never asleep
Several highway drivers phoned the police, reporting that a truck was erratically swerving down the road and jerking from side to side. About 6:30 a.m. the police spotted the vehicle and flashed their lights for the truck to pull over. When the officer approached the vehicle, he found an 8-year-old boy at the wheel. The boy’s father was asleep in…
letting go
During a recent 3-week stay in the hospital, I met Kathy. She shared her grave medical condition and her strong faith—an unflinching belief in Jesus. She loved Him and trusted Him, but she also knew she was heading home to hospice care. Her days on earth were counting down. As my wife and I talked with Kathy, we learned of…
flexible
With power outages, blown debris, and downed trees, recent storms left their mark around our town. While certainly not the devastation experienced by those enduring more significant and destructive displays of nature’s power, it was a mild reminder of man’s limited power. On our way to church the next day, my son asked why the thinner and smaller trees seemed…
wasted brainwaves
I chatted with a close friend while standing in line at a local coffeehouse. But then a sliver of worry pierced the moment. It had been several hours since I left home. I wondered if I had been away too long. I pictured my kids wailing and unhappy. The “what ifs” started rolling. Seconds later, I spotted a sign above…
just a shade
In the movie Inception, technology allows people to tap into others’ minds by dream invasion. Dom Cobb, the flawed hero in the flick, lost his wife Mal when she committed suicide due to the delusional effects of memory inception within a dream state. Mal, however, keeps vividly appearing to Dom when he’s in a dream state. Finally seeing the need…
the real Jesus
In 2001, the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen presented an investigation into the historical Jesus. He said, “The important thing is not what He was or what He wasn’t—the important thing is what people believe Him to have been.” The apostle John would disagree. He intimated that the testimony about who Jesus really is, not what people believed Him to have been,…
big toe lack of belief
A co-worker was having a conversation with her son about spiritual things. Striving to express his present lack of both belief and commitment to Jesus, the young man said, “God isn’t in my life right now; He’s just in my big toe.”
Have you ever felt that way? Has doubt or lack of commitment left you with a serious dearth…
