America once elected a president who was an excellent speaker. He was good at explaining his beliefs about government, and would tell a joke now and then to keep you listening. People called him the “Great Communicator” and his enemies marveled at the way he could get his message out no matter how journalists fromContinue reading “Governance: How Will You Decide For Whom to Vote? Jeremiah 22:3.”
Author Archives: Steven Wales
Is it a Leap of Faith or a LEAN of Faith?
Remember the leap of faith scene in INDIANA JONES: THE LAST CRUSADE? Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) finds himself facing a chasm no man could cross, time is running out, he checks his book of clues, and realizes what he is looking at. “It’s a leap of faith,” he says to himself. John Williams’ violins swell.Continue reading “Is it a Leap of Faith or a LEAN of Faith?”
God Will Bless You During Judgment. Jeremiah 17:7-8.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I listened to a Christian speaker who argued God was sending judgment beginning with Covid-19. It put me in a dark mood. But when I look back at 2020, I have to admit God blessed our family. Bad things happened, but we were not sick or hungry or impoverished. I didContinue reading “God Will Bless You During Judgment. Jeremiah 17:7-8.”
You Can Only Trust Your Heart Sometimes. Jeremiah 17:9.
Novelists wrestle with a constant struggle: how do you balance action with heart? Books and movies often open with car chases and gunfights, but it takes only a minute or two before audiences ask ‘Who am I supposed to root for? Why do I care about them? Who ARE these people?’ Action without heart feelsContinue reading “You Can Only Trust Your Heart Sometimes. Jeremiah 17:9.”
EAT YOUR DINNER. Jeremiah 15:16.
How many times a day do you eat? How many meals and snacks? Do you open the refrigerator and stare into the cold, waiting for inspiration? At night, my children trail in and out of the kitchen, often leaving with a snack hidden in the upstage hand, not wishing to discuss that third popsicle. ImagineContinue reading “EAT YOUR DINNER. Jeremiah 15:16.”
COME TO THE FEAST! Jeremiah 15:16.
We know hunger and thirst. Most Americans do not know hunger the way the world’s truly poor know it. But everyone has been hungry. Can you remember the last time? Can you remember the satisfaction of finally eating? Bible readers over the centuries have known hunger well, living through wars and famines, and in desertsContinue reading “COME TO THE FEAST! Jeremiah 15:16.”
Feed Yourself the Word of God: Eat Every Day. Jeremiah 15:16
Are you consuming the Word of God? Ask yourself—are you feeding your spirit, or letting it starve? You have to eat every day. Your words were found and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart, for I am called by your name. Jeremiah 15:16. Key verseContinue reading “Feed Yourself the Word of God: Eat Every Day. Jeremiah 15:16”
Fastened at the Waist. Jeremiah 13:11.
Christians discuss circumcision and giggle. We read that “testify” comes from “testicle” because of the practice of swearing on the loins, as when Abraham told his servant to “place your hand under my thigh and swear,” Genesis 24:9—and again we giggle. Our understanding is so OVERWHELMED by the sexualization of our culture, we are unableContinue reading “Fastened at the Waist. Jeremiah 13:11.”
How Can We Know Anything About God? Jeremiah 15:16.
Today I found myself engaged in an online conversation about particle physics. My friend Jim wrote that 99% of matter is nothing, and because God is everywhere, God is 99% nothing. First, I attempted to correct his physics—because though space is mostly nothingness, matter itself is never nothing. But I’ve had discussions like this withContinue reading “How Can We Know Anything About God? Jeremiah 15:16.”
Never Say Never. Jeremiah 10:23.
Conversations about the future often end with the cliché: Never say ‘never.’ It’s true: you never know what is going to happen. Sometimes things go exactly as planned; often they do not. God has a way of interrupting our plans. Never say ‘never.’ During my childhood a few things were clear: I could not sitContinue reading “Never Say Never. Jeremiah 10:23.”
Household Words: 