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Evangelicals and The Refugee Crisis and The Generous College Students
I was surprised and a little shocked recently when I read in a letter from a friend who was visiting in the Middle East – “More than once I was asked, ‘Why are American evangelicals absent and silent in this crisis?’ How would you have answered that question?” Really?? I knew the involvement of one of our grandchildren – then googled “Evangelicals and the Refugee Crisis in the Middle East” to find plenty of information to answer the question. During January 2-4, 2106 at Passion thousands of college students gathered. They were challenged to live for Christ with all out commitment. They were also challenged to give financially. The picture…
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BLESSED – What Does Blessed REALLY Mean?
Recently, while shopping in a store I sneezed. From the next aisle behind the shelf a woman’s voice said, “Bless you!” At every meal we ask – “the blessing”. “Many blessings to you” are the words I often use to close a letter or an email or a text. What do I mean? What is being said when these words are offered? Are we being too casual with the real meaning of offering a blessing? Yet, we may truly want that person to experience the blessing of God. Does what we say reflect a biblical view of the use of the word? Are we consciously offering to God our deep…
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Soul Static and Other Distractions – Filtering Through Lent
What does this picture stir in you? Personally, I would like to climb right in and sit there and simply take it all in. We live in a culture where we are bombarded almost non-stop with multiple stimuli. It is estimated American adults receive 16,000 sensory images per day. What do you do with all the “incoming data” – the continual noise, mind stimulation, intrusive sounds, emails and twitter feeds, internet news coverage, blog sites, daily 24/7 television news coverage, newspapers? Their pull is intense. And, if you happen to have Sirius XM radio access in your car you have 24/7 news wherever you are – even on a quiet…
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My Reluctant Journey or The Theology of a Porcupine
Our guest blogger today is Mrs. P.J. Beets who is a doctoral student at Dallas Theological Seminary in the Doctor of Ministry in Spritual Formation program. I became a Christian as an adult. As I began to grow as a believer in Christ, God graciously brought a lot of opportunities to study His Word and be with believers that practiced some of the same spiritual habits that Christ modeled while He was on earth. These habits are often referred to as spiritual disciplines or practices: Bible study, memorizing Scripture, prayer, fellowship, and service. They are some of the core practices that are essential to our life with God. However, I found…
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The Value of a Question – What is your question?
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. The blind man said, “I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. (Mark 10:46-52) The question is a powerful tool. It requires an answer. It promotes reflection. It engages the hearer asking for accountability. It shows respect and interest in the hearer. It offers a place for the hearer to give their thoughts and opinions. It prompts subsequent questions and is an invitation for the hearer to ask a question. A question invites relationship. Consider some of the questions Jesus asked. In each incident…
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Anticipating Advent
How can you not be drawn into the grateful expectation of Simeon as he realized that he held the long awaited Christ-child in his arms? Captured in the artist’s rendering is a story of culmination, of waiting, of being prepared by the Holy Spirit for this long anticipated event. Who was he? Who is Simeon and what can we learn from him in this brief passage about his life? He lived in Jerusalem and, as described in Luke 2:25-32, was a righteous and devout man – a man who cautiously and carefully observed the Jewish law and who had been waiting for the consolation of Israel; the promised Messiah,…
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Masquerade vs. Truth
It is almost dusk on the Willow City loop at the height of bluebonnet season in the Texas Hill country when this adorable animal walks out of the brush several yards in front of our car. We stop the car to watch and admire him. A brief thought flashes through my mind, “Oh, I kind of wish we had some property in the country so we could take our new friend home”. The animal walks toward our car, rubs his nose on the bumper at which point my husband gets out of the car and snaps his picture. Getting back into the car my husband closes the car door and…
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TANGLED?
You didn’t plan on this happening. What started out well ordered is now muddled. You didn’t intend or anticipate this knotted, chaotic mess. Your tangles may be something obvious and simple: computer cords twisted up under your desk; clothes smashed, crowded together in your closet; the 3 year olds’ naturally curly hair unbelievably tangled from lack of attention; your carefully planned schedule that now has a wrench tossed into the middle of it OR you may have a relationship that is now gut wrenchingly tangled having gone sour from unresolved conflict. Your heart aches because of the fracture in the relationship and all of a sudden those beautiful curls are…
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Remembering a Life Well Lived
Our dear friend Vickie Kraft – mentor, teacher and companion in the journey left this earth a few days ago. She was 87. We honor her life and her legacy. We remember Vickie as a part of the very fabric of our lives. She was our mentor, Bible teacher, encourager, fellow traveler in the journey, sister-in-Christ and friend. She prayed for her friends. She was always available for a lively and frank discussion with her own distinct comments. Her laughter and her humor were contagious. She had a deep love for and dependence on Jesus and a sharp command of the Scriptures that was inviting. She was a strong, godly…
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Why Spiritual Gifts? – Everyone Matters
God knew it would be impossible for one person to reach the whole world with the Gospel. No one person possesses all it takes to accomplish that goal or the goal of helping individuals grow and mature in their faith once they accept Christ. So, after Jesus ascended into heaven and returned to the Father…a really efficient paradigm was initiated in the form of “spiritual gifts”. The Holy Spirit was sent to indwell each person who receives Christ and trusts Him for forgiveness. (Ephesians 1:14) The indwelling Holy Spirit enables, provides power, insight into the scriptures, comfort, guidance and the ability to function as a Christian .(John 14:15-27; 16:8-15; Acts…
