amen
Amen! We typically say it at the end of our prayers, but Amen has more significance than simply being the last word in a prayer. Of the 30 times it’s used in the Old Testament, Amen is nearly always a response of approval to something that has been stated.
the need to know
Why? Our 10-year-old son is especially adept at asking this question with great frequency. Because his questions have moved from innocent curiosity to occasional open challenge, my husband and I have chosen not to overlook the habit. Paying close attention, I realized Micah was asking questions not to gain understanding but in order to gain information so he could negotiate his way out of whatever we had asked him to do.
zero hero
Birds of a feather flock together.” I’m not sure about that famous phrase. For throughout my student years I hung out with bright and beautiful people. But I don’t think I’m either. In fact, I’ve often thought: If I could be as talented or as charming as so-and-so, I would be able to draw so many people to Jesus.
java gods
Recently, coffee drinkers in Helsinki, Finland, could visit a café called Kauko for a free cup of coffee. Sipping java at the Kauko coffee shop meant, however, that they were at the mercy of Internet users who controlled the shop’s environment. These “java gods” could adjust the lighting, music, and furniture for a total of one minute, and webcams allowed Internet users to watch people react to their changes.
you are owned
It’s devastating to be owned by another human. Slaves suffer unimaginable heartbreak and abuse because their lives are not their own. Another person tells them where they will live, what they will do, even whom they will marry. They have no say. Being owned is so harsh that even today, when we want to express the domination of one person over another, we are apt to say something like “Susan owns Tom,” meaning that he pretty much does whatever she wants.
narrow road, eternal life
One of the most prevalent of modern myths is the idea that boundary-less living leads to freedom. A permissive lifestyle may feel free for a time, but it will soon trap us. In ludicrous manner we shout, “I’m free! I’m free!” as we back into a cage and lock the door.
mary’s risky calling
May everything you have said about me come true” (Luke 1:38). With those words a young (probably teenage) Mary responded to the greatest discipleship call ever given. She had been chosen to give birth to the Son of God. The ramifications would be huge.
fuel up
I drive a diesel truck in Uganda, so when my sister’s boyfriend loaned me his diesel pick-up while I was in the United States recently, I thought I could manage it just fine. The very first time I put fuel in it, however, I made a big mistake: I topped off the tank with high-grade gasoline instead of diesel.
life and submission
Jesus taught us to lay down our lives for others. At its most costly moments, I believe this submission of our wills happens in four progressive stages.
The first stage is recognition. We are presented with a need or a person for whom a decision of submission must be made.
The second stage is deliberation. There will be a cost…
weeds
As a child growing up in Ghana’s Upper Region, I used to help Mom and Dad in their garden. To this day, the aroma of tomatoes ripening on the vine makes me nostalgic for tropical climes and simpler times.
Dad, who had attended an agricultural school, used to coach me as I worked. “A weed is any plant that’s not…
sweet speech
"She said, ‘I hope you won’t be in my class next year.’ ” One evening during dinner with my kids, I was surprised when my 9-year-old randomly shared an incident that had taken place at school. Being a curious child, he had been playing with a door lock while waiting in line for lunch when a teacher—in an attempt to…
monday to friday
The words must have sounded naïve. I wonder if Peter even stifled a snicker. After a long, exhausting—and ultimately unsuccessful—night’s work, he was thinking of a hot breakfast and a comfortable bed. The last thing he needed was some rabbi telling him how to do his job.
It was early morning. Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, and others had just…
God's power is with you
Philippians 2:12-15: You always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. Do everything without…
mary's song of praise
Luke 1:46-55
Mary had an exceedingly great reason to praise the Lord, being the highly favored and chosen one to bring forth a Savior. Her song in Luke 1: 46-55, also called the Magnificat, resonates a spirit of awe and humility before her Lord and shows us a glimpse into this woman whose heart of worship declares many accolades of…
