Posts by John Staiger (Page 53)

A young preacher was asked by his youth class: “How can you pray without ceasing?” His answer was as profound as it was personal. He said, “One night our baby became so still and unresponsive that we feared for her life. We were so afraid that we just got into the car and headed for the hospital. I was so terrified that our baby was going to die, that all the way to the hospital I prayed, over and over…

Those scenes in those old movies where ‘bugs’ were manually put into telephone handpieces by spies seem quite quaint today. Especially since we live in a time where our private electronic conversations are so easily monitored by those motivated to do so. The Christian, of course, negates a lot of those potential problems by always speaking in a Christlike spirit—to bless all who might be listening. If you want to know how you are doing spiritually, listen in on your…

At conception God in His mercy and grace downloaded a Conscience App into everyone. So, not only were we all born pure and sinless, we were all pre-programmed to be able to distinguish between right and wrong. God also installed parents and guardians. His plan being that ‘Big-people’ bring ‘Little-people’ from the beauty of innocence to the glory of adulthood. God, of course, deeming that every parent and guardian have the same obligation before Him—To teach their children to love…

I live in New Zealand—earthquakes are a reality. But they do not keep me up at night. It’s not that I do not fear them, it is because I am assured that the buildings around me are designed to withstand at least those at the lower end of the Richter scale. You would think that the same real fear that inspires earthquake proofing, would demand that all homes be built to withstand all obvious dangers. Tragically, this fear has often…

Laurence Olivier was a master performer on stage and screen. I would challenge anyone to find his film portrayal of Hamlet as anything other than gripping. And, I have wondered, though a great fan of David Niven, if the film, Wuthering Heights, might have lacked all its depth and emotion without Olivier. Such men learn the art of engaging an audience; it is indeed hard to ignore their presence. When Jesus spoke, people reacted in a manner far beyond any…

“Evil people bring evil things out of the evil they stored in their hearts“ (Luke 6:45). The eighteenth-century puritan firebrand preacher, Jonathan Edwards, is often saddled with the quote: “The road to hell is paved with the skulls of unbaptized babies.” Whether he ever said it, or not, one can’t be sure, but there is little doubt that he believed it. You would be surprised at the list of denominations that believe in hereditary sin. Begin with those that practise…

“Good people bring good things out of the good they stored in their hearts” (Luke 6:45). I knew a wealthy businessman who once lamented, “I’ve made millions, but only a fraction of what I could have made if I had had just one partner I could trust.” I asked why he hadn’t done background checks on the lives and habits of those who cost him time and money. He said that it was impossible to know what some people are…

“I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem” (Neh.2:2). God put a vision into Nehemiah’s heart because Nehemiah was ready to receive it. When you love God, you seek to protect that which glorifies Him. Therefore, Nehemiah’s heart broke to hear that Jerusalem was defenceless. Her walls were in disrepair, and miles away in Persia he seemed hopeless to do anything. After all, he was the wine taster for Artaxerxes, the…

Muhammad Ali was on an aeroplane. The hostess said, “Sir, please fasten your seatbelt.” Mohamed said, “Superman don’t need no seatbelt.” The hostess replied, “Superman don’t need no aeroplane.” Whether true or apocryphal, it makes its point: Bravado doesn’t change reality. Ali against another man was indeed a formidable force, but Ali against gravity…? There are forces at play in this world over which we have no control. Plague, famine, and pestilence are not confined to the Old Testament world;…

I have seen the blank stares of the half-believers. Those who became Christians but never really accepted that the world was that bad. It was not that Jesus and the church didn’t make sense to them. It was, instead, a growing realisation on their part that they were being pulled in both directions; they had to choose which way to go—or not! More than a few would suggest that leaving people to themselves is the best policy that a church…