Me, Myself and I
By Phoebe Tay, Australia I CANNOT FORGET THAT NIGHT. IT SHOOK MY PERSPECTIVE. I was alone in the living room reviewing a set of videos for my Deaf education assignment. My eyes were glued to the television set. I proceeded to sit on the edge of the sofa in anticipation, my feet firmly planted on [...]
false gods, true blessing
The stuff of life has a way of turning our hearts away from God. False gods include money, success, school, careers, romantic relationships, children, and more. Tim Keller, in Counterfeit Gods, defines a false god this way: “Anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.”
Living Beyond The Odds
Many of us make daily decisions based on the odds. If there’s a 20 percent chance of rain, we may ignore it. If there’s a 90 percent chance, we’ll take an umbrella. The greater the odds, the more our behavior is affected because we want to choose wisely and be successful.
A timely lesson about the reality of fear and worry in our lives
From bills and bank accounts, to doctors and discouragements, this world has given us a lot to worry about! A timely lesson from the Sermon on the Mount.
to give or not to give
Some days I find only one. Other times they fill my mailbox. Not to mention the phone calls. Help the children, feed the homeless, care for the wounded. Worthwhile requests, yet it’s impossible to meet them all. Even with the contributions we make, I feel strangely guilty whenever I throw away a letter requesting donations or when I tell a contribution-seeking caller: “No, thank you.” The tension I experience is another reminder of the calling I must live out in a less-than-perfect world. Give selflessly, just like Jesus.
Move Closer: Long-Distance Relationship Woes
By Alan Humphrey, UK It is very difficult to maintain long-distance relationships, and I certainly did not go into one a few months ago thinking that it would be easy. Even though it did not work out in the end, looking back on it now, I see the stresses and strains which it had put [...]
Image Conscious
When going through old family photos, my cousins and I joke about which physical characteristics we’ve inherited. We notice primarily the negative ones: short legs, crooked teeth, unruly cowlicks. All of us can easily identify in our ancestors our own least favorite body part.
Discover what Jesus said about our catalog of worries
If you were to write down the things you’re worried about, you could probably generate a list a mile long.
you’re beautiful
I was just 16 when I visited Rome. I toured the ancient catacombs as well as St. Peter’s Basilica. They’re both marvels of human creativity, evoking wonder with their enduring tribute to the way humans can chisel stone and dig into the earth and craft beauty from raw elements. In both the cavernous tunnels and the vast domed cathedral, I experienced deep reverence. I can only imagine what the artisans of these sacred spaces must have felt as they concluded their labor.
Youth Leadership: Walking in Jesus
By Chris Colgan, Australia Colossians 2:6-7 ESV “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” It is difficult to describe people we have just met. We do not know much about them [...]
The Gift Of Remembering
During seminary, I worked in a nursing home. As I spent time talking to these men and women, at some point nearly every patient would describe the loneliness of their present lives and the realization that they were outliving their peers. Most wondered if anyone would remember them when they passed from this life.
Dangers of reading Scripture as disconnected anecdotes and encouragement to see the Bible as a single narrative
Daily Bible verses and snippets of Scripture can inspire and challenge us. But all the individual passages in Scripture add up to one grand story: God’s story! A perspective-changing discussion.
a pet’s death
A friend of mine who runs his own company says he has two rules for his employees: “Rule 1: The boss is always right. Rule 2: If the boss is wrong, refer to Rule 1.” He’s obviously joking, but these words do reflect the way many of us would like to live.
