I met a lonely widow woman the other day. She had a visitor staying with her, a paying guest, to support her and her son in their time of financial stress. The paying guest was generous and they felt safe while he was with them. They felt he somehow protected them...
It's amazing how much noise 30 kids, ages 4-12 can make. Especially in a small, block-construction room. As I stared at the person standing three feet away from me, I knew he was speaking because I could see his lips moving, but I couldn't hear a word he was saying....
My dog and I were witnesses to the funniest sight the other day: A squirrel, running in place! We were just recovering from a 15 cm snow fall the day, and it was -20° C. The roads hadn't been cleared yet, and anyone who's run in ankle-deep snow knows that it is...
". . . Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross,...
"Remember, too, that knowing what is right to do & then not doing it is SIN" (James 4:17) Is it not relatively easy to be worry about the Sins of Commission? Although we are wary of murder, theft, adultery, do we not often get tripped up by subtle sins? These are...
"Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for the silversmith." (Prov 25:4 NIV) Just as the dross must be removed from the silver before it can be used, our characters need to be shaped in order to be of use for the Kingdom of God. But how do we do...
Throughout the books of Moses, the people of Israel are promised repeatedly that they will be given the Promised Land, the Land of Canaan: "But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you … No one will be able to stand up against you; you will destroy them." (Deut...
How many of out there would like to skip the book of Leviticus when you read through your Bibles? And maybe the last half of Exodus, all of Numbers, and parts of Deuteronomy to boot? If you answered "yes" to the above, then you are not alone. All of those rules and...
"It seems to me that there is some plague in the house . . ." (Lev 14:34-36); "If any clothing is contaminated with mildew - any woolen or linen clothing . . . It is a spreading mildew and must be shown to the priest." (Lev 13:47, 49 NIV) It's pretty strange to worry...
Grammar is a funny thing. I remember when it was almost mandatory that no ifs-ands-ors-or-buts may be used to begin a sentence. If you dared to challenge the rule you got - sorry, got was nearly as bad as ifs-ands-ors-or-buts - you were marked down, right down. That...