a living picture
On a visit to the Passages Interactive Bible Exhibit, I was reminded of the beauty and scholarship of Scripture. Accustomed to the modern-day, gold-filigree edging, I was impressed with one particular exhibit that showcased fore-edged printing—beautiful pictures, some representing events from Scripture and others with countryside scenes—that graced the outer edges of the Bibles. Interestingly, the pictures become visible when the Bible cover is first opened and the pages softly rest against one another, as if in a state of readiness to be turned.
new name, new life?
Each year, thousands of people change their names. Some of these changes reflect a deep desire for a new life. “I changed my name and it changed me,” wrote singer Alina Simone in The New York Times. “When I think back to my old self, I think of an entirely different person, not altogether likable,” she reflects. That old person, Alina Vilenkin, was put aside. Alina Simone formed a band, tried new things, and poured her “best self” into her new name.
transforming grace
At the start of the 1998 film Les Miserables, recently released convict Jean Valjean staggers into a small village. Cold, starving, and out of options, Valjean receives a meal and lodging from a local bishop. During the night, however, Valjean repays the bishop’s kindness by running off with his host’s expensive silverware. He’s caught the next morning, but the bishop graciously saves him from being sent back to prison by claiming that the stolen silverware was a “gift.”
experiencing community
Respondents to a recent Barna Group survey listed the following as key elements of their church life: connecting with God, experiencing transformation, gaining new insights, and feeling cared for. All of those things happen as individual believers come together and use their gifts to bless and edify one another.
all things new
Russian scientists recently discovered plant matter in the burrow of an Ice Age squirrel—stuff that had been frozen for thousands of years. They took the material to their laboratory, where they successfully regenerated a thriving Silene stenophylla plant. The scientists will continue to dig through the Siberian permafrost in hopes of finding frozen matter from other plants and animals. They would love to uncover tissue from a wooly mammoth, which they think they could parlay into a living version of the real thing, à la Jurassic Park.
December 10, 2012
How are you seeking to transform today’s culture for Christ?
diplomas in the deep
In the early 1900s, a brilliant young man named John left China to pursue an education in the US. He completed his bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees in just 5 years. But he was troubled by the question: “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” (Matthew 16:26). He ended up enrolling in…
collapsed
In the past few years, my kids and I started a Christmas tradition of making gingerbread houses with some friends. Last year, as we prepared to go meet with the others, I gathered our supplies and noted with concern that the baked product didn’t seem quite hard enough. Later, my dread grew as the first house collapsed before the pieces…
the hand of God
When was the last time you traced the hand of God in your life? Some might choose their birthday to reflect on God’s work in their life, others might select the dawn of a new year.
In 2 Samuel 22 and 23:1-7, we read the inspired reflections of King David at the end of his reign as Israel’s king. Together,…
let’s get critical
In The Last Lecture, Professor Randy Pausch described a particularly bad day when his hardnosed football coach yelled at him and made him do push-ups for messing up some moves. Afterward, an assistant coach helped Randy put his bad practice in perspective. “Coach Graham worked you pretty hard, didn’t he?” the coach asked. Then he continued, “That’s a good thing. When…
now that i'm saved
Hebrews 10:36-39: Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that He has promised. “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”…
today #12
Today . . .
This is the day that the Lord has made!
I will rejoice and be glad in it!
The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it!
I praise You, O God,
for I am a new creation!
A new creature!
Bless Your Name, O God!
No more destructive behavior!
No more negative thoughts!
No more self-loathing!
No more self-pity!
I am Your reflection, the very image of…
Jesus in you
2 Peter 1:2-8: May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the One who called us to Himself by…
forever young
Brooke Greenberg likes to giggle and crawl around just like any other toddler. She’s 76 cm (30 inches) tall and weighs about 7 kg (16 pounds), but Brooke was born in 1993. At 18 years old, she’s still trapped in the body of a 1-year-old due to a rare condition called Syndrome X. A doctor observed, “Her cellular age does…
master broadcaster
Jesus was a strategic broadcaster. Whenever crowds gathered around the Savior, it wasn’t long before He sat down to teach them about His kingdom. But how did Jesus teach the masses? He told stories. A farmer sowed seed in a field (Mark 4:1-8); a seed sprouted without anyone knowing how (Mark 4:26-29); a mustard seed grew into a tree that…
