BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE

GENESIS 45:4-8 I continue to give God thanks for the opportunity to serve, even 25 years after being ordained as a deacon in the Anglican Church. Over the past few years, I have been asked numerous times how I feel about being a clergyman. My response was usually short and simple: “Blessed.” I am grateful. But … [Read more…]

A DEEP NEED FOR RESCUE

MATTHEW 1:18-25 A new take on the Superman narrative was presented in the 2013 film Man of Steel. It brought people to movie theaters all over the world because of its spectacular special effects and nonstop action. Some claimed that the film’s impressive technology was the main factor in its attraction. Others highlighted the “Superman mythology’s” … [Read more…]

WHAT MONEY CANNOT BUY

EPHESIANS 1:3-14 There are some things that money cannot buy, though not very many these days. A prison cell upgrade, a political office, contact information in a company, a physical address, or a mobile number can all be purchased. Almost everything seems to be for sale. However, there is one thing that money cannot buy: redemption, … [Read more…]

A CHINESE PROVERB

2 TIMOTHY 2:1-6; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:58 Chinese proverbs are popular and frequently have origins in stories. An impatient man in the Song Dynasty is the subject of the saying, “pulling up a crop to help it grow.” He was anxious to watch his rice seedlings develop swiftly. He therefore came up with a solution. He would … [Read more…]

FOR THE SAKE OF OUR HEALTH

1 CHRONICLES 16:7-14 “If thanksgiving were a drug, it would be the world’s best-selling product with health benefits for every major organ system,” says a renowned Medical Center expert. Some people define being thankful as simply having an attitude of gratitude; they take the time to appreciate and give attention to what they already have rather than … [Read more…]

A LIFE OF CONSISTENCY

DANIEL 6:1-10 I was struck by how easily Daniel could have escaped being cast into the lions’ den when reading the book of Daniel. His regular daily practice of praying to God was the premise for a trap set by his envious competitors in the administration of Babylon (Daniel 6:1–9). Daniel may have chosen to … [Read more…]

BLENDED TOGETHER

EPHESIANS 2:10; 4:5-16 The early 1900s saw the development of the Dreadnought D-35 guitar, which is larger than most of those made at the time and is renowned for its robust and loud tone. It was given that name in commemoration of the large British battleship HMS Dreadnought from World War I. The D-35 has an … [Read more…]

STORYTELLERS

COLOSSIANS 1:13-23 Union Major General Lew Wallace served as governor of the New Mexico territory in the years following the American Civil War (1861–1865), although New Mexico had not yet been accepted as a state. Many of the people who make up the almost mythic history of the Wild West came into contact with him because … [Read more…]

OUT OF THE SHADOWS

PSALM 77:1-15 I am not sure what dire circumstance inspired Asaph to pen Psalm 77, but I have heard and expressed similar cries before. But in verse 10, Asaph experiences a change of heart as a result of remembering God’s love and His deeds. In this life, despair is real, yet solutions are hardly simple. However, amid … [Read more…]

A VIRAL ACT OF KINDNESS

MARK 10:13-16 The world was made aware of a small act of kindness that occurred on a New York City subway. A young man dozed off on an older passenger’s shoulder with his hooded sweatshirt covering his head. “He must have had a long day,” the older guy muttered when someone else offered to wake … [Read more…]