Songless Saints

I was on a scriptural safari. Prowling through the Ephesian letter, I was tracking an elusive, totally unrelated verse when God’s sharp sword flashed, suddenly slicing me to the core. . . . speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians […]

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Relating-With Our Friends

The passage in Genesis 2 is so familiar. After God made man, He observed a need inside that life, a nagging loneliness that Adam couldn’t shake. Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18) As a fulfilment […]

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In Defence of the Helpless

The church of the twenty-first century needs to awaken from its moral slumber. In this age of “enlightenment,” we have been taught to be tolerant. We have gone soft on the exposition of the Scriptures. We have learned to ignore sin rather than deal with it. We have adopted the flawed notion that God’s grace […]

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Hidden Heroes

Up-front heroes are often seen as being larger than life. Overstated. That’s unfortunate. Because they are public figures, folks think of them as broad-shouldered giants who can leap tall buildings in a single bound. They are thought of as superpeople possessing endless strength, limitless vision, relentless determination, effortless skills, and matchless charisma. Their courage is […]

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A Sheltering Tree

Shortly before his death, Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote Youth and Age in which he reflected over his past and the strength of his earlier years. To me, the most moving line in this quaint work is the statement: “Friendship is a sheltering tree. . . .” How true . . . how terribly true! When […]

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The Freedom of Forgiving

Have you been hurt so deeply that you feel trapped by the pain? Living with the memories of the offense feels like you’re locked in a stone fortress. Roaming the dark hallways, you search for an escape from the looming images of betrayal that line the walls. No way out appears, save one—the way of […]

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Humility Has a Selective Memory

“Forgetting what is behind” (Philippians 3:13 NIV) is a statement that assures us that Paul was not the type to live in the past. He says, in effect, “I disregard my own accomplishments as well as others’ offenses against me. I refuse to dwell on that.” This requires humility, especially so when you examine Paul’s […]

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How to Stop Expecting Perfection

Not being a bumper-sticker freak, I find myself turned off by most of the stuff people announce on rear windows and back bumpers. But years ago I noticed one I’ve never forgotten. For some reason, it stuck in my cranium as firmly as on chrome. You’ve seen it dozens of times: CHRISTIANS ARE NOT PERFECT, […]

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It’s Not About You

I need to underscore a foundational fact: God’s goal is not to make sure you’re happy. No matter how hard it is for you to believe this, it’s time to do so. Life is not about your being comfortable and happy and successful and pain free. It’s about becoming the man or woman God has […]

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