Last week I fulfilled a lifelong dream to visit Vietnam. Flying into Ho Chi Minh City brought back a mixture of memories from my childhood that are still firmly etched in my mind… They say that the dreams and ambitions you have as a child are a glimpse into your life’s passions. I’ve often thought this to be true. The first ambition I remember having as a child was to be a veterinarian. While I do not think I would have particularly enjoyed having to remove socks, coins and half-finished homework assignments from the stomachs ….
The moment you enter the Valley of Shadow of Death, things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious, and soft… The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger, shocks, reversals, triumphs and epiphanies. – Tony Snow, “Cancer’s Unexpected Blessings” A man cannot get courage on his own. Left to his own, man is afraid. Personally, I cannot make risk if I have no concept of God. It is because I know that my God is sovereign and that God is with me that I take the risks I take. I ….
by Ron Miller | Posted onMonday, April 16th, 2012| Tags: baseball, children, faith, fervor, Gary Carter, kid, Ron Miller, The Kid, zeal |no responses When I was young I wanted to grow up so quickly. Now that I am older, I don’t want to rush the aging process so much. Even though I love the wisdom you gain as the gray hairs increase in your head, I do not enjoy the physical challenges of getting older. As we mature in age, we should no longer participate in the immature and foolish behavior we tend to engage in when we are young. 1 Corinthians 13:11 says: “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a ….
by Rice Broocks | Posted onSaturday, February 25th, 2012| Tags: atheism, atheist, christianity, engage, faith, hitchens, john lennox, latty taunton, rice broocks, william lane craig |no responses (Note: Pastor Rice wrote this post on December 21, 2011) The death of outspoken atheist Christopher Hitchens last week was mourned by both believer and non-believer alike. There was something about this man that people loved – even those whose faith he tried to destroy. He wrote how “religion ruins everything” – pointing out excesses in various religious practices that were wrong. His attacks, for the most part, were drastically biased and philosophically flawed - yet at times were justified, especially when pointing out extremists blindly following ideologies that produced terror and death. Yet, he met very ….
by Steve Murrell | Posted onMonday, February 20th, 2012| Tags: faith, grace, new way, old way, service, serving, steve, Steve Murrell, wsm |no responses There are basically two ways to serve God: 1. “The Old Way of the Written Code” (Human effort, good works, religious duty) 2. “The New Way of the Spirit” (Grace, faith, power of the Holy Spirit) Paul, a very religious man, finally figured out he had spent his entire life serving God the old way, living by the written code. He then tried to explain his new revelation to the Romans. “We have been released from the law so that we serve in the NEW WAY OF THE SPIRIT, and not in the OLD WAY ….
James 2:20 says. “But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” The recipe for the salvation experience combines forgiveness of sin, repentance from sin & faith toward God. It is as simple as it is sure… follow the instructions & a relationship with God begins. “Begins”, is the operative word. The unknowing wrongly assume that once the prayer of salvation is prayed, nothing more needs to be done. How sad! Our faith must be evidenced by our good works lest while we abide here, it be rendered useless. ….
Reading Romans on my early morning Nashville to Minneapolis to Calgary flight… (I hate early morning flights!) In chapter 2 Paul writes about what many modern preachers are afraid to talk about: JUDGMENT. Sorry, but the J word is all over the Bible, so we can’t just ignore it and hope it is edited out of the next translation. We must preach it, teach it, tweet it, blog it, prepare for it, and help others prepare for it. Romans 2 teaches us four facts about God as Judge and about Judgment Day. 1. No Excuses ….
D.A. Carson: If I have learned anything in 35 or 40 years of teaching, it is that students don’t learn everything I teach them. What they learn is what I am excited about, the kinds of things I emphasize again and again and again and again. That had better be the gospel. If the gospel—even when you are orthodox—becomes something which you primarily assume, but what you are excited about is what you are doing in some sort of social reconstruction, you will be teaching the people that you influence that the gospel really isn’t ….
I hate fasting but, I do it anyway. For as long as I remember I have started my year with a week of prayer, fasting and consecration. Here’s a blog I wrote a few years ago that explains why I fast… ——————– When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be ….
(Editor’s Note: Myra Watkins, our missionary in Ukraine, wrote this on January 2, 2011.) As we celebrated the New Year at Maidan (Independence Square) in Kiev with thousands of jubilant people I thought if the euphoric hope for a better year could be bottled and sold on grim days it would significantly boost the economy. But wishes and good cheer do not lead to improvement. After the countdown to the new year, the clock keeps on ticking and we find ourselves going somewhere in life – good or bad. We can’t stand there forever in ….
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