Jay McCarl
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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…
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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…
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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…
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The Coming Invasion
It’s not the end of the world—yet. But with all that’s gone wrong on earth, how is it we’re still here? C.S. Lewis wondered that too… “Why is God landing in this enemy-occupied world in disguise and starting a sort of secret society to undermine the devil? Why is He not landing in force, invading it? Is it…
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Win.
Sometimes Hollywood gets it right. Sometimes. In a quiet scene from “Chariots of Fire”, Scottish missionary Eric Liddell, to assuage his sister’s protests, explained why he would race in the Olympics before returning to his China ministry… “Jenny, Jenny, you’ve got to understand, I believe that God made me for a purpose—for China. But He also made me fast,…
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It’s Only a Dollar
True story? No clue. Good story? Definitely… Several years ago a preacher moved to Christchurch, New Zealand. Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his home into the city. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a dollar too much change. As he…
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Counter-Culture at Its Best
It used to be that Hippies and Beatniks (remember them?) were America’s counter-culture… “As Christians [in America], our challenge is to go back as close as we can to the Gospel and truly be the church. Increasingly, we’re likely to be a counter-culture. As that happens, we will be the last great defenders of reason, truth and…
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From Infinity and Beyond
One of my favorites… When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done, When we reach the end of our hoarded resources, Our Father’s full giving is only begun; For His love has no limit; His grace has no measure. His pow’r has no boundary…
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Applause and the Audience of One
Our reputation is never more important to us than the moment we see ourselves through the eyes of the one we most love. How we live after that moment is truth of our love… “To follow Jesus is to pay the cost of discipleship, and then to die to ourselves, to our own interests, our own agendas and reputations. It is to pick…
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The Garbage Bin of History (An Editorial)
(I rarely editorialize, so be forewarned. Another, more encouraging post is on its way soon…) “What is truth?”, Pontius Pilate once quipped at the words of Jesus, just before he sentenced Him to death. If you ask the same question to UNESCO, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the reply would be something…
Jay McCarl 