Christmas will soon be here. But do you know the vital role of dreams in the story of this celebrated birth? Joseph dreams of an angel telling him to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife, even though she is with child (Mt. 1:20). The Lord God protects the Christ Child by warning the Magi in a dream,…
What is Bitterness? Something that is bitter leaves a bitter taste in our mouths, producing a biting disagreeable sensation in the tongue. In a figurative sense, emotions such as extreme enmity, grudge, hatred produce a bitterness in the heart of man which is manifested through the words spoken―bitterness of anger, sharpness, severity of temper. The Bible warns us about not…
Terrorism, mass killings, violence, hatred … what’s going on? Still reeling from the recent pipe-bomb threats, we were shocked by the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter saying, “All Jews must die!” And what about the poster pasted on trash cans in New York City, showing a white woman wearing a red Trump hat, holding a Bible in her hand—with a giant X…
Recently we were riveted to our TVs as we watched the emotional battle for the Supreme Court unfold. We saw sadness as a woman told her painful story. And we saw the anger of a man defending his honor and his reputation. Because of his anger, they said he does not have the right temperament for the highest court in…
A friend once told me how he carried a pistol around in his car for six weeks, planning to kill himself. In his book, Out of Confusion, he writes, “I was broken and hurting badly. I had failed in everything. There was nothing to look forward to and nothing to comfort me. I remember the time, it was nine o’clock…
Recently I was interviewed by our local newspaper. The editor sent questions, and I spent the entire weekend trying to figure out how to answer them. The questions forced me to look back over my life and try to explain it to a complete stranger. In some way, it forced me to think about the meaning and purpose of my…
Watching events in Singapore unfold, I thought about some truths I’ve learned about life. Only an individual can be a carrier of life—not our institutions, organizations, governments and their policies, or even churches with their dogmas and doctrines. It is only through our individual genuineness and aliveness that we can significantly touch others. Only our capacity to be truly present…
In making peace with our past, we need to forgive from our heart everyone who has ever hurt us. We need to forgive our father and mother and all other family or friends for what they did or did not do for us in our life. And we must become aware of our need to forgive our self. We cannot…
In honor of Pentecost Sunday tomorrow I am posting my essay, “Ode to the Holy Spirit.” I describe the condition in our culture (remember, the God is dead movement?) and the ensuing outpouring of the Holy Spirit around the world. I think you will be blessed as you recall what God did in the midst of great darkness upon our…
According to Hebrews 1:1-2, in Old Testament times God spoke to His people through the prophets. In New Testament times God spoke to His people through His son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Upon Jesus’ return to the right hand of God, He promised to pour out the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33). The promise of the Father is that the Holy…