Posts by John Staiger (Page 56)

You probably won’t find yourself leading a revival or being at the forefront of a famous missionary effort; those things tend to happen to other people. Instead, like most of us, you are likely to be working to save the lost as part of the local church. Consequently, we are sometimes left with the feeling that we have not done as much as we were able. On rare occasions I have heard preachers suggest: “The fruit you bear for Jesus…

The Prodigal son of Luke 15 had no doubts as to his destination. It was, “Far Country, here I come!” With dreams to live and money to burn, everything was going to be better, beyond the constraints of home. In no time at all he found out that wild living looks cheap… until you must pay the price in full. With his dreams dead, and his money and options spent, the question, “Where from here?” was neither his to ask…

One of my High School teachers held before us some cards with multi-coloured spots and asked if anyone was colour blind. One boy said he was and was asked to identify a number on each card. As you have probably guessed, the rest of us only saw spots. He and the teacher may have been in on a practical joke for all we knew. However, the numbers were printed on the backs of the cards, so, lest we had any…

Corruption isn’t restricted to third world depots with Swiss bank accounts and London townhouses. Leaders of some of our most sophisticated countries will leave the office with pockets much fatter than when they entered. Amazingly, the thing that they all seem to have in common is the ability to convince people that they care about the poor more than they care about themselves. You would think that someone might ask them if their gated communities have any housing for orphans,…

A young mother was trying to console her broken-hearted son. The child had asked his mother why her boyfriend had suddenly disappeared from the house and taken everything he owned with him. Trying to be as nice as possible, the young mother said, “Darling, he is angry with me, and that was the only thing that he had any control over to try to hurt me with.” Anger burns hot. It is the ultimate self-fuelling emotion. If not extinguished, it…

Telling someone in the twenty first century to “repent” is not taken kindly. The predictable reaction being: “Who are you to judge?” Presently, what is counted as “Sin” is a considered a “matter of opinion,” and when an accusation of wrongdoing is made, it is not uncommon that an apology be demanded by the accused. Thus, longstanding issues with the unrepentant sit unresolved in churches. This is not to suggest that there is always a cloud of unhappiness hanging over…

A few short years ago I found myself in the presence of a nurse assigned to cure my less-than-stellar health condition. She told me of her progress from casual walker to triathlete. “I started by walking,” she said, “but it didn’t work. So, I ran, and then I cycled to the bay. Then I swam across the bay. I am one year younger than you and I am doing triathlons. You must exercise. None of this “but I can’t” stuff.…

Did I ever tell you about the wedding that I performed in a tent? Everything was perfect, the bride, the groom, the guests, everything…except for the weather. The rains really did come down! As the groom and I waited for the bride, I noticed that small lakes were developing in the canopy above. When one would give way under its own weight, water would cascade down the outside of the canvas flaps; and we all checked our shoes. That day,…

Each time Pharoah refused to let God’s people go, he was asking for another plague—God did not refuse him! Egypt witnessed YHWH’s wrath first-hand. They were left in no doubt as to His complete power over all their pagan gods. None of these gods arose to contradict or negate His devastation over every aspect of Egyptian life. The super-power was brought to its knees by the God of their slaves. By the Tenth Plague all of Egypt believed! They did…

On one of my few foreign adventures I was invited a garden party at the country estate. The event was hosted by the lady of the manor. On arrival she encouraged us to partake of the lavish array of foods set out, and to enjoy the equally lavish array of paintings on display. The paintings were available for purchase, but the representative insisted: “First and foremost they are here for your enjoyment.” Now, I was no art expert, but I…