“Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is Abel your brother?’ And he said, ‘I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?’” (Gen. 4:9). You’ve probably heard the story. You remember Cain’s seemingly sarcastic retort to the Lord, which was not a wise move on his part. God never answered that questioned directly, but we know that the answer was definitely,…

They are trying to sell shoes with a slogan about personal sacrifice. “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” They are using the face of a football player who sacrificed his career for his personal beliefs about an oppressive government. Not a new concept. Christians had that before the swoosh. Even before His death, Christ was speaking about the cost…

It is probably a sure assumption that most people like having some assurances about the choices they make. When we face big decisions, there are times when we linger longer in deciding because of a lack of assurances about the outcome. As Christians, we have access to heavenly and secure assurances about this life and the life to come. There are several…

A lot can happen from generation to generation. “There arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel” (Judg. 2:10). Before this forgetful generation, there was the conquering generation who took the land of Canaan with the help of God. Before them, there was an “evil generation” that did not…

Forgiveness is hard. It is easier to focus on the hurt that the offender caused to us or others. It is easy to focus on the pain until it sickens us and brings us to the dark places of hatred and contempt. It is there that we feel helpless and paralyzed by the venom upon which we have been feeding. How do…

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word” (Psa. 119:9). It is a rather basic concept and an easy Sunday School answer. The more difficult task is answering the “how to.” I would like to propose four things to help us with the day-to-day of raising children toward a secure relationship with God. Education…

The Swedish crown jewels have been stolen! In a dastardly irreverent manner, the suspects entered into the Strängnäs Cathedral near Stockholm around lunch time. They came running out and jumped into a waiting speed boat to make their getaway. They made off with two crowns and a golden orb that was part of the funeral regalia of Swedish monarchs Karl IX and…

There are those little things that we take for granted. When we are faced with a life without them suddenly life is so much more difficult, and we mourn the loss of what was once so common. Electricity, A/C and running water are among those things. Another more infinitely simple blessing that we often overlook is light. It is more than obvious…