In March of 1901, a tiny girl-child was born to a Presbyterian lay preacher and his wife in Toronto, Canada. Her grandfather had been an ordained Presbyterian minister. Even so, with all of these generations of good models and devout home life, Belle did not know Jesus personally. She entered college, and her professor sneered at her belief in God and the Bible, proclaiming that no enlightened per...  Read More

Early in 1612, Edmund was arrested for preaching “that the baptizing of infants is an abominable custom; that the Lord’s supper and baptism are not to be celebrated as they are now practiced in the Church of England; and that Christianity is not wholly professed and preached in the Church of England, but only in part.” Later historians noted that “they found him guilty of many heresies, some of wh...  Read More

 Ida Sophia Scudder (December 9, 1870 – May 23, 1960) was born into the famous Scudder family. Her grandfather, Rev. Dr. John Scudder, Sr., had been the first American medical missionary, and had served as a doctor in Panditeripo, Ceylon, India with the Reformed Church in America. His seven sons, all born in India, became missionaries too. The youngest son, John Jr., married and soon became Ida’s ...  Read More

Born and reared in the north as a free black during the Revolutionary War in America, Thomas Paul heard the cry for freedom. He became one of the most ardent supporters of “soul-liberty” that America has ever known. While all but forgotten today, the legacy of this pastor, church planter, abolitionist, and missionary, still echoes, both from pulpits and in the hearts of freedom-advocates across th...  Read More

“The Way” creates disruption because it causes a radical transformation of life, not simply because of its doctrinal truths (19:23, 35-37; see also 18:15). The form that Gospel resistance takes often changes shape, but the underlying reality is still the same. People resist God’s moral challenge to their lives. So, we need to be aware of the nature of the Good News and the responsibility that it p...  Read More

Jesus taught His disciples “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account,” then He sent them into the world to be His witnesses (Matthew 5:11; Acts 1:8). I can imagine the lesson being delivered on a bright, warm windswept hillside, but the cold-hard reality occurs in Acts (4:1-2). Serious disciples will at times be seriousl...  Read More

How long are you prepared to actively wait when tasked to lead? Preparation to be God’s effective leader will require us to learn to wait upon Him. This “prepare-wait” approach to leadership may seem to be counterintuitive, but Ezra demonstrates why this is so important. Max Dupree once said, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define responsibility. The last is to say thank you. In betwee...  Read More

Does our focal verse seem familiar? I hope so, because it is quoted by gospel writers upon Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem at the dawn of Holy Week. Those authors cite our focal verse in Zechariah 9:9. That Old Testament chapter declares God’s holiness which demands that He judge sin and expel it from His kingdom. Only after God deals with sin may He offer salvation to His people! Do you see...  Read More

How wonderful to know that God is a God of history—salvation history! He gets involved in the lives of people because He truly cares. You may feel as though your life counts for nothing. If so, then God has something to say to your heart today! Nain was a village a few miles southeast of Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth. It was on the opposite side of the hill of Moreh from Shunem, the place where Elis...  Read More

“Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him all creatures here below” is the opening line to the Doxology. The church of my childhood had a wonderful pipe organ the sound of which filled the sanctuary. The congregation sang the words to this liturgical expression of praise, and I recall the glorious harmony I heard from those worshipers. However, I do not recall—I very likely was not payi...  Read More

I watch short videos that people post on social media. They are usually captioned with “Wait for it,” which means that there is a surprise ending. In a sense, this psalm may be captioned with the words, “Wait for Him!” The hymn writer wanted those worshipers to grasp the importance of longing for and waiting until God fills us with the full blessing. How wonderful it is to serve such a God! The ps...  Read More

A desperate plea emerged from Afghanistan and made the headlines. A stranded interpreter said, “I know I’m going to get killed.” Few, if any of us, have lived under such duress, so we may find ourselves emotionally detached from the plea of the psalmist today. Here is a thought. Picture your most desperate cry for help in a moment of crisis, the words that you used to express your despair, and you...  Read More