As you well know, this year has had more than its share of challenges. Millions have either lost their lives or been severely impacted in other ways by the global pandemic. There’s unrest and fighting in the streets, and many individuals are struggling with health...
Staying on the Path
Literary works penned by exceptional writers often stand the test of time. A few become classics and are enjoyed by generations of readers. Some of the best provide imagery that help us visualize important concepts. An outstanding example is a work known as “The...
The Fruit of God’s Presence
In February 2020 we posted an article titled, “The Lost Art of Waiting.” In this, we described how while living overseas we developed a taste for papaya. Since the varieties sold in the USA are so expensive and somewhat tasteless, we decided in September 2019 to plant...
What Would You Ask For?
Imagine for a moment that God appeared to you, and in great kindness asked what you would like him to do for you. There are at least two times recorded in the Bible when a situation like this took place. One appears in the Old Testament, and one in the New Testament....
Supernatural Peace
In the 1840s a poet named Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned a work titled, “The Rainy Day.” It’s said that he did so while recalling the death of his young wife as she suffered a miscarriage. In the first two stanzas Longfellow speaks of how dark and dreary his life...
Degrees of Faith
It’s clear from the New Testament that not everyone whom Jesus encountered had the same degree of faith. He commended some for their faith, while he rebuked others for their lack of it. Our English word faith has its roots in the Latin “fidere,” which means to trust....
Staying Connected
The two leaves above are from the same Mango tree. This was planted from seed some ten years ago, and is flourishing. It’s now almost twenty feet high. The only difference between these two leaves is that one was removed from the tree a few days ago while pruning, and...
Be of Good Cheer
Luke 12:54-56 (NIV) records the following words of Jesus: He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You...
Contrasts
This is the fourth day in the month of July. In the United States we celebrate this as the date in 1776 when the Continental Congress formally declared independence from England. This is remembered as the moment when Patriots living in the American Colonies chose to...