Wanted: thinkers
2 Peter 3
Entertainment is everything today. So important, in fact, that we have television programs and magazines devoted solely to the subject. All of which makes it real difficult to be committed to substance rather than the superficial. This includes reading widely, probing deeply, seeing with discernment, rejecting the false, learning the facts. In short, thinking!
Hope in dark places
Isaiah 53
I love music! Choral music, instrumental music, popular music, classical music...folk tunes, ballads, country western and bluegrass...the patriotic and romantic. For me, music is a must.
Like you, I have my favourite hymns—the ones that hold some special meaning for me or evoke grand and vivid memories of significant events. Invariably, those things pass in mental review as I become "lost in wonder, love, and praise" in my worship.
In your spring bonnet
1 Samuel 16:7; Matthew 5:5
Think it over
Centuries ago a little boy found himself in the midst of a vast crowd of people—larger than any group he'd ever seen. He had come out of curiosity, having heard that a man named Jesus was nearby.
Not knowing how far he would have to travel or how long he would be gone, the boy had packed a small lunch for himself, a couple of small fish and some bread.
Suddenly a man tapped the lad on the shoulder and asked what he had in his hand. And the next thing the boy knew, his lunch was feeding over 5,000 people!
Blackfoot Chief Crowfoot artifacts to make their way home
A delegation from Siksika First Nation has completed a repatriation ceremony in Exeter, UK this week for items that belonged to Chief Crowfoot.
After the ceremony dignitaries from Siksika Nation, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), and the City of Exeter held a news conference to speak about the impact of the ceremony, and the importance of bringing home the artifacts.
Uncrossable rivers of life
Luke 18:27
We often find ourselves bogging down in our spiritual growth simply because the challenges before us look absolutely impossible. Such frustrations are not new. Jeremiah tells us: "Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You" (Jeremiah 32:17).
Do you realize that whatever thing or things you're calling "impossibilities" could be superimposed over what God says is "nothing" to Him? Nothing!
His workmanship
1 Kings 5-6
Sometimes fundamentalists can be the ugly ducklings of Christendom. We sometimes clothe the infinite riches of Christ in unattractive rags! As a result, the treasure of Truth is tainted and cheapened by the way it is presented to the public.
Applause
Matthew 6:1-18
If a modern Rip Van Winkle were to awaken from 20 years slumber and stumble into today's world, I suspect he'd be amazed. Some of the changes, even in worship, would make the old gentleman wonder about us.
Picture him sitting on a pew, connecting with God in worship. Then to his amazement, he hears folks clapping! Frowning, he feels suddenly and strangely interrupted. Why are these people applauding? Wasn't that music an offering of praise to the One they have gathered together to worship? Isn't silence—just the awesome sound of silence—sufficient?