Supreme Court Justices: Their Business is Our BusinessIt should go without saying that gaining such understanding and such confidence is not the goal, for we are not Gnostics. Our purpose is relationship--with the Lord and with each other--resulting in life-transformation. We learn that we may submit. We submit that God may change us and then use us for His mission in this world. Such transformation cannot happen if we 'legislate.' The power of the B
Teamwork in Ministry: Paul's Sense of Partnership in the GospelIn the pursuit of his Christian ministry, the Apostle Paul had a keen sense of teamwork, teamwork with God and with his brothers and sisters. This awareness he expresses by using compound Greek words that begin with the prepositional prefix, sun-. With an object in the dative case, sun means 'together' or 'with.' This same prepositional prefix has carried over into English, occurring in such words
The Challenges College Students Face on Secular CampusesWhat is happening on the campuses of secular universities across America? Thousands of Christian students are losing their faith and non-Christian students are becoming entrenched in their unbelief. Why is this happening? Have they discovered that God, in fact, does not really exist, that we live in a careening universe with no divine Pilot at the wheel? Or does something else explain this trend?
Tsunami: Where was GodThe powerful tsunami that on Dec. 26, 2004, hit the lands in and surrounding the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal, and the South China Sea caused terrible devastation and immediate loss of thousands of lives, followed by an aftermath in which tens of thousands more perished. The earthquake-triggered tsunami has prompted people all over the world to ask themselves and others, 'Where was God when thi
Union with Christ Unites Us to One AnotherHere is a dynamic means of changing the world. Christ inspires us first to love Him and then to love each other; to unite with Him, which unites us with one another; to seek forgiveness from Him, and then to forgive and seek forgiveness from one another. The love we celebrate in the Supper is the love a bleeding, groaning world needs so badly.
What about the 4400Murders are so frequent in our country that a single homicide seldom grabs national attention unless the perpetrator or the victim is already a celebrity. Even a double murder is not national news. It takes multiple murders to make the headlines, CNN, and the network evening news.
Spirituality from the Hebrew Bible: 10 Major ThemesThe major themes of the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Old Testament) surely include God, man, sin, righteousness, grace, covenant, law, atonement, and holiness. A final theme we will examine is the Messiah. Nearly everyone would agree that these ten themes are among the most important. Let's take a closer look at each one.
Postmodern Self-assessment: Pretending Doesn't Make It SoAbraham Lincoln once asked a stubborn disputant, 'How many legs does a cow have?' 'Why, four, of course!' was the reply. Lincoln leaned forward and looked the man in the eye, 'Well then, how many would it have if we called its tail a leg?' With a sneer, the man answered, 'Five!' 'Nope!' said Lincoln. 'It would still have four, because calling a tail a leg doesn't make it so.'
Pluralism and Modern Christians: Exclusivism in an Inclusivist WorldWhen we encounter people of other faiths-Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Baha'is, etc.-observing their obvious devotion to what their religious convictions and the inner peace they seem to have and the gentleness, it makes us want to make a place for them in the kingdom of God. Our Western culture promotes pluralism of all kinds-racial, ethnic, political, and religious. Anyone who argues for one
Outlook Tips to Boost Your ProductivityMost full-time office workers have an employer-provided e-mail account, and chances are, it's with Microsoft Outlook. Many of us send and receive dozens of e-mails per day. Here are some tips about making the most of Outlook's substantial capabilities when you are the sender. Not taking advantage of what is available is like keeping your brand new Ferrari continually in first gear.
No Other gods Before Me'No other gods' means the LORD has an exclusive claim to the temple of our hearts. Our God is a jealous God. There is room for no one else. No one else can save us. No one else will hear our prayers. No one else even cares.
Mass Transit and Gasoline Prices: Time to Go Public?Does commuting by driving a personal vehicle up to five days a week provide us the best combination of cost, or time use, or life-style? Or should we seek a better solution?
Letters from Christ: the Calligraphy of the SpiritOur place is not in a museum or a national library, but in the houses and on the streets of town, instantly available to anyone who wants to stop and read. No amount of effort or expense is wasted to make our lives beautiful to those who would read Christ in us. God has made us His workmanship, His masterpiece (Eph. 2:10).
Innovation incubator: Build it and keep it runningIf your company is like the one I work for, your people are talking about the need for innovation. Mine has just announced a new program 'that will bring a standardized approach to gathering and evaluating your ideas for generating new revenue and improving our business.' An Innovation Team has just formed, with a new electronic mailbox and a contest offering cash prizes for the year's best ideas.
Improving Customer Service: A Role Model If You're Already GoodYou may be the leader in your industry, already well known for delivering top customer service. You may be experiencing the meaning of the truism, 'It's lonely at the top.' When your company looks around for a role model, for inspiration to go even further, to whom can it turn? One solution is to look to the leaders of other industries, to analyze their philosophy and assay what it is that has mad
Hurricane Katrina and AccountabilitySince Hurricane Katrina, people have been talking a lot about accountability, or if the finger is pointing toward you rather than away, about blame. Some have said that we are witnessing standard bureaucratic incompetence--lack of foresight, under-planning, poor coordination of efforts, misspent funds, and so on.
Heroic Customer Service Ensures Lifelong LoyaltyThe key to good customer service is meeting your clients' expectations the first time, every time. But if you want to move beyond good customer service, you have to exceed those expectations, maybe not always, but often enough for them to be impressed that you are committed to their needs as much or more than they are themselves. That kind of customer service is what makes them loyal.
Heroes and Villains in the Quest for Spirituality: 100 Significant Characters of the Hebrew BibleThere are hundreds of named men and women in the Old Testament. Merely to list all of their names would fill many pages and be of little profit. If you want to investigate every one of them, I recommend Herbert Lockyer's books, All the Women of the Bible and All the Men of the Bible, or any good Bible dictionary, such as Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary.
Guard Your HeartGuard your heart. Keep it for Jesus alone. If Jesus were to appear before you right now, and you were to ask, 'What do want of me?' I believe that He would say, 'I want your heart. Just give me your heart.'
Environmentalism and the London Zoo: Are Humans a Plague Species? Are We Just Animals?The truth is, we can do something to enrich our world rather than impoverish it, to right the wrongs it has suffered, and to prevent further damage. Improving the condition of the world on which we all depend for survival is a part of our God-given mandate as His stewards. Also a part of this responsibility is holding the abusers accountable for what they have done.
Enough Warm-ups, AlreadyIt's our race now, and our coach assures us of victory. But we actually have to run the race. You can warm up only so long. Then you must run! 'Let us run with patience the race marked out before us, looking to Jesus...' (Heb. 12:1-2).
Electrocution in the Baptistry: Why Risk ItEveryone committed to the ongoing validity of the Scriptures will also be committed to immersion as the only proper mode of baptism. They will also reaffirm the biblical teaching, not only about its mode, but about its purpose. We should teach and practice the immersing of penitent believers in water for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:39) because of Christ's death and resurrection.
Does 'No' mean 'Yes'?Excluding sexual foreplay and intercourse from dating gives you a chance to explore each other in ways more important in the long run, establishing the lines of communication that are the essentials of every successful marriage.
Do You Feel Headed For ShipwreckWe serve a God that can reach us in our time of need, no matter where we are. The psalmist knew this by experience: 'If I make my bed in the depths. . . even there you hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast' (Ps. 139:10). Even if we feel submerged in sorrows, sinking down to the bottom of the ocean, from the deepest of those depths He can lift us up.
Discipline of Prayer: Always ConnectedAnd whenever we do pray, whether we offer praise, thanksgiving, petitions, confessions of Sin, or intercessions for others, a constant awareness of God's presence bolsters our confidence that he hears our prayers and will answer them according to his will. Don't let your pantograph droop. Oil its hinges, fix its spring. Stay connected.
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