In 1871, Horatio Spafford (1828-1888), a devout Presbyterian church elder and prosperous businessman, was living comfortably in Chicago with his wife Anna, and their four young daughters. At their home in a north side suburb, the Spaffords hosted and financially supported many guests. Horatio had been active in the abolitionist crusade and their cottage was a meeting place for activists in the ref...  Read More

Muriel Lester was born in Leytonstone, Essex (now in east London), on 9 December 1883 into a prosperous Victorian shipbuilding family. Her father Henry owned a shipyard in Blackwall Docks to the south on the Thames River, on the Isle of Dogs. It was her family's company that built the barge that carried Cleopatra’s Needle, an ancient Egyptian obelisk, dated 1450 BC, to London when it was given as ...  Read More

People, power, and principles are interwoven to create a rope that may be used to help or harm people. Hopefully, the previous sentence sounds intriguing and causes you to wonder what it may mean. I wrote it so that we would consider the impact of our everyday life encounters. It should cause us to reflect upon the ways that our beliefs and actions may be used in God’s grander purpose to advance t...  Read More

“And the Lord spoke” carried supreme authority when Israel received God’s law. Community was formed by God’s word and his word set the boundaries for inclusion and exclusion in it. Not so any longer in Western culture! As Dallas Willard writes, “What characterizes life in so-called Western societies today, however, is the absence, or presumed absence, of knowledge of good and evil, right and wrong...  Read More

Open doors lead both to expected and unexpected results, so make certain to step forward with the Spirit’s guidance and help. Now, that opening sentence holds some significant implications. If you are like me, you will often open a package and lay the instructions aside because you are eager to enjoy the contents. We quite often open the package of new life in Christ but fail to read carefully the...  Read More

One of the great expectations of the Christian life rests on the truth that what began at the Ascension of Christ will be completed upon his glorious return. In the meantime, we have an assignment from him (Acts 1:8). Please bear with me because this devotional is desperately needed in our current day. Gratefully, we have been left with a wonderful account of the early church in the Book of Acts t...  Read More

“Science tells us that when you tell someone they’re wrong, they’re more likely to dig in than to experience a change of heart.” (1) Such a claim applies to other areas beyond science and holds broad moral implications since the statement was first directed toward those who oppose childhood vaccinations. Similar resistance has surfaced with the advent of COVID-19 vaccinations, and is reflected in ...  Read More

The power of all false gods is illusory, while the strength of the Lord our God is real and eternal. Ahh! Of course, knowing this fact with our minds does not integrate immediately into life practice. We will see this truth played out in the exodus of Israel from Egypt where they had spent four centuries exposed to polytheism. It continued to influence their faith practices through the centuries.S...  Read More

A popular adage reminds us of the importance of foundational commitments: “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” In other words, core values are the foundation of how you and everyone around you conduct themselves. Christians are to make sure that the worship of the Father is the supreme value in their lives. It will show in how they conduct themselves.The collection of sa...  Read More

The heart of Luke 8 may be found in a single question that Luke presents to us on the lips of the disciples. The question is: “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?” I believe that this query rests on the foundational principle of Jesus’ Divine sovereignty. Luke writes to show people that Jesus is Lord over nature, the demonic, and over sickness and death; the...  Read More

It seems very likely that Genesis 1-11 represents one of the most familiar portions of the Bible. Nearly all people have heard about Adam and Eve, the temptation and fall into sin, the Flood, and the tower of Babel. Familiarity with this part of the Bible certainly does not equate to unity among people as to how we should approach it and apply it to our lives! Some dismiss these chapters as little...  Read More

It has been said, “It is best to be with those in time that we hope to be with in eternity.” Christian friendships are the best, aren’t they? Shawna and I have a close friend who has often invited us into her home for meals and fellowship. It is a lovely place, and we have enjoyed much laughter and a few tears, as well as joys and sorrows in that place. I am certain that you, too, have friends suc...  Read More