The world is a dangerous place. Bad actors do bad things. Human beings can miss the point of their own stories. Sometimes one’s life or even one’s day does not unfold as planned. People minding their own business may be hurt or killed through no fault of their own. There is such a thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A tower may suddenly collapse on you. Death does not discriminate. No one is immune. These are but some of the observations to be…
For this week’s column, I perused dictionary definitions of the word, “religion.” What I found wasn’t pretty. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say, it was all about “bonds,” “obligations,” “duties,” “practices,” “rites,” “rituals”—mainly overt actions performed by human beings compelled to do so by the tenets of the particular system to which they adhere. Few sources even got ‘round to mentioning “beliefs.” No hint was provided as to God’s role, if any. Much was said about conformity and tradition, but…
For several years (I don’t know how many, exactly) I belonged to an organization that distributes Bibles at schools, hospitals, military bases, correctional facilities, transport hubs, hotels, and so on, as well as individually, through personal sharing. It is a large and well-known organization, with international operations and a good reputation. Its workforce is composed almost entirely of volunteers. When a friend at church, a longtime student of my adult Bible classes, suggested that I join, I didn’t seriously consider it, at…
The phrase “a comforting fiction” is a particularly interesting one. It is commonly used in situations in which a fairytale seems preferable to reality. When, for example, a triggering event like the tragic loss of a loved one occurs, the fact of the death is impossible to deny. Yet, that fact may feel too cold, too stark, too heavy to bear. There is fear that its mere acknowledgement may—and more than likely would—overwhelm the bereaved’s defenses. The resulting ground rush of grief and pain…
The words “urgency” and “emergency” would seem to have much in common. They’re both nouns. They sound so very similar, and no wonder—their last two syllables are identical. But that’s just the beginning. Situations repeatedly arise, in which both words are applicable in the same place, at the same time and for the same reason. It would be a challenge to name many other words more closely related in terms of proximity, causation, duration, and proportion. Both urgency and emergency can trigger powerful emotions and great…
Believe it or don’t, Jesus Christ is coming again. Let that sink in. Like it or not, He is returning. Regardless of whether you expect it to happen, it will. It’s a fact, not a fantasy—a truism, not a belief or a wish or even a fear. It’s just reality. Oh, you can argue, you can protest, you can swaddle yourself in great swirling clouds of self-delusion and denial—but only until His arrival. This date with destiny is on its way. It is on schedule. It is roaring toward us…
It’s Christmas Eve 2021 as I write this column. Naturally, the Nativity is on my mind. Let’s read together the brief account in Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 1, verses 18-25. I’ll share a few thoughts as we go. 18 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” Mary was “found [to be] with child.” The child was not Joseph’s. He and Mary were…
The religious and political upper crust of first century Jewish society thought that they were finally getting just what they’d been wanting for ages. Money had changed hands. A secret arrest had been made. The man at the top of Jerusalem’s ‘most wanted’ list could not rightly be called public enemy number one, because he wasn’t an enemy of the public—just a threat to the power structure. But he had been hauled in and now stood bound before them. After the skullduggery it had taken…
Have you ever contributed items for inclusion in a time capsule or been in attendance when one is placed or opened? If not, have you watched or read stories about the discovery or planned exhumation of a time capsule on an anniversary date or at the expiration of a specified interval? What most intrigued or inspired you about the experience? What sparked your curiosity or fueled your imagination? As everyone knows, a time capsule cannot be swallowed and does not contain any time. It…
If I did not know Jesus Christ and did not expect Him to return for me and for all who trust in Him, I would not, could not know love, peace, joy and hope. I would know crushing disappointment, seething hatred, suffocating panic, and utter despair. Think about a Christ-less world for two minutes. What do you see? Your very existence the result of an inexplicable series of accidents, a product of random chance, without meaning, purpose or intrinsic value. No answer to existential…