Yesterday I told you about my days in a Marine Corps Quonset hut in Okinawa in 1958. It was an intense time living among those whose lifestyle I found nauseating and empty. I can trace the acceptance of my circumstance and the shift of my focus to a single verse of Scripture. When I happened upon it, it seemed to leap from the page.
Read MoreCategory Archives: Encouragement & Healing
The Turning Point, Part One
I remember it well. Almost as clearly as if it happened last month. But it didn’t. It happened deep in the summer of ’58. I was a Marine. Almost eight thousand miles of ocean between me and my wife. One-word descriptions of my condition? Disillusioned. Stretched. Learning. Lonely. Determined. Sincere. Uncertain. Afraid.
Read MoreWhy Do We Suffer?
Of all the letters Paul wrote, 2 Corinthians is the most autobiographical. In it the great apostle lifts the veil of his private life and allows us to catch a glimpse of his human frailties and needs. You need to read that letter in one sitting to capture the moving emotion that surged through his soul. It is in this letter alone that he records the specifics of his anguish, tears, affliction, and satanic opposition.
Read MoreWalking on Waves: Experiencing Joy in Difficult Times
Is it possible to experience joy even when your world is crumbling? When the doctor diagnoses you with a serious disease? When someone you love dies? When you lose a job, hit the wall financially, endure mistreatment? Some people try hiding their heartache behind a mask of happiness. When a friend asks, “How are you […]
Read MoreAccept God’s Forgiveness
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 Today I want to write to you who have had an abortion. I hope my words will help you. I also write to you who have aided in an abortion medically . . . or have encouraged someone you love […]
Read MoreAt Work in the Womb
Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast. I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born. Psalm 22:9–10 The psalmist writes that the Lord has been his God forever, even from his […]
Read MoreIn the Image of God
Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” So God created human beings in his own […]
Read MoreA Biblical Basis for Issues at Hand
You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 Timothy 3:1 Much has already been written on sanctity and morality. The logic and the conclusions make good sense. What concerns me, however, is not what is stated but what is left unsaid. There is technical data from […]
Read MoreBe Armed with Facts and Courage
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 An enormous amount of emotion swirls in the abortion arena, as it has for decades. In light of conflicting voices on the horizon and the undeniable reality that the issue isn’t going away and […]
Read MoreFrom My Heart to Yours
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12 During my decades as a pastor, I have been directly in touch with the needs of people. Refusing to remain […]
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