Discovery Series - Live Free
There’s often confusion on what the fruit of the Spirit is and is not. It’s not a list of instructions of how we should live; rather the fruit are qualities we exhibit when we are empowered by the Holy Spirit. We are set free to live a new life in Christ, no longer indulging in selfish desires but enabled to serve…
What We Most Need
Recently a highly respected journalist from the Middle East reflected on the many complicating issues and unjust events that have led to distrust among political factions in the region. The difficulty that truly captivated me was how belligerent rhetoric and vicious violence will escalate whenever issues become explicitly religious. “We can deal with cultural and even ethnic divides, but whenever God comes into the picture, there’s no way to control the conflict,” the journalist stated. As a result, leaders exert much energy attempting to keep references to God out of political disputes.
Consider the Poor
The year was 1780, and Robert Raikes had a burden for the poor, illiterate children in his London neighborhood. He noticed that nothing was being done to help these children, so he set out to make a difference.
He hired some women to set up schools for them on Sunday. Using the Bible as their textbook, the teachers taught the poorest children of London to read and introduced them to the wisdom of the Bible. Soon about 100 children were attending these classes and enjoying lunch in a safe, clean environment. These “Sunday schools,” as they were soon called, eventually touched…
Prepared to Go
Theodore Bayley Hardy, a chaplain in the British Army, is one of the most highly decorated noncombatants of World War I. On his gravestone are etched some letters most people won’t understand: VC, DSO, MC. They reveal that Hardy—who died from battle wounds—received the Victoria Cross, Distinguished Service Order, and Military Cross for his service.
A New Creation
Early in my work life I had a coworker who seemed to delight in using God’s name as a profanity. He mercilessly taunted Christians who were new to their faith or who tried to talk with him about Jesus. On the day I left that job to move to another community and a new place of employment, I remember thinking that this man would never become a follower of Jesus.
Two years later I visited my old workplace. He was still there, but never have I witnessed such a dramatic change in a person! This man, so antagonistic to faith, was…
How the wisdom of true sincerity allows God to work
A famous journalist once said about sincerity, “If you can fake it, you’ve got it made.” But is sincerity something you can really fake?
A sanctuary in their suffering–Ron & Joanie’s Story
What happens when you’re operating in pure survival mode? When all your energy goes to simply getting through your day? Ron and Joanie share the tremendous challenges they faced and the miracle they needed in order to overcome. Hear how a Vietnam vet with panic disorder and a nurse on the brink of death received […]
Keeping Promises
Regret. That’s what I felt after my first day of volunteering. From my perspective, I had spent the whole time doing nothing, and I couldn’t imagine spending another precious Sunday doing the same pointless thing from 1 to 9 p.m. But I’d made a promise, having told the event planners that I would help out for two Sundays.
First Steps
A friend stopped me the other day with some exciting news and then spent 10 minutes describing for me the first steps of her 1-year-old nephew. He could walk! Later I realized how bizarre we might have sounded to an eavesdropper. Most people can walk. What was the big deal?
It struck me that childhood provides a quality of specialness that nearly vanishes for the rest of life. Thinking about our treatment of children gave me further appreciation for the fact that God chooses the word picture of “children” to describe our relationship with Him. The New Testament announces that we are God’s…
My Search for Messiah, Part II
Program will be available to view Friday, September 25, 2015. For centuries the Messianic hopes and prayers of the Jewish people have been focused on the Western Wall and the Temple that used to rise above it’s massive stones. Michael Rydelnik, whose parents were holocaust survivors, first came to the wall at age 10. Since […]
