Religious Fervor in Ghana
The Second Coming of Christ will be May 21, 2011, according to a prominent billboard in Accra. The end of the world will be October 21, 2011.
Pastors Blog
Wineskin in the Smoke
“I am like a wineskin in the smoke,” wrote the Psalmist in Psalm 119:83. The metaphor takes my mind back to the high Andes Mountains in northern Peru nearly 20 years ago, to a cemetery of Incan warriors and a little man in that cemetery who had a tiny pot to sellHe told us that he found the pot while digging around in those open graves. The huge pyramid-shaped stones that once covered the graves and been blasted apart by grave robbers. All the gold was stolen. But stirring with a ...
Pray for the Songhai
The Songhai Empire was one of three great empires in West Africa and was named after its largest ethnic group, the Songhai. The empire reached the pinnacle of its power in the 15th and 16th centuries and began to decline after a military defeat in 1591.
See the Kingdom
Nine juvenile offenders listened intently recently as I told them that they could “see the kingdom” if they were born again.They had lots of guesses about what “see the kingdom” meant—heaven, going to church, Jesus, etc. Most of the guesses had to do with religious activities or the afterlife.I believe that we can see the kingdom of God in the here and now only through being born again. I believe that when we see the kingdom of God in our own time and place we are ...
Your Word, My Heart
My father insisted his boys memorize Psalm 2 word for word from the King James Bible. The first line reads, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” The text is filled with strange words in unfamiliar order, and the concepts are tough to assimilate. But I learned it anyway and can recite it word for word to this day. The picture from Psalm 2 of God laughing has visited me at many opportune moments. When tempted to defy God’s word, these words scroll ...
Experience the Power of Caring
Your life can be more interesting, challenging, and rewarding. You can move into a new era of energy and passion. Things can change for you. You are only a few steps away from an adjustment of attitude and outlook that could be powerful and permanent in your life.You may have received faulty information about the nature and purpose of life on this planet. You may have received an “empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers” (Apostle Peter, 1 Peter 1:18). This ...
Guarding the City
Contemplate the fate of cities in our world through the centuries. They rise and fall like tides on the sea. The great cities of today are often built upon the rubble of great cities of the past. Historically, losing a city completely, whether to sudden catastrophe or long decay, is nothing new to the human race. Cities are living social systems, and they are mortal. They are vulnerable to war, economics, weather, disease, and changing demographics both natural and sociological. They respond ...
Psalms
The psalms are the greatest and most lasting work of King David. The sacrificial system of ancient Israel, the work of Aaron, has been set aside. The ceremonial law established by Moses has been superseded by the age of grace. But the praise of King David continues to fit the purposes of God through the generations and among all people who trust him. In this way the house of David, culminating in Christ Jesus has continued its presence among the nations to this very day. This is dramatically ...
Memorial Day
Janet's grandparents invited us over for a meal before our marriage. I had not been in their home before.
New Orleans' Mothers
I dined this week with several mothers who discussed with great sympathy the plight of families in Nashville affected by recent, massive flooding in that city.They are experts in such disaster. Each of these mothers evacuated during Hurricane Katrina and returned to find their homes in ten feet of water. Each had children who were still school age when they lost their homes and schools in New Orleans. These mothers shuttled their children to schools in Baton Rouge and on the North Shore for ...