John 6:1-13: Â Â Â Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee, and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. Â Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. Â The Jewish Passover […]
535) The Bread of Life (part one) Read More »
Painting above:Â Winslow Homer (1836-1910) The Veteran in a New Field (1865) ******************************* From The Book of Virtues, by William Bennett, 1993, pages 774-5. Our understanding of God’s creation is imperfect, so our faith must fill in the gaps, as this old Jewish folktale reminds us. Â Â Â Once there were two young brothers who
517) We Understand So Little Read More »
From a sermon by Dwight L. Moody: Â Â Â I thank God my salvation don’t rest upon my feelings. Â I thank God my hope is not centered on my feelings. Â If it was, it would be a very treacherous thing. Â I would be very hopeful one day and cast down the next day. Â I would
479) Trust in God’s Word, Not in Your Feelings Read More »
By Johann Gerhard (1582-1637), a German Lutheran pastor and professor of theology.  He wrote dozens of books, including Sacred Meditations, a collection of 51 meditations published in 1606.  This piece was taken from the chapter 29 of that book.    An angel fell even in the presence of God.  Adam and Eve fell into sin
439) False Security Read More »
   Sarah Weinstein was 11 years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked.  Sarah, an American, was living in the Philippines where her father was working.  Japan was on a mission to conquer and rule all of Southeast Asia, and now, since America’s Pacific fleet was destroyed at Pearl Harbor, an invasion of the Philippines
335) Mere Words on a Page? Read More »
The primary part of today’s meditation is from Randy Alcorn’s blog on January 20, 2014, entitled Three Things We Can Do to Deal with Worry (see:  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
286) Don’t Worry, Be Happy Read More »
   (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 »
By Mark D. Roberts, Daily Reflections from http://www.thehighcalling.org (2-6-11 meditation; adapted)    Self-reliance is quintessentially American.  Our heroes are those who found strength in themselves to accomplish greatness.  They didn’t depend on others…  In 1841, the American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson published his seminal essay on “Self-Reliance.”  He wrote:  “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates
194) Avoiding the Trap of Self-Reliance 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 »
