Sometimes things are so broken that they need a miraculous blessing in order to restore them to wholeness. The Holy Spirit takes that which is fractured and renders it whole, whether it is a broken life or a divided church. Consider our biological lives. The health of the human body, as complex as it is, hinges upon having a heart that is able to pump oxygenated blood throughout the body. No heart...  Read More

Abraham Lincoln, the newly nominated senatorial candidate, addressed the Illinois Republican Convention on 16 June 1858 in which he warned that the nation faced “a crisis that could destroy the Union” (History). In that speech he paraphrased a New Testament passage of scripture by stating “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” Hold on to this thought because there is a profound moral point...  Read More

We hear much about "systemic" injustices in our age and many folks recoil when they hear the term. It means "something that is spread throughout, affecting a group or system, such as a body, economy, market or society as a whole." The moral issue surfaces regularly throughout the world.We see, for example, the Nigerian SARS violence and subsequent protests as people call for better governance. Peo...  Read More

Where do you turn when you are an emotional basket case, as we say? You flail about seeking any and everyone to put healing salve on your raw grief, but no one, not even God, appears to be able to comfort you. Job pours out his frustration over the unhelpful counsel and attitudes of his friends and the seemingly unmerciful actions of God. He is in physical and emotional pain, cannot figure out wha...  Read More

The life of praise should be reflective. I am not seeking to be philosophical, so please allow me to explain what I mean. Our praise should mirror what God has done for us. It becomes our poetic response to God’s self-revelation in history (WBC). I am indebted to Peter Craigie for reminding us that poetry was a form of language that was native to Israel, and it preceded the psalms (e.g. Exodus 15:...  Read More

Susan B. Anthony once said, “I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires (Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony, Vol. 2, 384). I have heard lessons and sermons my entire life about the wicked Jewish religious leaders and Romans who opposed Christ. They both knew, and justified, what they were going to do. It is apparen...  Read More

Who do you invite to church table fellowships? I recall an occasion where a church that I served held a semi-formal banquet. The setting was warm, and the church members were in a banquet mood. The room was filled with the scent of lovely food, as well as laughter and conversation among the guests. An unexpected entrance occurred, however, when a homeless man walked in off the street in search of ...  Read More

Joseph Samuel Murrow was born to a Methodist pastor and wife, John and Mary Badger Murrow, on 7 June 1835 and was reared in a devout home. He trusted Christ at age nineteen and joined the Baptist church nearby. Joseph was called to preach and trained for the ministry at Mercer University. At age twenty, he was ordained the same year he proposed and married his bride, Nannie Elizabeth Tatom, of Ful...  Read More

The “Parable of the Good Samaritan,” we must remember, was not first used by Jesus to promote crisis center ministry! I certainly have used it in devotionals for the Baptist Center for Global Concerns’ Mary’s Table ministry, but I am well aware of its deeper significance. If you are like me, then you sense that Luke has a specific purpose in mind when he places this teaching-story in this place. T...  Read More

“He will wipe away every tear . . .” is one of the most chosen passages for a funeral service. I understand why this is the case because of the hope that it inspires in people. R.C. Sproul once said, "Hope is called the anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:19), because it gives stability to the Christian life” (Sproul, 1-2 Peter, p. 43). This chapter provides not only a powerful closing to John’s vision ...  Read More

One of our most beloved hymns, “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” incorporates the words of Lamentation 3:22 into the first verse. What we may not know is that the hymn was penned not because of any catastrophic event, but simply as an outgrowth of the songwriter’s life. Thomas Chisolm was born into a log cabin in Franklin, Kentucky, in 1866. He did not attend high school or college but became a schoolt...  Read More

I have good and bad news today. The good news is that we have arrived at a central passage in the book of Revelation. Wahoo! The bad news is that it is one of the most difficult passages to interpret in the entire book. Bummer! Nevertheless, if we take the chapter at face value, it will help us to gain a secure footing for a moral application to our lives. We will consider two of the symbols John ...  Read More