That was some prayer. Elijah was not able to say, “Let this child’s life return to him, as it happened to Enoch, as it happened to Isaac, as it happened to Moses,” because there was no precedence for this particular miracle.
Read MoreCategory Archives: Encouragement & Healing
The Brook Has Dried Up
One morning Elijah noticed that the brook wasn’t gushing over the rocks or running as freely as it had in days past. Since that single stream of water was his lifeline, he checked it carefully.
Read MorePenetrating the Darkness
Are times hard? Are days of trouble upon you? When times are tough, the Lord is our only security. David assures us in his song that the Lord delights in us; He sees and cares about what is happening in our lives, this very moment.
Read MoreWhat Can Help Me Beat the Blues?
Question: I’m usually not a depressed person, but lately I feel like I’ve been walking around in a dark cloud. Nothing interests me, and I’m tired all the time. Everything is a chore! I don’t like my work, and life just isn’t fun anymore. What can I do to break out of this funk? Answer: […]
Read MoreEncountering Jesus along Life’s Road
Luke 24:13-35 Sermon Series: Jesus: The Greatest Life of All Introduction Fantastic! Outstanding! Incredible! Thanks to blockbuster movies, thrill rides, and Madison Avenue ad campaigns, we have come to expect that if life isn’t “sensational,” something must be wrong. If we are not careful, we can apply those expectations to our spiritual journey and fail […]
Read MoreMusing Over Mistakes
When it comes to mistakes, we need a great deal of tolerance. And a sense of humor doesn’t hurt, either. I ran across an embarrassing mistake recently in the sports section of the newspaper. A volleyball coach was being featured, and the article went on and on about her background, superb ability, win-loss record, and style of coaching.
Read MoreCompassion
It was one of those backhanded compliments. The guy had listened to me talk during several sessions at a pastors’ conference. All he knew about me was what he’d heard in the past few days: ex-marine . . . schooled in an independent seminary . . . committed to biblical exposition . . . noncharismatic . . . premil . . . pretrib . . . pro this . . . anti that.
Read MoreWho Cares?
Who really cared? His was a routine admission to busy Bellevue Hospital. A charity case, one among hundreds. A drunken bum from the Bowery with a slashed throat. The Bowery . . . last stop before the morgue.
Read MoreBack-Door Blessing
I had lunch recently with a businessman who runs his own company. As we talked, the subject of wisdom kept popping up in our conversation. So I asked, “How does a person get wisdom? I realize we are to be men of wisdom, but few people ever talk about how it is acquired.” His answer was quick and to the point: “Pain.”
Read MoreWho, Indeed, Knows?
I grew up in the heyday of radio. (Fact is, I didn’t even see a television set until I was a teenager.) If we got our homework done, we could listen to various weeknight radio shows. Remember that spooky line the announcer always gave just before The Shadow came on: “Who knows what evil l-l-lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!” Then there would be a blood-curdling laugh, which faded away into the distance. I always liked all the lights on when we listened to that program.
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