About a month ago, I noticed that our main door had become “tight” such that it now is quite difficult to open or close it. And the deadbolt locks no longer align properly with the doorframe holes. Now I have to “lift” the door in order to lock it. I thought it was just a …
It’s the season of Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s supposed to be the season of good will and good cheer. Yet the season began with a series of violent nights instead of silent nights, of bad news of despair instead of good news of great joy, of declarations of chaos in the streets instead of peace …
Once a year, in the United States, many families have the tradition of coming together in one big reunion, usually around the dinner table. The Thanksgiving dinner is the time when family gathers around abundant food. In many homes, the conversation at the table may begin with the instruction to share “one thing you are …
John 15.45-47 is an interesting study in the self-deception of setting up oneself as the standard of evaluation for others. The Pharisees were the recognized “experts” of the law of the Jews. In John’s account, what we find is a mindset that had embraced this “expert” status to the point that self becomes the standard …
Numerous times I have had conversations with fellow believers about the diligence with which people of other beliefs practice their faith. It cannot be denied that many show a high level of diligence in holding on to the doctrines of their faith, and performing the traditions of their faith. Some of us may want to …
One of the highlights of our recent trip to Cambodia was the opportunity to see two dear friends we got to know during our first trip there six years ago. At that time they were shy, young students, who helped us conduct our ministry by serving as English translators. When they heard we were …
The metric system is the most widely used system for measurement—for example, the metre (length or distance), the second (time), or the kilogram (mass). In the scientific community these are known as SI units (from the French for the International System of Units). This helps to standardize measurements across the globe. However, over the last …
On our flight to Cambodia last week our church mission team had a short layover in Inchon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea. As our plane approached Seoul, we wondered if the time allotted for transfer to our connecting flight was sufficient. We figured, we only had about 30 minutes to get off the plane, …
Throughout history the Christian faith has been the object of ridicule and even direct persecution. Yet many professing Christians feel that in contemporary society Christianity has experienced increased hostility and opposition. In particular, it seems that Christian belief has become the special target of certain “intellectuals” who dismiss religious sensibilities as severely outdated and immature. …
“God is on our side.” For those who take their religious affiliation seriously, it is so easy to make this claim about God. If I am faithful to the teachings and practices of my faith, I may have ample reason to believe that God is looking out for me. The psalmist ponders: “What if the …
