Tag: Jesus Christ

Christmas Images

  

Christmas is fast approaching. I thought I’d do a little experiment, so I typed in “Christmas” on Google, then went to whatever images it chose to highlight. Hundreds appeared. Many were quite beautiful, like this one: And there were those that make you feel warm and comfortable, evoking perhaps memories of Christmases past: A multitude of pictures featured someone intimately connected with Christmas: Others were admittedly rather cute: Some even attempted a message of sorts: Nice and general—vague even—and certainly… Read more »

Jesus: The Author & Perfecter of Faith

  

About two weeks ago, I wrote a post centered on some of the discouragement I feel at times as I try to carry out the ministry the Lord has given me. The intent of the post was not to focus on the discouragement phase but to highlight the way the Lord placed people in my path to help redirect my thinking. The goal was to encourage my readers that we must never grow so weary that we lose hope. I… Read more »

The Real End of the World

  

So here we are: October 1, and the government is in limbo with its funding. The way it’s being portrayed, we’re in sight of the end of the world. Well, I’m not of that opinion. I have it on very good authority that the end will look something like this: And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. …. Read more »

Finney: The Danger of False Security

  

Many people, I fear, have a false sense of security when it comes to their relationship with God. They convince themselves that they are in good standing, yet they’ve never confronted their sins, made a complete repentance, and had a change of heart and life. Charles Finney often comments in his autobiography about such persons. Here’s one particular narrative that’s rather striking: My attention was called to a sick woman in the community, who had been a member of a… Read more »

Snyderian Truism #7

  

Regular readers will know by now that I periodically present what I call Snyderian truisms. These are statements that I consider to be general principles that apply to all of life. We’re now up to #7: The Lord is always more interested in developing character than providing a quick fix. This is not a “fun” truism. Most of us wish it could be modified. We live in a society of quick fixes; we don’t like lingering problems. For those of… Read more »

Lewis: God Is the Judge, Not Us

  

Man, in his sinfulness, will go to any length to excuse himself for what he has become. One of the favorite hobbies of modern man is to push the blame for the problems of the world onto God. In his essay, “God in the Dock,” C. S. Lewis describes this attitude: The ancient man approached God (or even the gods) as the accused person approaches his judge. For the modern man the roles are reversed. He is the judge; God… Read more »

Snyderian Truism #6

  

When I teach history, the emphasis is not on statistics, charts, or graphs, helpful as they all are. Instead, I concentrate on individuals and their impact on events. I believe history is a story, which includes themes, plots, and character development. As we begin to delve into the events of history in class, I reveal to my students another Snyderian Truism that I hope will make them see a significant distinction: Personality and character are not the same: the first… Read more »