“We can be thankful in trying circumstances because know that we will be able to extend to others who experience similar difficult circumstances the same comfort that we receive from the God of all comfort.”   Often, the most basic of God’s commands are the hardest for us to obey. We may ask ourselves whether or not... Continue Reading

We all, to varying degrees, are conscious of this yawning cavern placed within us by Someone without. Inexplicably, we hunger for a meal we have not yet tasted; we thirst for streams our lips have never touched. And we cannot shake it. We try to appease the appetite with earthly snacks or distract ourselves with... Continue Reading

People need a healthy dose of Scripture.  The Scripture speaks of a God who is not fashionable, trendy, or vogue.  However, the Bible does speak of a God who is big, weighty and holy; of a God that is a consuming fire.  This is not the type of deity to be trifled with by seeking... Continue Reading

“Lewis discovered that God doesn’t make us truly thankful by threatening us; he draws it out of us with pleasures. And these pleasures are pointers to something greater — they become our tutors in thanksgiving.”   God takes great pleasure in helping us grow in the happy grace of gratitude. And the almost unbelievably wonderful... Continue Reading

Unanswerable questions will tempt us toward doubt and anger, and we, like many of Jesus’ disciples, will be tempted to walk away. But if we have been fully convinced, beyond mere feeling, of the truth of Jesus and His work, if we can solidly stand with Peter and say, “Lord, to whom shall we go?... Continue Reading

We asked every one if they knew Luis, the man with the broken back. It took us three trips to Cuba before we met someone who remembered him and took us to his “forgotten prison.” He was overjoyed with his glasses and asked for his Bible to loudly read to us. His dirty mattress had... Continue Reading

As I continue to learn how to pray I have shared a few prayers with my family and friends for their use or adaptation. The Alliance has asked me to share some with you too. Here is the third in a series on “Praying Through the Scriptures.”   Over the years it has been my... Continue Reading

“While we were out walking Archie and we watched him sniffing constantly I remembered reading some incredible facts about dogs’ noses, but they were so astonishing that I thought I must have got them wrong so I went to check. I had got them wrong—they were far more mind-bogglingly amazing than I had thought!”  ... Continue Reading

It is surely frightening to think that God’s wrath will equal all the obedience that is due to Him. Although life is short and the wrath of God terrifying, the mercy and protection of God for His people are great. God is the home of His people: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations”... Continue Reading

If everyone can ‘be good’ by their own will, we expect everyone to rise up to this occasion, and then when someone does not, whatever contempt we feel toward that person is justified. So while the call to ‘be good’ is inclusive, it is also unclear. What does it mean to be good, how good to... Continue Reading