Never Beyond Connection
I often use the software Skype to speak with my loved ones overseas. Hence, not being able to talk to them due to bad Internet connectivity is extremely unsettling. On days like these, technology can be quite a pain. Although this was not the first time that we had to deal […]
For Future Generations
When a team of Christians visited Stavropol, Russia, in 1994 to hand out Bibles, a local citizen said he recalled seeing Bibles in an old warehouse. They had been confiscated in the 1930s when Stalin was sending believers to the gulags. Amazingly, the Bibles were still there.
Among those who showed up to load them into trucks was a young agnostic student just wanting to earn a day’s wage.
Why They Are Grand
Grandparents are great bridge-builders. My grandparents, farmers on both sides of the family, were children of the 19th century and relayed an important heritage of both history and faith through the years.
Today, my children benefit from their grandparents’ faith because they can see that my wife and I have personally accepted the faith modeled for us. And our children have seen and heard their grandparents’ testimonies of faith for themselves.
In His Grip
When we cross a busy street with small children in tow, we put out our hand and say, “Hold on tight,” and our little ones grasp our hand as tightly as they can. But we would never depend on their grasp. It is our grip on their hand that holds them and keeps them secure. So Paul insists, “Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me” (Phil. 3:12). Or more exactly, “Christ has a grip on me!”
You have an important role to play in God’s plan!
At the very beginning of creation, God made man and woman, a team that one author calls “the blessed alliance.” Hear how God’s kingdom strategy is all about men and women working together.
Our Moral Compass
When Abraham Lincoln was introduced to author Harriet Beecher Stowe, he reportedly said that she was “the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.”
Although President Lincoln’s comment wasn’t entirely serious, Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was instrumental in abolishing slavery in the US. Its graphic depiction of racism and the injustice of slavery helped lead to the start of civil war. Ultimately, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation declared that all slaves “shall be free.” Thus, Stowe’s novel helped to change a nation’s moral compass.
Seeing The Person Inside
On February 1, 1960, four students from an all-black college sat down at a “whites only” lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. One of them, Franklin McCain, noticed an older white woman seated nearby looking at them. He was sure that her thoughts were unkind toward them and their protest against segregation. A few minutes later she walked over to them, put her hands on their shoulders, and said, “Boys, I am so proud of you.”
Not My Kind
In the Star Wars trilogy there’s a scene that reminds me of some church people I know. At an establishment somewhere in a remote corner of the galaxy, grotesque-looking creatures socialize over food and music. When Luke Skywalker enters with his two droids, C3PO and R2D2 (who are more “normal” than anyone else there), he is surprisingly turned away with a curt rebuff: “We don’t serve their kind here!”
Integrity 101
Officials in Philadelphia were astonished to receive a letter and payment from a motorist who had been given a speeding ticket in 1954. John Gedge, an English tourist, had been visiting the City of Brotherly Love when he was cited for speeding. The penalty was $15, but Gedge forgot about the ticket for almost 52 years until he discovered it in an old coat. “I thought, I’ve got to pay it,” said Gedge, 84, who now lives in a nursing home in East Sussex. “Englishmen pay their debts. My conscience is clear.”
When The Pain Won’t Go Away: Dealing With The Aftereffects Of Abortion
Each year, an estimated 50 million abortions occur worldwide, and many of these women struggle in silence with the pain of their decision. Gain a better understanding of post-abortion trauma and find hope to move forward in life as counselor Tim Jackson examines its cause and offers an avenue to forgiveness, healing, and restoration through God’s redemptive love.
Use Your Weapons
Above all, [take] the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. -Ephesians 6:16
While visiting a museum, I was intrigued by a small inscription describing a class of Roman gladiators-the Retiarii-who fought using only a net and a trident. Of all the fearsome and lethal weapons available to those warriors, who often battled to the death, these men were given two items-a piece of webbing and a three-pronged spear. When they entered the arena, their survival depended on how well they used their weapons.
Cultivating A Heart Of Contentment
Finding contentment in life can be difficult especially when society paints a picture of materialism and covetousness. In this excerpt of his book True North, author Gary Inrig shares insights from Scripture to help you develop a lifestyle based upon kingdom principles. Find out how you can cultivate a heart of contentment when the compass of your soul points toward eternal gain rather than temporary pleasures.
Overcoming Bias
A Washington Post article reported that recent studies into the nature of prejudice found that almost everyone harbors biases, and these attitudes affect even those who actively resist them. A University of Kentucky psychologist says that much of our self-esteem comes from feeling better about ourselves than about others because of the group we belong to. Prejudice is not easy to overcome, even within the family of God.
Rediscover what it means to be made in the image of God
Carolyn Custis James (M.A. in Biblical Studies) is an evangelical thinker who loves God enough to break the rules—rules of cultural convention which attempt to domesticate the gospel message of the Bible. Carolyn is president Whitby Forum, a ministry dedicated to addressing the deeper needs which confront both women and men as they endeavor to extend God’s kingdom together in a messy and complicated world.
She is also founder and president of the Synergy Women’s Network, Inc.—a national organization for women emerging or engaged in ministry leadership. The Synergy Women’s Network sponsors annual Synergy conferences.
