I’m sure there are many reasons Jesus said, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). But surely one of them had to do with a child’s capacity for experiencing amazement?... continue reading
Every human pregnancy involves a mother and a father. A man and a woman contribute to conception. In most cases, a mother wants the father to take an active interest in the pregnancy and preparation for the baby's birth. Likewise, she often wants him to be a reassuring presence during labor and delivery—and an active partner in parenting. Naturally, she will want him to share the grief that miscarriage brings. Nevertheless, the father's experience with miscarriage often goes unaddressed in the contemporary church.
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Father God, you alone can save. Please enable my spouse to…
1. Be Concerned about the Things of Eternity
We see the Philippian jailer in Acts 16 asking Paul and Silas surely one of the most important questions a person can ever ask. Pray that the Spirit would be at work in your spouse, causing them to seek the answer to this question.... continue reading
“My God is so big, so strong and so mighty there’s nothing that he cannot do.” It’s too easy to ruin this beloved children’s song. One friend of mine is in the habit of singing, “My dog is so big, so strong and so mighty there’s nothing that he cannot do (woof woof).”... continue reading
Goldfish see what’s in the water, they see what’s refracted through the water, but I assume (I haven’t done the proper investigations) that goldfish don’t see the water itself. And yet there it is. It’s their environment. Universal but invisible. It shapes everything they do and everything they see. But they don’t see it.... continue reading
“Faith is believing things you know ain’t so.” Mark Twain’s definition rings true for many today. It’s common to think of faith as pretending to certainties you couldn’t possibly be sure of. So then, how does anyone manage to have faith? Well, the folk wisdom is that you need to take a leap.... continue reading
Queen Elizabeth II has been Britain’s queen for over 70 years, having become queen in 1926 when she was just 25 years old. During her reign she has worked with 14 British prime ministers and met every US president since Harry S. Truman (except for President Lyndon B. Johnson). She has also met chart-topping pop stars, medal-winning athletes, and knew the Bible teachers Billy Graham and John Stott. Her travels have taken her to over 110 countries across six continents, making her Britain’s best-traveled as well as longest-reigning monarch.... continue reading
When you think about it, joy in suffering makes no sense apart from God’s grace, yet this is the testimony of believers throughout church history. Take, for example, the Christians to whom the apostle Peter sent his first epistle. He addressed them as “elect exiles of the dispersion” (1 Peter 1:1).... continue reading
We could spend all our limited time and energy chasing answers to our questions. It's certainly tempting to think that if we only caught them, we'd be satisfied. But what if God intended our questions to drive us to him—the satisfier of our souls—instead?... continue reading
Most of us love to eat. Away from home we explore different foods, take more time over meals and treat ourselves. In our family, we have various traditions around food on trips away—taking it in turns to cook, going out for breakfast and several others. Personally, I love ice cream, especially on a beach, in a cheap cone with a chocolate flake. To me that’s the taste of sun, freedom and childhood.... continue reading
