From:Â Â II Maccabees (Apocrypha), chapter 6 Â Â Â In this chapter King Antiochus is persecuting the Jews in Jerusalem, commanding them to forsake their faith, or face torture and death (approx. 170 B.C.). Â An elderly scribe named Eleazar refuses to abandon his faith, and he faces death with courage and faith. Â The Oxford Annotated Bible tells […]
3042) The Martyrdom of Eleazar Read More »
   Image above: Chaos and death in the streets of Rome during the plague. ******************* Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.   But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you
3029) Something Strange? (2/2) Read More »
Above painting: St. Peter’s Crucifixion, by Caravaggio (1571-1610), Rome, Italy ********************************    The New Testament book of I Peter was written to encourage Christians in the early church who were suffering severe persecution.  I Peter 4:12 says:  “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange
3028) Something Strange? (1/2) Read More »
   No amount of falls will really undo us if we keep picking ourselves up each time.  We shall of course be very muddy and tattered children by the time we reach home.  But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, and the clean clothes are in the airing cupboard.  The only fatal thing is to
2964) Keep Trying Until You Get Home Read More »
From a funeral sermon.    As you all well know, Cheryl suffered a great deal in these past several months; all that time in the hospital, all those tests, all the reports (usually bad), all the pain and anxiety, all the uncertainty, all the surgeries, and everything else she went through. And for you,
2910) “If I Die Before I Wake…” Read More »
By Frederick Buechner (1926-2022) in Wishful Thinking (1973). Above painting of Job by Russian painter Ilya Repin (1844-1930) ********************************** Job 1:14-19 —  One day, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword,
2899) A Brief Summary of the Book of Job Read More »
   Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809-April 15, 1865) remained skeptical, and at times even cynical, about religion until into his forties. So it is a most striking thing how personal and national suffering drew Lincoln into the reality of God, rather than pushing him away.    In 1862, when Lincoln was 53 years old, his
2859) Driven to His Knees Read More »
Affliction is God’s shepherd dog to drive us back to the fold.  –Anonymous God sweetens outward pain with inward peace.  –Thomas Watson When we grow careless of keeping our souls, then God recovers our taste of good things again by sharp crosses.  –Richard Sibbes God measures out affliction to our need.  –St. John Chrysostom, Homily
2799) Thinking About Our Troubles Read More »
By John Piper, at http://www.desiringgod.org, January 21, 2013    The racial world I grew up in and the one we live in today are amazingly different. Racism remains in many forms in America and around the world. But in the days of my youth the segregation was almost absolute and the defense of it
2761) “I Have Seen the Promised Land” Read More »
Image above: The death mask of Blaise Pascal  (1623-1662). Pascal, a mathematical genius and inventor, suffered from many ailments and died at the age of 39. He became a Christian as an adult, and is the author of “Pensees”, a collection of thoughts on his faith and the reasons for his conversion. This powerful prayer
2756) Praying to Make Good Use of Sickness Read More »
