When Mary and Joseph began their journey southward to Bethlehem, they probably thought they had time to make the trip, register for the census, and then return home to Nazareth before the baby would be born.
Read MoreTag Archives: Luke
The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came
Take a trip out of time and space. With the help of your imagination, let yourself be pulled from the gravity of this planet and move into the space beyond the earth’s dimension—that mysterious realm where angels dwell.
Read MoreThe Reality of Hell
A particular story Jesus once told comes to my mind every time I think of life after death. Because it is descriptive and brief, we are able to get a fairly uncomplicated picture in our minds of this subject of hell.
Read MoreIs Fatigue Next to Godliness?
Now here’s a rhyme I’ll never understand: Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, where have you been? / I’ve been to London to look at the queen. / Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, what did you there? / I frightened a little mouse under the chair.
Read MoreTwo Perspectives on Stress
There is an old Greek motto that says: YOU WILL BREAK THE BOW IF YOU KEEP IT ALWAYS BENT. Wise words, but how do we loosen the strings? Even when we make every effort to slow down and relax, others place high demands on us. Their “shoulds” and “oughts” and “musts” hit us like strong gusts of wind, driving our lives onto shallow reefs of frustration—and even despair.
Read MorePersistence, Part Two
Yesterday, we focused on Philippians 1:6, noting that God “who began a good work . . . will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” And, since we are to be “imitators of God” (Ephesians 5:1), it seems to me we oughta be about the business of persistence. It sure is easy to bail out theologically. You know, the age-old sovereignty cop-out. “If God wants such-and-such to happen, He’s gonna have to do it all.
Read MoreGetting Involved, Part One
Kitty Genovese was brutally attacked as she returned to her apartment late one night. She screamed and shrieked as she fought for her life . . . yelling until she was hoarse . . . for thirty minutes . . . as she was beaten and abused. Thirty-eight people watched the half-hour episode from their windows with rapt fascination. Not one so much as walked over to the telephone and called the police. Kitty died that night as thirty-eight witnesses stared in silence.
Read MoreOperational Arrival
MERRY CHRISTMAS! Lost in the wonder of it all, I believe a little child upon my knee would whisper simple words of advice up close to my ear. Let’s slow down. The special joy of Christmas is spending extra hours with folks you love. That takes time. Rather than talking about how much we’d like to make it happen, why not slow down and do it?
Read MoreThe First Christmas Eve
IN 1818, a roving band of actors was performing in towns throughout the Austrian Alps. Their performance on a starry December night in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria, impacted local pastor Joseph Mohr as the words of the Christ story remained in his heart. On his walk home, Mohr traveled up a longer path home, which took him up a hill overlooking the village.
Read MoreDetermination
When Jesus tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God,” the very word “seek” implies a strong-minded pursuit. J. B. Phillips paraphrases the idea with “set your heart on.” The Amplified Bible says, “Aim at and strive after.” The Greek text of Matthew’s Gospel states a continual command: “Keep on continually seeking . . . .” The thought is determination, which I define as “deciding to hang tough, regardless.”
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