Posts from 2022 (Page 16)

In the 1980s I used to hear this complaint: “The old people around here just want to keep the church back in the 1950s.” It was a strange criticism, given that we had been enjoying 1950s nostalgia on screen and radio for the better part of a decade. Thirty years from now, will today’s young people hear their children complain, “The old people around here just want to keep the church back in the 2020s”? My guess is that the…

If you gave a $1000 bill away every second, how long would it take you to pay off the current USA debt of $30 trillion? Check my math, but I believe it will take three hundred and forty-seven years. For the ordinary person, $30,000,000,000,000 is an impossible amount to conceptualise in cash. A more manageable way to grasp it is to divide that $30 trillion by the 330 million Americans—it comes to about $92,000 each. That’s man, woman, and child…!…

Jonah preached in Nineveh with a heart full of political hate. Being arguably one of the most successful ‘instant’ revival preachers in history, you would think that Jonah would have paused to take in the moment. Instead, he perched himself atop the nearest hill overlooking Nineveh and hoped that God would rain down terror upon it. Jonah saw the Assyrians as nothing more than a murderous horde deserving of God’s wrath. And no doubt about it, they were a murderous…

Long before home computers and social media existed, I met a brother who told me a troubling story about data collection. He had recently been ‘written up’ by the editor of a contentious religious magazine who he had considered to be a friend. He said that he didn’t care about what had been written about him, but he was concerned for others close to him who had been considered ‘guilty by association.’ I later learned that the contentious editor would…

I know that that sounds like a Country and Western song title, but bear with me. One of the downsides of life is to watch relationships deteriorate. Sometimes it’s because of words or deeds that are not forgiven, or a realization that you really didn’t have much in common anyway. One of the early signs of a failing relationship is the fall in one’s popularity. When somebody likes you, it is not uncommon for them to agree with all you…

I was standing in a church building in Texas when a brother greeted me quietly, placed a piece of paper in my hand, and walked away. Since other brethren were around me, I put it in my pocket and continued to chat to them. Though this happened more than a few years ago, I still know what he had written down. The note contained these five simple words: “Would you please pray for me?” I do not know what was…

Your Faith Journey will not be a smooth one. In fact, the closer you get to your Heavenly Destination, the more obstructions you can expect to encounter. From the earliest days of my Christian walk I have been privileged to be among brethren willing to share their struggles. A common theme has been ‘Spiritual Roadblocks’ that have hindered our progress and tested our faith. I have been blessed by these fellow travellers. However, if I am honest, some of those…

I am sure that my modest education is to be smiled upon when compared to that of an astrophysicist; but I take no offence. I must admit that I have little idea of what they are talking about on any given day. However, since they do expect that we take them seriously, it is only fair to give space to at least one of their ideas. Maybe you have seen this quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson: “In the beginning, nearly…

Complications set in when a man defines ‘Faith’ beyond the scriptures. Recently, I heard a man present what to many would have been a reasonable explanation of ‘Faith and Works’ from James chapter two. I too may have been convinced of his teachings but for the fact that I knew his definition of ‘Faith’ to be unbiblical. To put it briefly: He believes that ‘Faith’ is a gift from God that is miraculously endowed upon a chosen few – without…