It hit a little too close, news that friends in China have been arrested under the guise of stealing secrets from the Chinese government. Ridiculous! Our friends aren’t interested in Chinese government secrets but they did have a mission there and they were doing it successfully – helping to build the kingdom of heaven. Last …
Have you ever noticed how often food is mentioned in the Bible? It starts with a healthy dose of fruit in the Garden of Eden. Then there’s Esau who sells his birthright for a pot of stew. Before the Exodus from Egypt the Jews ate lamb and unleavened bread. They were headed to the land …
God loves all people equally but not all people love him back in the same way. The Bible is filled with stories about individuals who sought to go it alone without God’s guidance. We might sometimes wonder why sinful people and their behavior is included in Scripture. But I think their stories are told to …
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito.” I love summertime in Canada but hate those little mosquitos. I can’t remember how many nights I have gotten up, turned on a light and searched for that single mosquito that was making my sleep …
Even for those who aren’t fans of the World Cup it is hard to escape today’s headlines about last night’s game between Germany and Brazil. In a sport that usually sees low scores a 7-1 outcome means it was painful and embarrassing for one of the teams. The silence we hear is the nation of …
Was Jesus ever frustrated with people? He was. He was frustrated by the attitude of many in his day who couldn’t or wouldn’t hear the truth no matter how it was presented. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day felt they had everything figured out about God. They weren’t going to listen to anyone who didn’t …
Last week a young man broke into a house in Minnesota. He stole cash, credit cards and the man’s watch. Then, seeing that the computer was on, he logged into his Facebook account and forgot to log off. That’s how they caught him. His next status update will have to be from prison. I once …
John Rockefeller once explained the secret of success – ‘Get up early, work late – and strike oil.’ I’m sure we’d all like to be able to follow that advice. There’s a story about a widow who lived in the days before there was any social assistance or welfare but she struck oil in a …
When Narvaez, the Spanish explorer, lay dying, his father-confessor asked him whether he had forgiven all his enemies. Narvaez looked astonished and said, “Father, I have no enemies, I have shot them all.” Well that’s one way to deal with your problems – but not one that’s recommended. It seems we don’t go too many …
So here’s a challenging verse: “Do everything without grumbling or arguing.” (Philippians 2:14) My first reaction is to qualify Paul’s words “do everything” so that I can have some wiggle room here to grumble and complain about the things I don’t like. Paul doesn’t really mean ‘do everything’ without grumbling does he? Unfortunately he does. …