Are You Listening?
The prophet, Joel, begins his book with these words, “Hear this, you elders, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land!” In Hebrew, the verb translated as hear is “Shema.” It describes the mental activity of hearing as well as its effects. The expectation for the person who hears is to obey. The verb translated as“to […]
The Power of the Word
Two questions: during the last five years, what has had the largest spiritual impact in your life? Got it? Now think about the last five weeks. What was a major spiritual influence in your life during this time? The answers will vary: a book, a sermon, or an interaction with a good friend may be some […]
The Wonder of Wonders
The wonder of wonders as she looked down and smiled That He was her Maker as well as her child He created the womb that had given Him birth He was God incarnate come down to the earth. The wonder of wonders oh how could it be That God became flesh and was given for […]
The Beauty of Prayer
Recently, on a long plane flight to Africa with Heralds of hope, I was working through a book I had read years ago and didn’t remember much of the details anymore. It is called Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, and is the story of how the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York City came to be. I […]
Living Hope
Jim Springer and Jim Lewis were the twin sons of a fourteen-year-old girl. She gave birth to them and immediately disappeared. The boys were adopted into two different loving families, but for 39 years they never met each other. But they each knew they had a twin sibling somewhere. Through the probate court, they finally […]
What Part of the Great Commission Don’t We Understand?
This past summer, Heralds of Hope held their annual picnic at a park in Shippensburg, PA. It was a lovely time, and the board, staff, spouses, and children enjoyed great food, frisbee, corn hole, spikeball, the playground, and good old-fashioned chatter. As people were arriving, Christian walked up to a circle wearing a T-shirt that […]
My Family
Last weekend, everyone came home. I find myself in a new phase of life where our children have become quite mobile. Our oldest daughter is married, and our son is dating; what used to be a family of 8 has now become 10. It is an event when they all manage to be in-house at […]
How Do I Love God?
God is good. God is love. Love God and do good. There are many lies about the love of God; it is one of the most lied-about topics in existence. Assuming the worst about God’s motives was part of the original deception, a question beginning, “Yea, hath God said…?” And those deceptions have increased until […]
Theology Is Important
Theology sounds like a dry, dull topic which only causes arguments. This may be the case, depending on your love for deep thought and mental work. I was recently assigned the task of reading The Story of Christian Theology by Roger Olson. This book of six-hundred plus pages is not for the faint of heart […]
Can God Use Your Failure?
None of us like to think about failing. The word may bring unpleasant thoughts to us about failures in our own lives or in others that have hurt us. However, as much as we do not like thinking about failure, as long as we are in the flesh, there will be times we make mistakes […]
What is the Purpose of the Law? Part 2
Today, we finish the post we started last week. If you didn’t catch the prerequisite, check it out here. Principles #2 & #3: The law did not replace the covenant (promise) to Abraham. And the law is not contrary or opposed to the promises of God. Galatians 3:15-18 Promises, especially made by God, to not […]
What is the Purpose of the Law? Part 1
There are several different types of laws used to govern people: civil laws, Ecclesiastical law, natural laws, and even some unwritten cultural laws. Each one has a jurisdiction that it applies to. They also have a consequence. Did you break any laws this morning? How does it make you feel when you knowingly break the […]