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“Providence” is the word that describes the care of God for his children. It was used by many in the past as a synonym for God. To believe that God will take care of you requires much faith. In dire circumstances it is hard to believe that God is in control of your...
CALLING AND PROVIDED FOR BY GOD Part One
In reading the story of Abraham and his journeys in response to the call of God in Hebrews 11 I reflected on my own similar journeys over my lifetime. Abraham obeyed God’s call and went “even though he did not know where he was going” (v.8). After completing my...
THE SECRET OF SATISFACTION
When the Israelites came out of Egypt they had to pass through the desert, a wilderness which was barren and had little pasturage. They complained to Moses about their lack of provisions. The Lord promised to “rain down bread from heaven.” (Exodus 16:4) Each morning,...
A TOUGH NEIGHBORHOOD
What is your idea of a tough neighborhood? Is it boarded up windows, dilapidated housing, trash-strewn yards, crime-ridden streets. My idea of a tough neighborhood for the gospel is a gated community, pristine housing, manicured landscaping, golf courses, a spa, art...
HEALING PRAYER
“Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven –...
HEAVEN
Jeffrey Burton Russell, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has written Paradise Mislaid: How We Lost Heaven and How we Can Regain It (Oxford University Press, 2006) It is a brilliant description of the secular mindset that...
MENTAL ANGUISH AND SPIRITUAL HEALTH
When you read the story of Jesus and the Gadarene demoniac (Mark 5:1-20) there is the temptation to interpret it only in terms of mental illness. Commentaries on the passage spend a great deal of time exploring what is meant by being demon-possessed. Those who use...
DEEP HEALING
When I read the story of the healing of the paralytic (Mark 2:1-12) I notice three things: what Jesus saw, what Jesus said, and what Jesus knew. Let me take them in turn. Jesus is preaching the word to the people in his home. It was so crowded there was no room left...
DECLINING AND THRIVING CHURCHES
Joseph Bottum has written a compelling article about the demise of Mainline Protestant churches in the USA (National Review, August 2024). He relates how in 1965 they claimed about 50 percent of the American population but in the last census in 2020 this has fallen to...
WISDOM FOR OUR LEADERS AND ACTIVISTS
I have read many of the books on history and geography by Robert Kaplan who is a journalist with decades of experience in foreign policy. His latest, THE TRAGIC MIND, is the fruit of his disillusionment with recent American involvement in the Middle East. In this...
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