bread of life
I’ve never known true, life-threatening hunger. There have been occasions where my stomach gnawed for food and where I felt the ragged edge of hunger pains. I’ve never known, however, the kind of hunger you see when you visit slums in Sierra Leone or refugee camps in the Sudan. That hunger is palpable in a place where people are barely…
eyewitnesses
An eyewitness is one whose firsthand knowledge of a crime or an important event is used to ascertain the actual facts surrounding the event in a court of law. One witness is usually insufficient. “The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15).
Paul reminded the Corinthians to remember what they…
held
Our kids often come home excited to tell us the interesting things they’ve learned in school. So when our 9-year-old asked me if I knew how to balance a book at least an inch high off the counter on just a sheet of paper, I knew there had to be a logical explanation though I couldn’t envision it. Taking out…
spirit-wind
Soon after a tornado disaster in the US, I saw aerial photographs of its path. Entire neighborhoods were flattened. From the high angle of the photographer’s shot, all of the wood and debris looked like scattered, splintered toothpicks, tossed violently over a wide swath of city blocks. Devastation. Wind provides an immense source of power (which is why wind- generated…
why faith?
In an interview, pop music star Katy Perry stated that she wasn’t thrilled with her strict religious upbringing. “I didn’t have a childhood,” she lamented. “I’ve always been the kid who’s asked ‘Why?’ In my faith, you’re just supposed to have faith. But I was always like . . . why? At this point, I’m just kind of a drifter…
phantom lions
When I was a child, my dad would scare my brother and me by hiding in a thicket and growling like a lion. Living in the bush country of Africa, the possibility of encountering a carnivorous feline was real to us. Regardless, we would laugh delightedly whenever we heard the growl—thrilled by Dad’s act.
One day, a young friend came…
miracles
M - iracles come from God only
I – ntended to bring Him glory
R - estoring the faith in God’s people
A - nointing all through each disciple
C - ausing various healings to take place
L - oosing captives from bondages
E - nding curses no matter the phase
S - aving souls of different ages
C -…
believe in miracles?
During the 1980 Winter Olympic Games, Al Michaels covered the hockey venue for ABC Sports. The network could have used other broadcasters, but Michaels got the nod because he was the only announcer on staff who had experience calling a hockey game. Michaels had called one game 8 years earlier.
His assignment allowed Michaels to announce the February 22, 1980,…
the dead man
Thomas Lynch is an acclaimed poet and nonfiction writer who has won the American Book Award. He’s also an undertaker. In The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade, Lynch shares stories from his decades of helping families say goodbye to their loved ones. The opening line of the book definitely catches your attention: “Every year I bury a couple hundred…
i've got issues
Back in the late '80s there was a popular saying: "I have an issue" . . . meaning I have a problem. It’s funny that it caught on, but—unfortunately—it was truer than the person who uttered it knew! We all have issues at some point in life or another to varying degrees. My issue may not be your issue. What…
redeeming illness
It’s easy to miss today’s short passage when reading the book of Galatians. We rightly focus on Paul’s important teaching that salvation is a gift from God, and nothing but faith (rather than keeping the Jewish law) is needed in order to receive it. These few verses in chapter 4, however, have a beauty all their own.
It seems that…
be His miracle
Hi guys, sharing this picture today because I went for a talk and was really moved.
I went for a talk during Overseas Christian Fellowship(OCF) today. :) The topic, presented by a man named Ron, was miracles. He mentioned that when God works a miracle, it doesn’t necessarily mean that something great has to happen in a snap. For instance,…
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…
imperfect prayer studies
A 1988 study by Dr. Randolph Byrd found coronary care patients were 11 percent more likely to recover when they had received the prayers of others. A 2006 study led by Dr. Herbert Benson suggested there was no improvement for patients at all. A more recent study (September 2010) by Candy Gunther Brown at Indiana University reported significantly positive results…
