This week (March 12, 2020) has been unprecedented. We have previously lived through hurricanes and floods and the associated hysteria. But I cannot recall anything to match the worldwide fear created by the Coronavirus pandemic. Just a few minutes of television, radio, or internet, and you’re convinced we are all going to die—and that thoseContinue reading “Choose Courage. Psalm 91.”
Tag Archives: Faith
Do You Still Think Like a Slave?
Remember when Moses went up the mountain and God gave him the Ten Commandments? Moses was up there for forty days. And what did the people do? They worried. They fretted about the absence of their leader and told his brother Aaron, “Come, make us a god who will go before us, because we don’tContinue reading “Do You Still Think Like a Slave?”
Have You Been Desperate for Rescue?
The people of Israel were desperate. Pharaoh was cracking the whip, forcing them to do hard work for long hours. Those who resisted endured the lashings—and then had to get back to work anyway. Pharaoh put cruel slave drivers in charge. The usual rule: be as cruel as you have to be, but don’t injureContinue reading “Have You Been Desperate for Rescue?”
Integrity Builds Courage & Wisdom.
Nothing builds COURAGE and WISDOM faster than integrity. Integrity builds courage because it requires people to do things they find frightening. Integrity builds wisdom because the good decisions it requires draw a person out of darkness and into the light. Both Job and his friends are men of integrity. (But only Job is a manContinue reading “Integrity Builds Courage & Wisdom.”
Do We Blame God When Bad Things Happen?
Job was the wealthiest man of his time, “the greatest man among all the people of the east.” He had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, and thousands of other animals, servants without number, and ten grown children he adored. Then in a single moment he lost it all—including his children. Did he blame God? Here’s theContinue reading “Do We Blame God When Bad Things Happen?”
Forgiving is Easy When You See God’s Hand.
When Joseph insists on keeping the “thief” Benjamin as his slave, Judah asks to take his place: “My father’s life is wrapped up with the boy’s life. When he sees that he is not with us, he will die…. Now please let your servant [Judah] remain here as my lord’s slave in place of theContinue reading “Forgiving is Easy When You See God’s Hand.”
Keep the Matter in Mind. Genesis 37:11.
Sometimes parenting feels like a rerun of a TV show I already watched. But more often, the themes are similar, but the stories are quite different. And the way God speaks to me about those stories is also different. When I struggled with algebra, God spoke to me and led me through the minefield. WhenContinue reading “Keep the Matter in Mind. Genesis 37:11.”
The Hopefulness of an Open Mind.
Often there are two ways to look at things, a doubting view and a view rooted in faith. And you may not know which view is correct. Can you think of one topic about which you have not made up your mind? We are uncomfortable with uncertainty. We have to KNOW, even if what weContinue reading “The Hopefulness of an Open Mind.”
Sacrifice.
What could you give up for God? God promised Abraham descendants that would outnumber the stars, and land in all directions. He called Abe his friend, and told him about Sodom and Gomorrah in advance. But in exchange, God asked a lot of the ultimate “founding father.” “Take thy son, thy only son Isaac, whomContinue reading “Sacrifice.”
Don’t Doubt in the Darkness What God Told You in the Light. Genesis 3
When you hear of a terrible, unspeakable tragedy such as a young man I’ll call Tommy who took his own life suddenly and without warning, it should remind you that we have an enemy. YOU have an enemy. And you may wonder, ‘Who am I? Why would he care about me? I’m no missionary,’ orContinue reading “Don’t Doubt in the Darkness What God Told You in the Light. Genesis 3”
Household Words: 