The privilege of calling our Lord by a personal title, Father
Friday, August 10, 2012, Part 1
“In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’” (Matthew 6:9)
IDEA: When we address God as Father, we do so because Jesus who spoke to God that way invited us to do so.
PURPOSE: To help listeners to be motivated to pray because they are talking to God who is their “father.”
Seek And Save
Lachlan Macquarie, governor of New South Wales from 1810–1821, had a way of making everyone feel included in the new colony. When the “exclusives” (free settlers, civil servants, and military officers) shunned the society of the “emancipists” (transported convicts given conditional or absolute pardon), Governor Macquarie insisted that they be treated as social equals.
Keep Running
By Emily Hollis, USA “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” —Isaiah 40: 31, esv Last November, I was at the Indianapolis race. Dressed warmly in the breezy weather, I [...]
The radical nature of calling the Creator of the universe Father
Thursday, August 9, 2012
“In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours in the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen” (Matthew 6:9-13).
IDEA: When Christians talk to God in prayer, they can address Him as “Father” because Jesus did.
PURPOSE: To help listeners understand the privilege they have as sons and daughters of a heavenly Father.
Comfort In Captivity
On February 10, 1675, 50 colonial families in Lancaster, Massachusetts, feared possible Native American raids. Joseph Rowlandson, the Puritan minister of the village, was in Boston pleading with the government for protection, while Mary, his wife, stayed behind with their children. At sunrise, the settlers were attacked. After some of the settlers were killed, Mary and other survivors were taken captive.
The Lord’s Prayer is a foundation for our communication with God, but not the final word on it
Wednesday, August 8, 2012, Part 2
The Lord’s Prayer:
“In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours in the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen” (Matthew 6:9-13).
IDEA: The Lord’s Prayer can guide us as we pray.
PURPOSE: To help listeners see how the outline of the prayer can make prayer more meaningful.
Winners And Losers
As the NFL playoff game ended and the Green Bay Packers celebrated their victory over the Chicago Bears, my daughter Lisa noticed that her little girl, 4-year-old Eliana, was crying. That seemed odd, since neither of Eliana’s parents particularly cared who won the game.
How the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer can revitalize our prayer life
Tuesday, August 7, 2012, Part 1
The Lord’s Prayer:
“In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours in the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen” (Matthew 6:9-13).
IDEA: The Lord’s Prayer can guide us as we pray.
PURPOSE: To help listeners see how the outline of the prayer can make prayer more meaningful.
Heavenly Exclamation!
In August 2011, NASA released a composite image from the Hubble telescope that left people smiling. The image is of two galaxies beginning to collide. The collision looks like a heavenly exclamation point (!). The latest statistic I’ve read says there are about 100 billion observable galaxies in the universe. Each galaxy has hundreds of billions of stars, and more galaxies are being discovered.
An overview of the Lord’s Prayer, and how it’s a great way to engage with God
Monday, August 6, 2012
The Lord’s Prayer:
“In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours in the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen” (Matthew 6:9-13).
IDEA: The Lord’s Prayer can be used as liturgy or as a model for prayer.
PURPOSE: To help listeners appropriate the Lord’s Prayer.
Do You Believe In Magic? Interacting With The Spirit World
Interest in magic and a fascination with supernatural knowledge and power have become a part of today’s culture. This fascination raises questions in the minds of many. Find out what the Bible has to say about magic, as author Dennis Fisher offers a biblical response to some of the questions you may have regarding popular views of magic, the dangers of experimenting with magic, and the difference between real and make-believe magic.
Always
I love the words always and never. They hold so much hope! I would like to think that I could always be happy and that life would never fail me. But reality says that I won’t always be happy and that the things I hope would never happen just might. So, as good as these words sound, they struggle to live up to their potential—unless you are thinking about the promise of Jesus’ presence.
Self-Esteem: What Does The Bible Say?
Having a healthy and realistic opinion of yourself is a key element in your ability to succeed in life. In this booklet, author Mart De Haan shares a biblical perspective on the importance of self-esteem to help you gain a better understanding of whose opinion really counts in life. Discover what it means to trust the counsel, love, and power of God—the most significant Person in life.
Totally Clean
A friend was updating me on his past year—a year in which he had been receiving ongoing medical treatment for cancer. The smile on his face was a powerful testimony to the good news he had just received. He said that at his one-year checkup the doctor announced that the test results all pointed to one thing: “You are totally clean!” What a difference two words can make! To my friend, totally clean meant every trace of the disease that had threatened his life only months before had been wiped from his body. We rejoiced to hear that he was totally clean!
Life-Changing Choices
Champion athlete Eric Liddell’s decision not to run on Sunday in the 1924 Olympic Games was not difficult because of his deep belief that the Lord’s Day was for worship and rest.
