Month: January
The Final Trip Around the Sun
Well, it’s the new year. We made it around the sun again. The inhabitants of Earth make the full circuit once every year—365.25 days, or 365 days and 6 hours (which explains why we observe Leap Year and add a day every four years). If you...
“You Don’t Have to Say Something Biblical Right Away,” and Other Better Ways to Encourage Newly Suffering Believers
Believers suffer for the benefit of other suffering believers. Paul told the Corinthians that the affliction he and his team experienced in Asia was so difficult that “we despaired of life itself. Indeed we felt that we had received the sentence of death” (2 Cor 1:8b-9a)....
Stay Awake
Ishmael must stay awake. He sits at the gate to the entrance of the Bushbaby Lodge in Uganda. Whenever anyone departs or arrives, he opens the gate. He must stay awake because he never knows when anyone will arrive. They could come in the evening, or...
How You Receive the Scripture
Though the Scripture may be shown to be trustworthy by many historical and logical proofs, it is essentially received as true because of the revelation of God’s glory experienced through it. Just as nature reveals God(Rom 1:19-21), and some receive or reject his glory, so man...
Peter’s Dying Declaration
In the legal world, a “dying declaration” is the one form of “hearsay” evidence that is admissible in court. This assumes, of course, that the dying person knows he or she is about to die when the statement is made, along with several other factors. The...
Dare to Be a Daniel?
The first lecture of one of my classes at a Christian college in the 1990s was titled, “I Dare You to Live Like Daniel.” I also recall hearing a message about Daniel during one of our daily chapels that concluded with a challenge to “Dare to...
The Distraction Dilemma
I thought to myself, “I’ll take a brisk walk outside just for a few moments to enjoy the sunlight and to regain some energy and perspective.“ Well, on the way out of the house, I noticed that some cookie crumbs had been spilled on the floor,...
What Insufferable Itches Have to Do With the Advance of the Gospel
When hard times come, what do people hear from your lips? Those who saw Paul in Rome under house arrest awaiting trial (see the end of Acts) probably didn’t think he was doing so well. After all, he was in chains! I can imagine the guards...
You May Not Be Meant to Be Great
Americans like to champion the “American Dream,” which, I would say, is being able to be whoever you want. For most people, being whoever you want means being great; being famous; being rich and well-known. But as I carry on through life and study more of...
