It is hardly news that traditional marriage is in trouble. And its main competition is not from all the inroads made by its exotic rivals--same-sex marriage, open marriage, polygamy—as we might fear. These days, traditional marriage might just be its own worst enemy.
The Pharisees had been shadowing Jesus from the beginning of His ministry. They had heard His teaching and were eyewitnesses to His miracles. And when He quoted the Law, likely their lips moved in silent unison. Their verdict? “He has a demon.” In doing so, they denied both His Divinity and the Holy Spirit’s presence and power in His life, concluding that He was just a man. And a damaged one, at that.sin
Three different types of behavior but each stamped with the same label: hypocrite. And hypocrisy, bottom line, is pretending to be something you aren’t.
It is hard to read these words of Jesus without a Halloween-like movie scene coming to mind. And since most of us fret over the occasional splinter, we can’t imagine that submitting to a voluntary amputation as much of a solution to anything.
Almost 2,800 years ago, God came to a farmer named Amos. He told Amos to put down his rake and pruning shears and take up the mantle of a prophet. Amos’ assignment was to speak uncompromising words of coming judgment to the corrupt northern kingdom of Israel: prophecies that included natural disasters, military defeat and eventual exile. Then, in the middle of graphic descriptions of earthquakes and foreign invasions, came this warning
One of my favorite places to have my quiet time is at my breakfast table because it overlooks into our backyard. I love watching the sun come up in the morning and hearing the birds chirp their morning tunes. I can’t help but give the Lord praise for giving me another day.
My oldest daughter loves her drama class. She enjoys the spotlight, developing her character, and entertaining the audience. One of the most important lessons she has learned in drama class is to pay careful attention to the vision the director is trying to achieve from the cast. If one fails to pay attention then the whole production could go wrong. In essence, many are affected, cues for lines are missed, timing is all wrong and the mood the director is trying to achieve is blurred. Paying attention is critical to the overall success of the play.
My family and I had an exciting opportunity to visit our local renovated movie theater and game center. It was advertised as providing great entertainment with movies, games, and bowling that the whole family could enjoy. We were especially looking forward to playing laser-tag with each other.
It is the beginning of summer break, and one event I look forward to each summer is Vacation Bible School at my church. It is a full week of Bible stories, worship, crafts, and games. I love seeing the kid’s eyes light up as they see God’s Word coming to life through fun activities and songs.
I have bird feeders in my backyard that I enjoy looking at throughout the day. We have seen a variety of beautiful birds over the years. Joining these beautiful creatures is a pesky little squirrel that climbs up the bird feeder to enjoy a delicious meal.
“Excuse me. May I ask you guys a question? I noticed you praying before your meal.”
My husband was meeting with a friend over lunch at a local restaurant when the young man interrupted them. The man and his wife had recently moved and were looking for a church home. My husband and his friend had a nice conversation with the man, inviting him and his wife to church and welcoming them to town.
Over the years, I have been gifted many varieties of flowers and plants by my mother-in-law, Joyce, which beautify my yard. That I knew nothing about growing things never deterred her. Whenever she came to my house, she would bring cuttings or thinnings from her garden.
Moses wondered if he could keep going. God had shown up in miraculous ways for Moses and the Israelites. With God’s help Moses had performed signs and wonders before Pharaoh, led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, crossed the Red Sea on dry land, and provided manna, quail and water in a barren wilderness.
“I like it when it storms because we get to eat ice cream!” a neighbor child told my daughter. That is a little odd, I thought at the time.
The testimony of a young woman caught my attention. Her family practiced one of the major religions but not Christianity. She was brought up to do the same. The girl was going through a particularly hard season of life. An older co-worker, an older asked if she could pray for her. As the woman prayed, immediate peace come over the girl.
Have you ever felt deserted, betrayed, forgotten? Twice in this short book, Paul spoke of being abandoned. In 2 Timothy 1:15, he said, everyone deserted me. In 2 Timothy 4:16, he wrote, no one came to my support.
Once again, God’s Word is like a mirror to my corrupt heart. I read this morning, Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10).
Sometimes it is the smallest of words, the tiniest breath of a phrase that hits like a truckload of bricks. This particular truth hit me, not like a load of bricks, but like the door in a dark room opening to the bright light of a brilliant day. It was blinding. It was beautiful. It was breathtaking.
“Where do birdies come from, Mama?”
Only God can make a birdie.
“But why, Mama?”
To teach us to sing in the morning.
“But why, Mama?”
It was obvious from far back in line that my five-year-old pig-tailed girl had not had a good day. As I waited for the teacher to put her in my car, I could see that she was deflated, alone and sad. By the time we pulled out of the school parking lot, she was sobbing. “I had to sit on the rock, Mama,” she cried.
