keep talking, God
Voices . . . so many voices, images . . . all contending for our attention, our money, our devotion. How do we keep ourselves on track with what our heart, mind and spirit remind us is true? There is one sure way: to read our “Owner’s Manual,” so freely made available from the Creator/Designer Himself. And, as a bonus,…
a lamp shining
So often we try to explain Scripture, when all we need to do is read it, trust it, believe it, and apply it to our life.
—copy and pic submitted by Terry and Pat Lampel, US
the benediction
In many churches, as part of the liturgy, the pastor closes the worship service with a benediction (good pronouncement) invoking God’s help and blessings upon the worshipers.
There are many benedictions in the Bible (for example: Psalm 121:7-8; Romans 15:13; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 3:20-21; Jude 1:24-25). One of the most famous biblical benedictions was used in the movie Deep…
particular people
I like to walk around my neighborhood and take in the sights. As I wander along, my eyes view the textures, the details, particular names, and particular places. My street’s texture includes the Williams’ home (neighborhood patriarchs who sip cold orange sodas on their porch), the young couple who walk to the market (always holding hands) and, of course, the…
the five solas
On October 31, the US, UK, and many European countries celebrate Halloween. Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic Samhain festival, where it is believed that on this day, the boundary between the living and the dead dissolved. Subsequently, the dead could cause problems such as sickness for the living. Halloween is now a multimillion-dollar industry for retailers.
But…
loving Jesus
Jesus left earth long before we got here. And despite His alleged appearances over the years, none of us have seen Him. So how can we love someone whom we have never met? Jesus addressed this issue the night before He died.
He promised that He would return in the form of His Spirit to live with us forever. So…
resizing ourselves
I recently read an article that described how former US President Theodore Roosevelt would sometimes close a long day spent with diplomats. He would lead them outside of the White House, stand on the lawn, and gaze into the sky. As he scanned the stars and the vastness of the universe, his guests would follow his example. After a lengthy…
meditate
We African Christians in general love the Bible. We love to own a Bible. We enjoy listening to preaching based on the Bible. We love to read tracts and booklets about the Bible. Sometimes we check out the Bible to pray a certain psalm or read a few verses that have been indicated to us in the course of a…
the blue letters
During an airline flight, a woman seated next to my friend pulled out a brand-new Bible—still shrink-wrapped. My friend pointed to the unblemished book and remarked, “Now that’s a new one!”
The woman smiled and explained that her old Bible, which she quickly retrieved from her carry-on bag, was “full.” The blue-ink notes and insights she had written in its…
hungry
Ready for a startling number? 193,000,000. It's hard to fathom, but that's the estimated number of people who have never even seen a portion of Scripture translated into their language. With the ease of communication in our world today, we find it difficult to understand how more than 2,200 languages don't have a Bible translation. Many of us not only…
rated R for violence
The youth group was shocked at their leader's claim: "The Bible is full of R-rated stories." "Really? Where?" they asked. "I'm not telling you," he said.
It's true. The Bible is rife with sordid stuff. In fact, God told Israel to "completely destroy" the inhabitants of the Promised Land and take their place in Canaan (Deuteronomy 20:17-18). Why? Because of…
