Words of Encouragement

^{Habakkuk 3:17}

 Though the fig tree should not blossom,

    nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail

    and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut…

There is a church that I pass by which like many churches has a message board sitting out on the road. This is by no means extraordinary. In the time that I have resided in the area there has been three pastors at the church. What I find somewhat disturbing is the short messages that are posted there. Some are nice. Some are questionable. Some are funny. Some are sad.…

There is much going on in our world. The Church stands challenged every day as wars and conflicts escalate and the influence of Christianity seemingly diminishes. So we look at the events of our human saga and respond to them. The question is “How?” This is especially important when we see those who try to read their own philosophies into the teaching a Scriptures. This spiritual warfare is intensifying almost daily.  Our society tells us that we must compromise and leave…

I watched and listened in the glowing light of Christmas Morn as little feet came into the room and eyes widened and stared at the presents scattered there. My mind was racing with a fear that the gifts laying there were not enough to match the gifts the friends would be receiving. My feeble attempt to express my love had me at the point of grieving.

The little eyes just stared and stared at the treasures of my love. A smile began to brighten the face of innocence…

I have been involved in discussions about the role of “Christian Ethics” in the life and policies of the United States of America. This brings up the question as to whether or not this is essentially a “Christian Nation”. Here are some thoughts on the subject that may shed some light on the topic and hopefully will give you a new understanding of the role of Christianity in the society and culture of America.…

Life Choice

Every day we are faced with choices. Some of them have major impact on our lives and our families and some have little or no impact except to determine our dress, what we eat, etc. There is a choice that is truly a life changing choice. Bob Dylan stated it openly in saying, “You may serve the Devil or you may serve the Lord, but you have to serve somebody.”…

The most difficult word, in Christian vocabulary, to understand is faith. Many try to define it or conceptualize it and yet the explanation of faith to a non-believer is often unclear. Perhaps our Christian experience leads to some of the difficulty; perhaps not really understanding the concept hinders us. Is faith an intellectual assent? Or is it a passive condition brought about by affiliation with a church and/or a church ritual?

Our insight into this topic may be helped…

Building a strong Christian Faith

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His Might.” (Eph. 5:10)

The recent passing of Chuck Colson to his final reward brings to mind a lot of memories and thoughts as I had some association with Prison Fellowship in the past. Fred Barnes of The National Standard wrote of Colson as presenting a “muscular Christianity” to the world. Certainly this ex-marine and political hatchet man did present a tender but tough image of living…