Independence Day:God's Closeness in Uncertain Times
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Faithful to the Finish
Peter's final call to a young and growing church
Grace and Glory
A short series through the highlights of 1 Peter
Entrusted
Gifts, risk, and the return of the King
A Little Girl’s Security in a Storm There was a devout Christian mother who was always teaching her daughter lessons of faith and trust, especially telling her that she need never be afraid at any time because God was always near. One summer evening she tucked her little girl in bed after her ...read more
Scripture: Mark 9:15-29
Tags: Fear And Worry
Corrie Ten Boom on Prayer It was Corrie Ten Boom who asked, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre?” I am afraid for too many of us it is the spare tyre, the source we look to only when our journey has ground to a halt, but really, it ought to be our steering wheel, and Jesus teaches us ...read more
Scripture: Mark 1:35
Tags: Prayer General
THE MAGNITUDE OF THE REQUEST Napoleon and his soldiers overcame an island in the Mediterranean Sea. They had fought for many days to take the island and finally succeeded. After the capture of the island at the price of many lives, Napoleon and his generals gathered for a celebration. As they were ...read more
Scripture: Mark 11:24
Tags: Prayer How To
FOLLOWING GARIBALDI AND FOLLOWING JESUS Garibaldi, the great Italian military hero from the 19th century, raised an incredibly committed volunteer army. His appeal for recruits was rather unique as he offered only these terms: "I offer neither pay, nor quarters, nor provisions; I offer hunger, ...read more
Scripture: Mark 8:34-38
Tags: Discipleship
WHAT COMES OUT OF YOUR MOUTH How carefully do you monitor what goes into your mouth, compared to what comes out of it? For example, do you follow a low-fat diet? Do you obsessively track the grams of fat going into your body? Do you watch the number of calories that you consume? Do you avoid ...read more
Scripture: Mark 7:14-23
Tags: Relationships, Tongue
Denomination: Baptist
CHRISTIAN CASTE SYSTEM Division is the opposite of unity. When we exclude or separate others based on race, socioeconomic status, age, appearance or personal hygiene we are dividing. In his autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi wrote that during his student days he read the Gospels seriously and ...read more
Scripture: Mark 11:17
Tags: Racism, Self Cleansing
A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS In 1963, my grandfather was serving as the Senior Minister of West End United Methodist Church in Nashville. West End is situated right across the street from Vanderbilt University, and has always been a wealthy, predominately white church. One communion Sunday, a black ...read more
Tags: Racism
CIRRHOSIS OF THE GIVER Many in our day seem to be afflicted with that terrible disease known as Cirrhosis of the Giver. This terrible malady renders the afflicted person’s hand incapable of moving from the wallet to the offering plate. The only known cure is to remove the sufferer from the Lord’s ...read more
Scripture: Mark 12:41-44
Tags: Tithes
MIDDLE MANAGEMENT Cyril Barber, in his commentary on Nehemiah, transfers this principle into all of life; "Middle management involves being able to translate the ideals of one’s superiors into practice and, at the same time, knowing how to motivate one’s subordinates. It necessitates keeping ...read more
Scripture: Mark 3:13-19
Tags: Leadership General
LOYALTY AND THE PROMOTIONAL BOTTLENECK Peter Drucker gave this warning to those who would push back this principle, "Contrary to popular legend, subordinates do not, as a rule, rise to position and prominence over the prostrate bodies of incompetent bosses. If their boss is not promoted, they will ...read more
ARE YOU PLANTING THE RIGHT SEED? Some time ago "Reader’s Digest" told the story about a company who mailed out some special advertising business post cards with a mustard seed glued to it with the following caption that went something like this: "If you have faith as small as this mustard seed in ...read more
Scripture: Mark 4:16-34
Tags: Kingdom Of God
SPROUTING TO NEW LIFE A few years ago, when archaeologists began excavating in the courtyard of a medieval monastery, they found seeds that had been dormant for more than 400 years that had begun to grow. King Henry VIII had closed the monastery in 1539, and herbs tended by the monks died. But ...read more
Tags: Born Again
THE LAST LETTER OF KAREN WATSON Our International Mission Board is working on a project called "The Last Letter." It’s actually an old tradition of soldiers and missionaries who as they boarded a ship, wrote their family and friends a letter that they think might be their final ...read more
Tags: Missions
JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU I LOVE YOU Paul Powell tells the story of a well-known preacher from years ago. His name was Carter Jones. Carter had a small room in the attic of his home that he used as a place of prayer. When he was especially burdened, he would make his way up the winding staircase to ...read more
Scripture: Mark 12:29-31
Tags: Love For God
STALIN: LIKE STEEL TOWARD GOD According to Svetlana Stalin, as her father, Joseph Stalin lay dying, he was plagued with terrifying hallucinations. He suddenly sat halfway up in bed, clenched his fist toward the heavens once more, fell back upon his pillow, and was dead. The incredible irony of ...read more
Scripture: Mark 10:46-52
Tags: God's Forgiveness
Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ
THE RULING CASTE On one of my trips to India, as I was walking around a market place, I came face to face with some proud Brahmans who consider themselves better than anyone, and they will not allow anyone touch them because they belong to the ruling caste. I asked if I could take their picture. ...read more
Tags: God The Father
R. A. TORREY--PRAYING, BELIEVING, AND NOT DOUBTING After R. A. Torrey had been a Christian for more than forty years, someone asked him to visit a family and pray for one member who was dying with typhoid fever. God revealed to Torrey that the man would live. He told them that when he arrived. ...read more
Scripture: Mark 11:22-24
Tags: Faith, Prayer, Prayer Of Faith
FRANKL AND THE MEANING OF LIFE When Jewish psychiatrist Viktor Frankl was arrested by the Nazis in World War II and put in Auschwitz, the infamous death camp, he was stripped of everything: property, family, possessions, and a manuscript he had spent years researching and writing on finding ...read more
Scripture: Mark 12:30
JOSH MCDOWELL ON WHY PEOPLE REFUSE TO BELIEVE Josh McDowell writes, “People refuse to believe that which they don’t want to believe, in spite of evidence. When explorers first went to Australia they found a mammal which laid eggs; spent some time in water, some on land; had a broad, flat tail, ...read more
Scripture: Mark 16:14
Tags: Unbelief
THE MISSIONARY SERVICE OF HENRY MARTYN Henry Martyn had already done more than his share of missionary service in India by his late 20s when he announced he was going to Persia. Doctors had told him that the heat would kill him if he stayed in India, and the heat in Persia was worse. Martyn ...read more
Scripture: Mark 10:42-45
Tags: Servanthood