The Pharisee knew the rules. He went to the temple to pray and looked down on the tax collector who was also praying. The Pharisee rejoiced before God that he was not like the tax collector.
Read More
Reflecting on the face of Mary, the mother of God, is a takeaway for me after a recent trip to Rome, Italy. After touring the Vatican, Saint Peter’s Basilica and the famous Uffuzi Gallery it’s hard to ignore that the nativity scene is a popular renaissance subject. I also noticed how how the face of Mary is depicted tells you about the artist. During a tour I learned that Michelangelo’s sculpture The Pieta was critiqued ...
Read More
Corrie ten Boom, one of the twentieth century’s great Christian spokespersons, lost her sister and father in the Nazi death camps of World War II, and she barely escaped with her own life.
Read More
Before the first Sunday morning service at Harvest Christian Fellowship, we have a time of prayer and worship with our volunteers. One morning we asked some of them to share what they were thankful to God for.
Read More
The tearing of garments and other outward signs of religious emotion are easily displayed and are frequently hypocritical; but to feel true repentance is far more difficult, and consequently far less common. Men will pay attention to the most minute ceremonial regulations--for those things are pleasing to the flesh. But true faith is too humbling, too heart-searching, too thorough for the tastes of people of the flesh; they prefer something ...
Read More
During my years in seminary, money came in fairly infrequently. My wife, Lois, stayed home with our children, and I worked occasional jobs around my studies. Anyone who’s ever attended school while caring for a family will understand our circumstances. Eating and keeping the electricity running becomes the goal. Surviving becomes the goal.
Read More
Many people gladly celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas, only to ignore, shun, and reject Him the rest of the year. They don’t mind celebrating the birth of a baby, but they don’t want to hear about the Lord of lords. They sing of His nativity but brazenly reject His authority. They adore Him as an infant but will not pay homage to Him as the God-man. They can ...
Read More
Don’t rush; how about that for a Christmas message? The Christmas countdown is on, but instead of a sprinting to the finish, maybe we can handle it like a walking marathon (if there even is such a thing). Maybe we should just take a cue from my Italian Grandmother, who planned her day calmly, and knew that it was the time we spent (and the food we ate) that mattered the most. As I pull out ...
Read More
Do you feel like a fish out of water? Your prolonged dissatisfaction, God-given gifts, passions and the voices of others could be telling you that you were created for another purpose.
Read More