Hebrews 4:14-16 Increasing My Confidence in My Conversation with God All Christians struggle with two crucial areas that will make or break us in the Christian life: perseverance in times of trial; and, prayer. As you know, they are connected. A vital prayer life is essential to endure trials. In other words, in order to endure difficult time, I need to build my confidence as a Christian. Prayer is essential to building my faith. But what if I don’t have... Read more
I Will Remind People of God’s Love January 1, 2017 Year A Isaiah 63:7-9 It’s another New Year’s Day. Typically, people make resolutions for the new year. They make a plan about bad habits to quit, weight to lose, and projects to complete. I have none of these. Instead, I have one thing I plan to do more of this year: I plan to remind people more about God’s love. Isaiah says that he will make known God’s faithful love... Read more
The Comforting Ways of God December 28, 2016 Year A Isaiah 49:13-23 The writer of Isaiah states that everyone should shout for joy because God has comforted His people and He will have compassion on them (Isaiah 49:13). Then the people (noted by the word Zion) state: God has abandoned and forgotten me (Isaiah 49:14). Zion brings up an important reality. It’s easy to imagine that God has abandoned and forgotten me. We may feel at times that God is... Read more
#PrayforCarrie – Sharing Prayer Requests in the Digital Age A long time ago in a galaxy far far away there lived a princess. Today, the lady who played Princess Leia Organa Solo in the Star Wars saga, Carrie Fisher, died today at the age of 60. Fisher had a heart attack on a plane flight from London to Los Angeles four days ago. She was rushed to a hospital where she was placed in intensive care. While Fisher was in... Read more
Psalm 84:1-12 Enjoying The Presence of God This Christmas A true story is told of Mendelssohn, the great composer and musician. He went to a cathedral in Europe. They had just bought a new organ. The guy whose charge it was to take care of the organ didn’t recognize the talented musician. Mendelssohn said, “Sir, may I please play this organ?” The caretaker of the organ said, “Oh no! This is our brand-new organ. We can’t just allow anyone to... Read more
Isaiah 61:1-3 Proclaiming God’s Favor This Christmas One major effect of the commercialization of Christmas is that every year the gap between Christmas and Thanksgiving seems to grow smaller. It is common now to hear Christmas carols in early December; by this time many people have not only bought but have also decorated their trees; Christmas parties abound in offices and places of business. Virtually the only place where one does not see Christmas cribs and hear Christmas carols is... Read more
#IStandWithMoore Against SBC Hypocrisy #IStandWithMoore is a hashtag for those who support Dr. Russell Moore. I am proud to be one of them. Dr. Moore has recently come under fire because of statements he made about Donald Trump during the election. Dr. Moore has correctly criticized the religious right for supporting a man who does not support the values of the religious right. He has been a prophetic voice during the 2016 election season and I applaud him for it. The... Read more
Top Ten Events of the Year 2016 I have compiled the top ten events of the year 2016 below. I believe the following ten events are the ten most significant events of the year. 10. The Death of Supreme Court Judge Antonin Scalia The death of one of the stalwarts of the conservative group of judges created a vacuum that has still not been resolved. The Republican Congress has refused to confirm President Obama’s choice. Scalia’s death may have led... Read more
Reclaiming Your Story by Merle R. Jordan Reclaiming Your Story by Merle R. Jordan is about as the subtitle states: family history and spiritual growth. The central premise of the book is that (1): “deep spiritual transformation may occur when you have differentiated from your family of origin so that you harbor no ultimate loyalties that would block a total commitment to God in Christ.” Jordan offers his spiritual biography as an example of one person who has “reclaimed his... Read more
James 5:7-12 Exercising My Patience During the Christmas Season During the Christmas, many of us are not a patient people. A survey1 of 1,003 adults done in 2006 by the Associated Press and Ipsos discovered the following: • While waiting in line at an office or store, most people take an average of seventeen minutes to lose their patience. • On hold on the phone most people lose their patience in nine minutes. • Women lost their patience after waiting... Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In