(continued…) Bill had lived a blessed life. In high school he was a good student and star athlete, and he then did well in college. He enlisted and went to Vietnam where he served with distinction. He returned to his small town a hero. He took over his dad’s farm, the biggest in […]
240) What’s the Good Word? (part two) Read More »
My first church was in a small town in northwest North Dakota. Folks there prided themselves on being loyal, fair, and honest. One of the farmers told me about how large business dealings would often be agreed on and guaranteed with nothing more than a handshake. He then added, “If a person in
239) What’s the Good Word? (part one) Read More »
From Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis …Among the Jews there suddenly turns up a man who goes about talking as if He was God. He claims to forgive sins. He says He has always existed. He says He is coming to judge the world at the end of time. Now let us
189) Was Jesus Only a Great Teacher? Read More »
(…continued) This is powerfully seen in the story of the three men in the fiery furnace in the Old Testament book of Daniel. Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar had created a huge statue of himself and commanded that everyone in the kingdom bow down and worship it. Three of the king’s most trusted servants, Shadrach, Meshach, and
160) Testing/Trusting (part two) Read More »
Life is filled with tests. If you want to drive a car, you have to take a test. If you want to get a job, you often have to take a test to see if you qualify. And of course the school years are full of tests. And these tests usually measure either
159) Testing/Trusting (part one) Read More »
Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Jesus tells us in this verse that he knows who his sheep are; he knows who belongs to him. But how about you? Do you know if you are one of those sheep? Do you know if you
141) Hearing the Voice of Jesus Read More »
(continued…) How did the young couple with the child born blind respond to Pastor John’s letter? They quit coming to church. This reaction was not to the letter in particular, but to the God of whom the letter spoke. The father said later that he still believed in God, and believed that God
70) Only in This Life (part two) Read More »
Around the world there have been many different rites of passage by which boys would become men. In one Native American tribe the young braves were given a test of courage. A 13-year-old boy, on the verge of manhood, would be awakened during the night and led blindfolded out of the camp. When
61) Believing Without Seeing Read More »
Charlotte Eliot was born in England in 1789. Her parents were wealthy, and for 20-some years she lived a care-free, fun-filled life. Then, she was struck with a crippling disease, and by her early 30’s she was a bedridden invalid. She became depressed, bitter, and angry at God. She would often be rude
57) Just As I Am, Without One Plea Read More »
From C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity: Faith, in the sense in which I am here using the word, is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods. For moods will change, whatever view your reason takes. I know that by experience. Now
3) Faith in Training Read More »
