remember
Last week I took my adopted son and his buddy (whom my friends adopted from Ethiopia) to the beach where I grew up in Florida. Watching the boys as they splashed in the gulf, played in the sand, and curiously poked at a dead jellyfish that had washed up on the shore, I marveled at God’s work in their lives.
you choose Q: did the Gentiles become Jews?
Q: Did the Gentiles become Jews? —Cassandra
A: Israel is the name God gave Jacob on the night he wrestled with the angel (Genesis 32:28). His sons, along with the 12 tribes that descended from them, inherited the name. Although Israel always accepted proselytes, it was at first largely made up of people physically descended from Abraham through Isaac and Jacob.…
a man like us
Ordinary people from tiny towns aren’t usually highly celebrated. Few are remembered long after they’re gone. The prophet Elijah, however, is an exception. The New Testament authors mentioned him more than any other Old Testament prophet.
triggers
I didn’t think it would be that difficult. But as the technician placed the X-ray shield over my knee, handed me the headphones, and left the room, a sense of uncertainty surrounded me like the MRI machine I was lying in. Even though my head and shoulders remained outside the tunnel, I felt trapped. My mind raced, as I discovered flight responses never before encountered. Watching the countdown clock on the upper part of the machine, I wondered if my heart and mind would quiet down or if the next few minutes would include me jumping out of the machine in a mad fit of panic.
you choose Q: what's the significance of the number 153?
Q: What’s the significance of the number 153, the number of fish that the disciples caught? —Safy
A: John 21 tells us that the resurrected Christ appeared to several of his disciples beside the Sea of Galilee—showing them that he was alive and then restoring Peter to ministry. The disciples had gone back to their fishing trade, but throughout the night,…
the rolling stone
Jesus was dead—witnessed by His executioners (Mark 15:37-39), confirmed by Pilate (Mark 15:44-45), and attested by two high-court judges who prepared His lifeless body for burial (Mark 15:43; John 3:1,19:38-39). Jesus was laid in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. The entrance was sealed by an extremely large, round stone (Mark 15:46). It would take many strong men to move the 1- to 2-ton door. This troubled the women who had gone to anoint Jesus’ body: “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” (Mark 16:3). They had worried unnecessarily, however. For the large stone “had already been rolled aside” (Mark 16:4), the work of an angel (Matthew 28:2).
as it is in heaven
In the “Lord’s prayer,” Jesus encouraged His followers to pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done “on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Not surprisingly, the four Gospels are loaded with stories of heaven and earth coming together in and around Jesus.
money or mobility?
I hardly ever encounter beggars on the streets. But in some countries, you can find them begging at the markets and shopping malls. Once, when visiting a neighboring country, my hosts told me that for my own sake I had to ignore the beggars. If I showed the slightest interest in one, he would pursue and pester me until I gave him some money. And the moment I gave to one I would be very quickly swarmed by many others.
counting the cost
Jesus’ good friend Lazarus had died (John 11:14,17). And so He performed an amazing miracle by raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43-44)—leading many who came to the funeral to believe in Him (John 11:45). But the Pharisees and priests responded differently. From that time on, they began to plot Jesus’ death (John 11:53).
back from the dead
The young Argentinean couple grieved over their baby. The medical staff pronounced the baby stillborn and hurried the body away. The mother, drugged from the delivery, hadn’t even gotten to kiss her baby girl goodbye. Twelve hours later, Analia Bouter and her husband, Favian, went to the morgue to see their child and to say farewell. When the staff pulled out the drawer holding the body, they heard a baby’s cry. The newborn was alive!
learning journey
It had been an exhilarating mission trip. Jesus had sent the disciples to go to the villages to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal (Luke 9:1-6). Even though they brought neither bread nor money, God had provided. And He had worked through them.
born to die
We’re well into that special time of the year when our focus turns to the celebration of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:1-20). The world has never been the same since that sacred night in Bethlehem so many years ago.
the glory of Jesus
Wedding receptions. I’m not opposed to attending them. But, honestly, if I can avoid going to one, you’ll get no complaints from me. (Note: This does not apply to the day when either of my daughters marry!)
three evils
On January 12, 2010, Haiti was hit by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that leveled an estimated 250,000 homes and 30,000 buildings, killing nearly 300,000 people. A cholera outbreak a few months later claimed thousands more lives.
Philosophers have a name for this kind of devastation. They call it natural evil. With its earthquakes, famines, diseases, and afflictions, the world can…
bag it yourself?
A few years back, do-it-yourself checkout at US grocery stores was in vogue—but not these days. There’s been a noticeable decline in the usage of the self-serve lanes—down to just 16 percent of all supermarket transactions from a high of 22 percent 3 years ago.
Why? It appears that people enjoy their shopping experience much more when they can have…
