Allowing the encumbrances and sins of the world to clog your life affects your witness in the world in the same way water in the kerosene affects a camping stove. The flame will flutter and sputter, or maybe go out completely. It is useless for light or heat. Likewise, when our lives are fouled with … Continue reading “WITNESSING, INCONSISTENCY IN”
WITNESS, BY LIFE
Some years ago, on returning from a business trip, a man brought his wife some souvenirs. Among them was a matchbox that would glow in the dark. After giving it to her, he turned out the light, but the object was not visible. “This must be a joke!” she said. Disappointed, the husband commented, “I’ve … Continue reading “WITNESS, BY LIFE”
WARFARE
Wilfred Owen, a poet of the World War I period, described in the lines below his attitude after seeing a friend gag in a green field of gas fumes during an enemy gas attack. Owen himself was killed in action a week before the armistice but left a legacy of poems that decried the futility … Continue reading “WARFARE”
URIM AND THUMMIM
The story has been told of a young man who was a recent graduate of a theological seminary. Educated beyond his intelligence, he had arrived at the spot where he thought he knew all the answers to all the theological problems and was eager to parade his knowledge. He came to a certain town where … Continue reading “URIM AND THUMMIM”
UNDERSTANDING, LACK OF
Some of us are like Christopher Columbus when it comes to our understanding: He didn’t know where he was going. He didn’t know where he was when he got there. He didn’t know where he had been when he returned.1443
TRUTH, SUPPRESSED
John Cage, a contemporary American composer, believes that the universe is impersonal by nature and that it originated only through pure chance. In an attempt to live consistently with this personal philosophy, Cage composes all of his music by various means of chance. He uses, among other things, the tossing of coins and the rolling … Continue reading “TRUTH, SUPPRESSED”
TRUTH, RESPONSE TO
You are driving down the highway when you encounter a sign that reads, “Dangerous Curve Ahead.” Immediately you are confronted with making a choice. One, you can observe the warning and slow down. Two, you can ignore the warning and maintain your rate of speed. Or, three, you can defy the warning and speed up. … Continue reading “TRUTH, RESPONSE TO”
TRUSTWORTHINESS
A little boy walked down the beach, and as he did, he spied a matronly woman sitting under a beach umbrella on the sand. He walked up to her and asked, “Are you a Christian?” “Yes.” “Do you read your Bible every day?” She nodded her head, “Yes.” “Do you pray often?” the boy asked … Continue reading “TRUSTWORTHINESS”
TRIALS, GOD’S HELP IN
Long ago, in the days of sailing ships, a terrible storm arose and a ship was lost in a deserted area. Only one crewman survived, washed up on a small uninhabited island. In his desperation, the castaway daily prayed to God for help and deliverance from his lonely existence. Each day he looked for a … Continue reading “TRIALS, GOD’S HELP IN”
TONGUE, CONTROL OF
On a windswept hill in an English country churchyard stands a drab, gray slate tombstone. The faint etchings read: beneath this stone, a lump of clay, lies arabella young, who, on the twenty-fourth of may, began to hold her tongue.1395 If your lips you would keep from slips, Five things observe with care: To whom … Continue reading “TONGUE, CONTROL OF”