If you and I were total strangers and I were to walk up to you, hand you a bottle containing an unidentifiable liquid and tell you to drink it, what would you do? For all you know, it could be a refreshing cool drink for a hot day. Or it could be a deadly poison. You might think it a little strange, politely refuse, and walk away. You might be curious and initiate a dialogue [...]
A man set out to plant a garden. He purchased a large plot of ground in an area that had fertile soil, and he built a strong fence around it. Then he divided it up into sections, one section for each of his favorite foods, and carefully plowed each section into rows. Next he painted signs for each section, showing colorful pictures of the plump vegetables and fruits he was looking forward to harvesting there: [...]
Continued from part one... As we continue to wrestle with the question of forgiveness, I want to take a look today at Psalm 51, written by King David. This is a man about whom God said, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all my will.” (Acts 13:22c) But David was far from faultless. Most of you will be familiar with the story of David and Bathsheba, [...]
Child survivors of Auschwitz At the end of World War II, the Allies entered the concentration camps of Germany to find unbelievable carnage. Among the masses of emaciated bodies, the following note was found in the clothing of a dead child. It reads: O Lord, remember not only the men and woman of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not remember all of the suffering they have inflicted upon [...]
Jesus and His disciples were gathered in the Upper Room. The disciples were looking forward to sharing a traditional Passover meal with Jesus. Everything had been prepared. But this evening was not going to be what the disciples were expecting. What Jesus had in store for them would change their world forever. They first began to realize the evening would be unlike any other when Jesus–their Master and Lord–wrapped a towel around His waist and [...]
A young man lay in his bed. He had lain there for some time now. He sighed dejectedly, rolled over, lay there some more, and then reached for the remote. Turning toward the TV, he grabbed the legs of his pajamas to adjust himself to a more comfortable position and turned on the television. He flipped through the stations until he came to a soccer game. He loved soccer. He watched for a while. As [...]
Pyrenees Donkey What happens when we do not see God for who He really is? Jude had something to say about this. In his letter, he introduces himself as the brother of James and a servant of Jesus Christ. Like James, he does not call attention to the fact that he is also a brother, or half-brother so-to-speak, of Jesus. But listen to what this man says who grew up as a member [...]
