It was a phone call I’ll never forget. It was from a young woman whose life lay shipwrecked on the California beach from where she was calling. She had a terminal disease, leukaemia. Her husband had left her. Her child had recently died at only two and a half months old. Her friend had just […]
Read MoreTag Archives: Hebrews
How Do I Overcome Anxiety?
Question: Last month, I thought I was having a heart attack. My pulse was racing, my palms were sweating, and I started breathing heavily, as if I were going to pass out. I went to the hospital, and they said my heart was fine—what I had experienced was a panic attack. Now I have anxiety […]
Read MoreEncouragement Takes the Sting Out of Life
All of us need encouragement. We need somebody to believe in us. To reassure and reinforce us. To help us pick up the pieces and go on. To fuel our flame of determination as we face the odds against us. I don’t care how influential, secure, or mature a person may appear to be, an […]
Read MoreDoes God Care about Our Suffering?
Agonizing in prayer over a difficult leader who was causing conflict in my church, I asked God to remove him and to protect my family and me. As senior pastor, I became the target for a few disgruntled people that this man had secretly poisoned against me. Eventually they demanded my resignation, threatening to disrupt […]
Read MoreThink Theologically, Not Logically
I confess to you, at times I doubt God’s purpose and promise. I say that to my own embarrassment. When things haven’t worked as I thought they would, when I received a no instead of a yes or a yes instead of a no, when I couldn’t unravel a situation and fit it with the […]
Read MorePlaying with the Box
It’s been a while now, but I can still remember the worst Christmas present I ever gave my wife. What was I thinking? Idiot! So don’t worry, this isn’t going to be one of those pieces about finding that perfect gift for the one you love. If you had been there on that fateful morning, […]
Read MoreWhat Did They Think They Were Doing?
When people listened to the prophets of the Old Testament, things went well. When the prophets were disregarded, ignored, or even done away with, things went badly wrong. That much seems to make sense. But if you track the spiritual trajectory of the nation of Israel, it’s like that of a schoolboy’s paper aeroplane – […]
Read MoreSharper than a Two-Edged Sword
Just between you and me, I have always been a little bit nervous about Hebrews 4:12. The thought of being probed by a sharp sword isn’t the most comfortable of ideas. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of […]
Read MorePharisee? Me?
God gave the sacrificial system to the Israelites. In Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy we are introduced to what Paul would later call “the tutor.” (Galatians 3:24). The Law was intended to lead us to Christ, to teach about the necessity of sacrifice, and to anticipate the “fullness of time” when Christ’s sacrifice would ultimately […]
Read MoreLet’s Be Thankful for Angels
As I’ve said for years, it’s thanksgiving, not thankskeeping. So, let’s go there. Autumn…harvest…it is the best time of year to give thanks . . . to count our blessings. Have you counted your blessings lately? If not, allow me to prime the pump. Start with broad categories, such as family members, close friends, and […]
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