One of my favorite movie scenes of all time is Liam Neeson’s portrayal of the forgiveness of Jean Valjean in the movie rendition of Les Mis. The scene goes like this. (Um, spoiler alert? The book is more than a century old. And the movie came out before most of the people in my church were born. So this isn’t exactly new. But hey, I’m generous, so … spoilers ahead.)
Read MorePrayer is the means by which God gets his work done on earth. Elijah’s prayers literally altered the weather. His story is pretty incredible.
Read MoreThe story is told of a mother, two men, and a 14-year-old boy on a small plane. There was a malfunction and the plane began to spiral toward the ground. To their dismay, only three parachutes were on board.
Read MoreA few years ago, the car I was driving started to have an awful smell. It was absolutely repulsive. I thought it might have been some mildew from water damage, so I pulled it into my garage and used a fan to dry it out.
Read MoreWhen one of my daughters comes home with a broken heart after being betrayed by a friend, I could give her a lecture, some life lesson about how she should have protected herself, or how pain is just part of life. I could do that. But most of us would agree that it would make me a pretty crummy dad. I’d be ignoring the pain she’s experiencing at that moment and only ...
Read MoreIn almost every trial, there will be a chance to take a short-cut, make a compromise, use a sinful stress-reliever. And while it might be easy to think that God is testing us, the Bible makes it clear that God himself tempts no one (James 1:13).
Read More“Bending history in the direction of a great yes.” Does that sound outlandish to you? I know I struggle to believe it. But what else does Jesus’ second coming mean, if not the full restoration of justice and peace and salvation? What else are we hoping for, if not the fulfillment of God’s promises, here on earth as they are in heaven?
Read MoreI saw somewhere recently that experts believe we have between six thousand and seven thousand thoughts per day. When I looked this up, I then found other experts who say we have between seventy thousand and eighty thousand thoughts per day. The difference between the two is determined by how much coffee you drink.
Read MoreIn Matthew 22, Jesus was asked, “Which is the most important commandment?” and he answered, “Easy: First, love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Second, love others as you love yourself—or like you would want to be loved.” And in those two commandments, he summed up all 613 of the Old Testament laws.
Read MoreIn Matthew 22, Jesus was asked, “Which is the most important commandment?” and he answered, “Easy: First, love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Second, love others as you love yourself—or like you would want to be loved.” And in those two commandments, he summed up all 613 of the Old Testament laws.
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