Uncategorized
-
A Most Stupendous Thing
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” the Apostle Paul asked. The question itself is the answer… “God is for us. Paul here arrives at the mountain height of the Christian position! And that, so to speak, by way of experience. He does indeed, in the word “us” bring all the saints with…
-
“If Sinners Be Damned…”
Victorian preacher C.H. Spurgeon had a way of cutting through Christian excuses… “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the…
-
A Thing about The End of the World
Jesus is coming back—His followers know it and most are thrilled at the immanent possibility. My friend Don Stewart, however, reminds us to be careful about one important detail… “Do not make the mistake of replacing the Gospel with talk of the end times events—our main message isn’t the second coming of Christ, but the first.” Preach it.…
-
Have a Reckless Year
Where will you go in 2017? “I have learned…to let God be the mystery that He is and, with eyes wide open, to pursue Him, not with the precision of a crossword puzzle fanatic but with the reckless passion of a pilot flying into the Bermuda Triangle. Following Christ is a wild adventure full of risk, frustration, excitement,…
-
The Eucatastrophe of History (Merry Christmas)
Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien declared, “The Incarnation of God is an infinitely greater thing than anything I would dare to write…” (italics in the original). But later on he tried. Here is what he wrote… “The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind which embraces all the essence of fairy stories.…
-
Come Ye, Joyful and Triumphant
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels… “Here from this stable, here, from this Nazareth, this stony beach, this Jerusalem, this market place, this garden, this Praetorium, this Cross, this mountain, I announce it to you. I announce to you what is guessed at in all the phenomena of your world. You see…
-
What Others Want for Christmas
(Back from Israel and Jordan—you gotta go and I’d love to take you.) So—what are you spending on others this Christmas? “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved,” said the Apostle Paul. In the same way, go before God’s people this day…
-
Not Turkey Day, Part 2
It’s been a rough year for many, and as Thanksgiving arrives there are empty chairs at the feast and many bruised hearts that find it hard to sing. But God… “If through a broken heart God can bring His purposes to pass in the world, then thank Him for breaking your heart.” —Senior Chaplain John Akers God is…
-
Not Turkey Day
“Without God, what does being “thankful” really mean? Does it have any meaning at all, even in the moment?” —Pastor Jack Abeelen This week we Americans will feast and give thanks. We don’t thank the earth for giving us food or life—our planet doesn’t give us anything on purpose. We don’t laude over a dead bird for its contribution to…
-
Philosopher’s Stone
Tough day? Philosopher Simone Weil had many. She also saw God’s grace while dying of tuberculosis… “The extreme greatness of Christianity lies in the fact that it does not seek a supernatural cure for suffering, but a supernatural use of it.” It amazes me that even when God doesn’t ease our sufferings, He can still be glorified through them. That alone may be the…
Jay McCarl 