Cec Murphey is an excellent writer that I’ve known for around 20 years. He has some great stories, and this is one I heard him tell. He introduced me to Don Piper in 2014 and helped him write his true story, 90 Minutes in Heaven . If you haven’t read it, you should. Missionaries went … [Read more…]
Mere Christianity is a classic in Christian literature. I read it years ago, and recently listened to it as an audiobook. It was read by a British gentleman whose accent made it seem as though C. S. Lewis himself were sharing his ideas with me. I was especially struck by the timelessness of his comments. … [Read more…]
When I am in distress, I turn to Psalms. (“Palms,” as my friend Valerie persists in saying.) David and the others who wrote Psalms had all the ups and downs that we have today. Feeling vengeful? You can find a Psalm to relate to. 4 May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; … [Read more…]
We all have favorite Bible verses, but do you have certain books of the Bible that you turn to for specific needs? One of my favorite books is Proverbs. Such wisdom, so well expressed. Proverbs 22 is a chapter that abounds with incisive sayings. A well-known verse is the first one in that chapter: “A … [Read more…]
Remember Jesus’ response to a question? “When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:39-40) As a child, I worried a … [Read more…]
My mother was a staunch supporter of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. Even though she realized that scholars translated it under the authorization of King James I of England (who was also King James VI of Scotland!), she persisted in saying, “If it was good enough for King James, it’s good enough … [Read more…]
Yesterday I went to prison—Indiana State Prison, to be exact. Fortunately, I went as a visitor, not an inmate, but the impact was still remarkable. Michigan City, Indiana, is about a five-hour drive from our house. We picked up Mac Reeves at 7:30 a.m. and headed for Indiana. We were on our way to visit … [Read more…]
When contemplating what gifts I have, I sometimes think that in recent years I have the gift of understanding the other person’s perspective. For example, when a driver does something unusual (some might say stupid or dangerous), I think, “Must be late for an appointment,” or, “He just didn’t see me coming,” or some such. … [Read more…]
Our Sunday sermons recently have been on I Corinthians—the issues of the early church in Corinth and how we still deal with the same issues today. In Life Group this week, discussion focused on our spiritual gifts. When each person was asked to share his or her own spiritual gifts, the silence thundered. Hesitantly, I … [Read more…]
I’ve been thinking about churchy words that we use without thinking because we grew up with them. Partake, communion, sanctified, atonement, grace, gospel, repentance, and even salvation. So what is salvation? People have to wonder what we mean by saved by the blood of Jesus, though to us it’s perfectly clear. I’m especially aware of … [Read more…]
