Archive for 'Uncategorized'

The big fish in the biblical book of Jonah is just a detour in the drama. The British preacher G. Campbell Morgan (1863 –1945) once said, “Men have been looking so hard at the great fish that they have failed to see the great God.” Unlike the self-willed prophet Jonah, the big fish was simply following God’s command. The main character in Jonah is Yahweh, the God of Israel. Here’s a short list of twenty lessons we learn about ...

My wife and I purchased a small devise with an amazing capacity to direct us to wherever we want to go on the map. It’s called a GPS (Global Positioning System) and our friends say, “It’s about time!” Okay, it’s also about space. Anyhow, I will miss the sheer pleasure of having to stop and ask strangers for directions.

Welcome to the 21st century! We’ve come a long way from having to, as Paul said, “Walk by faith, not by ...

Boaz lived in the 12th century BC in Bethlehem, a town later known as “the city of David,” Boaz’ great-grandson. He is introduced in the book of Ruth as a relative of Elimelech. a man who died as a refugee in Moab. Boaz was a “man of great wealth,” though a better translation may be “a man of high standing.”

After a long absence, Elimelech’s widow (Naomi) returned to Bethlehem from Moab with a widowed daughter-in-law named Ruth. Naomi had ...

A backpack full of essentials is a burden most wilderness hikers will gladly bear. Okay, perhaps the word “bear” was poor choice.

When I pack a backpack, about one ounce of that forty-pound burden is likely to be zip-lock bags. As one sets out on the trail, these bags serve to separate breakfasts from lunches and dinners. Others contain lotions, pills, Band-Aids, plastic spoons, and tooth-care products. If a lotion container cracks or spills, the zip-lock bag contains the mess from ...

In the best Farwell Address by an American President since George Washington, on January 11, 1989, President Ronald Reagan admonished us to teach American history to our children, saying, “If we forget what we did, we won’t know who we are.” Then he cast his enduring vision of America as that “shining city upon a hill,” a phrase first used by Jesus and first applied to America by John Winthrop in 1630.

The Man:

John Winthrop (1587-1649) was married ...

Jesus is cool. Everybody likes Him, including pop-culture icons:

• I don’t think there is anything wrong with the teachings of Jesus, but I am suspicious of organized religion. (Madonna, entertainer, b. 1958).
• I’m a big fan of Jesus. But I’m not a big fan of those who work for him. (Bill Mahr, comedian and critic, b. 1956).

Evangelical Christian author Dan Kimball wrote a book on Millennials titled, They Like Jesus But Not the Church. Kimball likes Jesus too, but he added, ...

Both Christianity and Islam believe sin is real and deadly, incurring the wrath of a deity who punishes it. Both demand repentance and look to a merciful deity for forgiveness.

Murder, theft, adultery, apostasy, and witchcraft are considered pernicious sins in Islam, but the worst sin is idolatry. Thus, “idolater” is the worst name you could call a Muslim. All the above are sins for Christians too, but considering Jesus’ teaching on love as God’s greatest commandment, the worst thing ...

“In the end, they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us:
‘Make us your slaves, but feed us.’”

Fydor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamozov (1880), book V, chapter 5.

A Brief Visitation:

According to the story-teller, the Lord appeared to a “tortured, suffering people, sunk in iniquity, but loving Him like children.” He arrived the day after a hundred heretics, for the glory of God, had been burned at the stake by the Grand Inquisitor (GI).

They flocked ...

The creative hand of God was at work when you were formed in your mother’s womb. He was creating your inmost being as well as your body. Listen to the Psalmist:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:13-14).

This not only affirms the sanctity of human life; it also declares high praise for our ...

“Is not wisdom found among the aged?
Does not long life bring understanding?”
(Job 12:12)

In this life, it takes time to get your head together. That’s why older people can be a goldmine of experience and wisdom. The problem is, once they get their head on straight, their body begins to unwind.

Nursing homes and assisted living residences are filled with heads and hearts of gold. It is worth your while to visit them. Here are a few reasons why: ...