ARTICLES

Psalm 92:1 tells us, “It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord.” Yet, our ability to be truly grateful to God, whether on the fourth Thursday of November, or any other day, depends on how we view various aspects of our lives. There are two perspectives that we should strive to cultivate if we want to consistently express gratitude to God.First, we need to recognize that the Lord is the source...

I wanted to take some time to talk about a subject that many people avoid: “Fear of the Lord.” Fully describing the God of the universe is an impossible mental exercise, but we have been given glimpses of His character through the Bible. We know He is love (1 John 4:16), He is holy (1 Samuel 2:2), He is all-knowing (1 John 3:20), He is all-wise (Romans 16:27), and He is ultimately good (Luke 18:19...

A little boy stayed overnight at his aunt’s house. In the morning, she asked what he wanted for breakfast. “Oh, I'd love your pancakes,” he replied. “When we have pancakes at home, I only get three, but when I'm at your house, you let me eat as many pancakes as I want.”Soon, the aunt was piling pancakes on the boy’s plate, and he was eating them as fast as he could. By the time he had eaten his te...

For over 20 years, William “Eddy” McMullen served as an assistant coach at Old Colony High School in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The head coach and the student athletes were thrilled to have him coaching football at Old Colony. After all, they knew Eddy McMullen was a former Notre Dame running back and a Heisman trophy finalist in 1966, who then went on to play for the Detroit Lions in the Nationa...

On Saturday, July 13, Donald Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Though Trump was not seriously injured, one individual was tragically killed by a bullet intended for the former President. His name was Corey Comperatore, a man the Pittsburg Post-Gazette called “a real-life super hero.”Corey Comperatore was a 50-year-old man, married, with two ...

Over the past few months I have had the privilege of gathering with 13 others to experience the rhythms of Rooted. In essence, Rooted is a ten-week devotional guide that is designed to help believers (and nonbelievers!) incorporate the seven rhythms into their daily lives. None of the rhythms were new or revolutionary; in fact, they are all modeled on the second chapter of Acts, and many of which ...

Two cars were waiting at a stoplight. The light turned green, but the man in the first vehicle did not notice. The woman in the car behind him watched as the traffic passed around them. She then honked her horn and yelled, “It’s green, you idiot!” The man just sat in his car, apparently oblivious to what was happening. The woman started to go ballistic inside her vehicle, ranting and raving, pound...

The first day of VBS 2024 had one hundred thirty-eight kids spending 3 hours in our church building. Some came excitedly, eager to participate in all the planned activities and to make new friends; some came in tears pulling back in trepidation and nervousness. There was all manner of emotion on the young faces as they walked into our church to kick off this year’s event.At 7:30am in the library, ...

A few years ago, a large bull moose wandered into the city of Calgary, Alberta. It ended up in the yard of Lorna Cade who called the Fish and Wildlife Department. Soon spectators and reporters were gathered, watching the authorities unsuccessfully try to coax the magnificent animal back toward the woods. Finally, a Fish and Wildlife officer shot the moose with a tranquilizer. It then bolted down t...

From what I have seen, anytime you come across an obscure and untranslatable term in a culture, the more obscure and untranslatable it is, the more you should want to experience it. Take the Danish practice of hygge, for example. It’s a term that’s best translated as “coziness,” but it’s more about that elusive feeling of coziness that might come from being wrapped up in a warm blanket with a good...

A burglar broke into a home in a well-to-do neighborhood. He began to take items from a shelf when suddenly he heard a deep growl. He looked down and saw a huge Doberman. He backed away quietly from the dog, who just sat on the floor growling. Just then, he heard a small voice ask, “Who are you? Who are you?” He looked around and carefully checked various rooms, but there did not seem to be anyone...

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul tells us to not be anxious about anything (Phil 4:6). God commands His people dozens of times in the Old Testament to “fear not” (Isa 41:10, Isa 43:1, Josh 1:9). Jesus even rebuked His disciples for having fear in the midst of a massive storm (Matt 8:26).Despite His commands, being fearless is difficult; seemingly impossible at times! Part of the trouble stem...

In 1938, Nazi soldiers marched into the house of a German school teacher named Johannes Neubert. They demanded that he take down the painting of Jesus Christ over his study desk, join the Nazi Party, and conform to their beliefs. Neubert had to make a choice. Though only three percent of teachers in Germany refused to join the Nazi Party, he found courage, stood up to them and declared: "This pain...

Soren Kierkegaard, the great Danish philosopher, told about a fire at a theater that tragically killed a large number of people in the audience. Backstage, some of the cast members smelled smoke and soon discovered flames shooting out of a backroom of the theater. One of the actors quickly ran out onto the stage during a very dramatic scene and frantically yelled, “Fire!” Waving his arms, he repea...

The relevance of Christianity is powerfully illustrated in an episode of the award-winning series “The Crown” entitled “Moondust.” (Season 3, episode 7) It is 1969, and Prince Philip (the husband of Queen Elizabeth II) is enthralled by the prospect of man landing on the moon. At the same time, he is increasingly bored and disenchanted with religion. Philip is asked to address a group of Anglican p...

“I am sure my Aunt Gladys went to heaven because she was such a loving person,” my friend Ken said.“Do you really think so?” I replied.“Yes, I do.”“Well, I guess you didn’t know your aunt very well.”“What do you mean?” Ken asked.“I am quite certain that she was not that loving of a person,” I said.“What are you talking about?” Ken replied. “She was a wonderful individual! You didn’t even know her....

I remember getting my very first Bible when I was going into 3rd grade. I knew there was something very special about it. I remember it seemed like God was speaking to me through the words I read. That was the start of something so wonderful for me. My limited understanding only made me desire more. I got many other Bibles along the way, and my love for the Bible and the great God behind it grew t...

“For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6During Christmas time some years ago, I was at a coffee shop in the Twin Cities area. There was a small group of women studying the Bible together. They were just finishing up and getting ready to lea...

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14, KJV)Friends, these words, spoken by angels to the shepherds the night Jesus was born, have been the source of great encouragement and hope. However, the peace and goodwill they seem to promise have been somewhat elusive. War and violent conflict have plagued humanity since the birth of Christ, just as they did befo...

“Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4How we frame the difficulties of life may be very important. Trials, temptations, and the hardships of life are not anything that we...