The Bible is a fascinating collage of story and song, wisdom and rules, promises and prophecy, letters and news and history, and so much more. All of it is God’s Word, an assorted composition that touches the ordinary and extraordinary of life. Mysteriously united by the Holy Spirit, it is God’s transforming revelation to us. …
Tag: Bible
The Other Way
It’s been a busy summer of traveling. Road trips over the last three months have taken me, and the family, on ministry adventures to Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Illinois, Missouri, and North Dakota. It was fun and rewarding, but put more miles in our old Pontiac than I care to count. A constant companion on these…
What Should I Do?
A friend, a loved one, a church member has strayed off course, going their own way, neglecting or rejecting the good they’ve known. How can I help? What should I do? Every pastor, parent, and person will at some point be faced with this challenge. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve asked these questions…
When I’m Weak
My friend Scott has Parkinson’s disease. He is only in his fifties, but the tremors are getting bad. Recently, Scott went to New York City to explore alternative treatments. When he returned, we visited — mainly about his strange encounter at New York’s LaGuardia airport. As Scott made his way to the United Airlines terminal,…
Take Care!
I live in a rural and fairly homogenous Midwest community, but recently I learned that a close-knit community book club was close to folding over the cultural and political strife gripping the nation. Increasingly among friends and neighbors, cracks of disagreement are yawning into canyons of division. Without resorting to all the outrage posts all…
The Biggest Little Word
The first Bible verse I recall memorizing was Romans 8:28. It wasn’t my doing. I was only 6 or 7 years old and attending a weeklong church conference with my family. A lady named Dorothy was in charge of the children’s ministry that week. We worked hard — with Dorothy’s unwavering patience and guidance —…
The Rock and the Roller Coaster
I like roller coasters, but I like rocks better. Every now and then (admittedly less often as the years pass) I find myself getting on a roller coaster to be lifted and plunged, tossed and turned. It’s thrilling. Scary — but safe-scary. I am buckled in tight, riding on a short, predictable track, then the…
Thoughts on Thorns: The Problem of Pain
C. S. Lewis is one of the greatest Christian authors who ever lived. Many know his name connected to works like The Chronicles of Narnia. But maybe fewer people know that Lewis also wrote about pain, based on some of his personal losses in early childhood. Lewis begins his book The Problem of Pain with…
Why You Need the Bible
by John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) Don’t let anyone make excuses like these: “I’m too busy with politics.” “I’ve got this or that public duty to fulfill.” “I’m a skilled worker. I must get on with my job.” “I’ve a wife and children to feed; I must provide for my family.” In other words, “I’m…
What’s So Good about the Good Book
by Sherri Langton Internet, CD-ROMs, PowerPoint, e-mail. In our high-tech society, who needs a book with characters traveling by foot and drawing water from wells? Actually, we all do. Time was when most people pretty much knew God because they read about Him in the Bible. And they took seriously the truth they read….