Question: Last month, I thought I was having a heart attack. My pulse was racing, my palms were sweating, and I started breathing heavily, as if I were going to pass out. I went to the hospital, and they said my heart was fine—what I had experienced was a panic attack. Now I have anxiety […]
Read MoreTag Archives: Philippians
Unwrap Joy This Christmas
We sing a lot about “joy” each December. Have you noticed? We’ll offer “tidings of comfort and joy,” and we’ll join our voices on carols with titles like, “How Great Our Joy!” and “Joy to the World!” There’s just one problem. We aren’t joyful. Oh, we sing the songs and sip the hot chocolate and […]
Read MoreWhat Do We Tell the Children?
How do we explain to children that Christmas signifies God drawing near to His people? By example is a great place to start. Young children in particular don’t work so well with ideas in abstract form. They take things very literally. Much better to show them from things they already know. Get down on the […]
Read MoreSurrounded by Our Gods
When the Apostle Paul arrived in Athens he caught the attention of the local brain trust. As was his habit, on arriving he sought out the synagogue to proclaim first to the Jews that their Messiah had come, died, and defeated death itself. But his spirit was troubled in that great city (Acts 17:16). When […]
Read MorePeace that Exceeds Understanding
Peace. Whisper the word to yourself and you can almost feel your heart relax. When you’re at peace, you feel an inner confidence that things are not running wild—regardless of the circumstances. Your mind is at rest. Your heart doesn’t flutter with anxiety. Your focus is clear. But far too often, peace is like that […]
Read MoreIt Takes Grace to Get Along
In Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, joy is one of the main themes, along with perseverance and hope. These make Philippians one of the best-loved of the New Testament letters. Quarrels don’t readily spring to mind. But chapter four specifically names two women who were at odds. Paul names them, and recruits help […]
Read MoreFollow Me
The tension has been building for many years. The rhetoric has gradually been increasing after each of the last several local and national elections. But at the start of 2016, we began to hear from our elected MPs on what they believed was best for Great Britain as a referendum vote was called for by […]
Read MoreLaughter and Tears—Generously Given
Have you ever had one of those experiences where joy welled up so deeply inside that you laughed and cried at the same time? You know what I mean—when joy is so overwhelming that your emotions span the extremes. You don’t know whether to giggle or shed a tear. You fight to hold the emotions […]
Read MorePrayer – Letting Your Compass Rest
Did you know that a compass needle is just a little magnet that aligns itself with the much larger magnetic field of the earth? What’s more, you can confuse and distract a compass needle by bringing another magnet near. The distracting pull of something like a fridge magnet drags the compass needle off its true […]
Read MoreThe Problem With Prayer
For many, there appears to be a problem with prayer. “It’s a one-way conversation.” “It doesn’t seem to work.” “God takes too long to answer.” “God does what He wants anyway.” Crushed between the mortar and pestle of life, it’s easy to think there’s a serious problem with prayer: God. When God doesn’t answer according […]
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