(continued…) When I was a child, it never would have occurred to me to be afraid of God. After all, every week at Sunday School in the old church basement we sang “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” But the more I have seen of the world and […]
3104) God’s Christmas Surprise for Us (2/2) Read More »
Above left: Clarence Oddbody, George Bailey’s guardian angel ————————– In Luke 1:26-38 an angel of the Lord appeared to Mary to tell her that she, a virgin, would be giving birth to Jesus, the Son of God, whose ‘kingdom will never end.’ In verse thirty, the angel says to Mary,
3103) God’s Christmas Surprise for Us (1/2) Read More »
Funeral for a young man killed after a driver did not stop for a red light. Just ten days ago today, Rick woke up to a normal morning on a normal day. He dressed for work, had breakfast, kissed Kathy good-bye, got in the car, and headed to the office. He had a green
2937) Looking for Help Read More »
(…continued) Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Free from fear, for one thing. The truth of God’s Word does indeed speak to all of our fears. In fact, one of the most often repeated phrases in the whole Bible is that simple little command, ‘Fear not,’ or,
2645) Facing Your Fears (b) Read More »
Are you afraid of snakes? How about mice, or bats, or spiders? If you are, you probably do know that here in Minnesota it is quite irrational to fear any of those things. We have no poisonous snakes or spiders in this area; and while mice and bats may carry disease, it is
2644) Facing Your Fears (a) Read More »
By Randy Alcorn, posted January 20, 2014, at: http://www.epm.org ————————————— The Greek word for worry means literally “to divide the mind.” The worried mind is a torn, and therefore worn, mind… Ironically, much of our worry is unrealistic. We “catastrophize” by making the worst of situations and anticipating the worst possible outcome. Montaigne, the
2268) Dealing With Worry Read More »
“My Wife’s Response to the Coronavirus Was So Irritating (At First)” by Joshua Rogers, blogging at Finding God in the Ordinary, March 12, 2020, at: http://www.joshuarogers.com ——————————————- The headline was ominous: “School now closed after parent tested positive for coronavirus.” I clicked on it, curious to see which school it was. To my
2267) Time to Panic? Read More »
By William Willimon After a devastating hurricane, all of the power had been out for the past three days. It was hot, humid, and miserable during the day. But it was frightening at night. Rumors were that there had been much looting. Robberies had taken place because there was no electricity, no way
2173) Friend or Foe? Read More »
By Joshua Rogers, November 11, 2018 at: http://www.joshuarogers.com ————————- “What is wrong with you?” my wife asked. I was cranky, snippy, and easily annoyed – by her, by my daughters, by the universe. I knew why, but I didn’t want to talk about it. “I’m fine,” I snapped back. I wasn’t fine. I was panicking
2105) Safe in Any Kind of Storm Read More »
I once heard of a church called the “Community Church of Joy.” Churches used to be named after saints, like St. John’s or St. Paul’s; or, after our Lord, like Christ Lutheran, or Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. But it’s a relatively recent development to name a church after an emotion. There is nothing bad about the word joy, and nothing wrong with being joyful. One would
2091) Be Not Afraid Read More »
