Way
By Mike Benson (July 2, 2009)
What is the way to free ourselves from the damning influence of sin?
Influence
By Richard Mansel, managing editor (July 2, 2009)
Two months ago our oldest child enlisted in the Marines. As parents we are a bit apprehensive. He shouldn't be old enough to make such big decisions, yet we are extremely proud and fully support him as he begins this next chapter of his life.
From Unthinkable To Unimpeachable
By Barry Newton (July 1, 2009)
"Doctors ... don't decide what's ethical and then do it; rather, if enough of them start doing it, eventually they decide its ethical." Such cynical thoughts no longer shock me. ... the naiveté of assuming the best has since evaporated.
Anyone Can Quote Scripture
By Stan Mitchell (July 1, 2009)
Anyone can quote scripture. Even Satan did. Scripture can be twisted, or used in isolation from the rest of the Bible.
Access to God
By Richard Mansel, managing editor (June 30, 2009)
Yet, if we are children and our parents live at home, we know that we can go in and talk to them most all of the time. Access is something we find axiomatic in the family. God, our spiritual Father, wants us to have access to him at any time. Nevertheless, there are conditions that must be satisfied, before we can gain entrance (Isaiah 59:1-2).
Can You Be Stopped?
By J. Randal Matheny (June 29, 2009)
I find this version's rendering of the verse almost humorous. Often, the mere threat of suing someone is enough to stop the person from pursuing a course of action.
Remembering Death in Life
By J. Randal Matheny (June 28, 2009)
With the death of Michael Jackson, the media buzzes with details of his popular career and his bizarre life: star of the family group, the Jackson Five, the changes in his music, his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, his financial woes, his three children, all of whom bear both his names, his cosmetic surgeries, the charges of child molestation. Death calls us to remember a life, no matter how wonderful or sordid.
It's In the Name
By Michael Brooks (June 27, 2009)
Most converts to the Gospel in South Asia come out of Islamic, Hindu or Buddhist backgrounds. Many are young adults, who will bear children into their now Christian families. Frequently I am asked to suggest "Christian" names for the newborn child.
Ethical Dilemmas
By Tim Hall (June 26, 2009)
Annie Green, acting director of Laradon, a nonprofit program that works with developmentally disabled adults, was puzzled. John Francis Beech, a Denver businessman, had dropped off an envelope for Green while she was away. When she received the envelope four days later, she read the message on the front:
Watching
By J. Randal Matheny (June 25, 2009)
One of my favorite pastimes is watching. Sometimes I just sit somewhere and watch people walk by. When my family lived in Missouri we would often sit by the Mississippi river and watch the boats go by. Watching the rain come down is another activity that I enjoy. Not by coincidence, watching is required of all Christians.
A Dog's-Eye View of Life
By Stan Mitchell (June 24, 2009)
It's OK for dogs to live on a purely physical level; it's a pity when human beings never live at a deeper level than satisfying their bellies!
Spirituality - Its Missing Dimension
By Barry Newton (June 24, 2009)
Sitting in the dimly lit municipal auditorium, I listened to Eugene Peterson describe our materialistically and consumeristically saturated society erupt with a prevalent hunger for spirituality.
Fathers and Daughters
By Richard Mansel, managing editor (June 23, 2009)
There is something uniquely powerful about fathering daughters. Fathers have so many conflicting emotions when we think of our daughters. We want to protect them and wrap them in a cocoon, yet we want them to become glorious butterflies to soar and enthrall the world around them.
Spiritual Aspirin
By J. Randal Matheny (June 22, 2009)
We live today a false dream by thinking that happiness means the absence of pain. Perhaps the sign of our society is the aspirin or the painkiller. But Jesus tells us that the pain, the suffering of the Cross, the spending of self for him, are part and parcel of the Christian life.
Insipid History
By J. Randal Matheny (June 21, 2009)
I disagree with the Marquês de Maricá, who wrote in his book of maxims, published in Rio de Janeiro in 1850, that "there would be no history more insipid and insignificant than that of men, if they all had good judgment."