Month: January 2016

How To Break Up Your Marriage (to Work)

“Faith! Join us after service today for lunch . . . Don’t tell me you’re working on a Sunday again . . . you’re always working!” Unfortunately, it was true.

What’s in the Bank?

In the winter of 2009, a large passenger plane made an emergency landing in New York’s Hudson River. The pilot, Captain Chesley Sullenberger, who landed the plane safely with no casualties, was later asked about those moments in the air when he was faced with a life-or-death decision. “One way of looking at this,” he said, “might be that for 42 years I’ve been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education, and training. And on [that day] the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal.”

Most of us will at some time face…

David as a child learner

When David talked about “the law of God,” was he talking about the Ten Commandments or something more? Today on “Discover the Word,” we will examine, along with “Our Daily Bread for Kids” author Crystal Bowman, Psalm 19 to find the answer. “David As a Child Learner,” that’s the topic today.

Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye is hard—to family and friends, to a favorite and familiar place, to an occupation or livelihood.

In Luke 9:57-62 our Lord describes the cost of being His disciple. A would-be follower says to Jesus, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus responds, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (vv. 61-62). Is He asking His followers to say goodbye to everything and every relationship considered precious?

In the Chinese language there is no direct equivalent…

Why God chose David as king over Israel

David wasn’t the first choice in his family to be Israel’s king. Was he overlooked because he was so young? Or because they needed him out in the field, tending sheep? Whatever the reason, it’s clear God chose David to be the next king because of what He saw inside of him, not what was on the outside. Don’t miss the conversation with our guest Crystal Bowman. That’s today on “Discover the Word.”

What Following God’s will is NOT

Unlike many of my peers who submitted countless applications to various employers even before they graduated, I had only intended to send out a single resume. I was so set on pursuing a specific career in educational therapy that I could join only one organization that I believed could enable me to do this.

Gates of Paradise

Italian artist Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378–1455) spent years skillfully crafting images of Jesus’ life into the bronze doors of Italy’s Florence Baptistery. These bronze reliefs were so moving that Michelangelo called them the Gates of Paradise.

As an artistic treasure, the doors greet visitors with echoes of the gospel story. It was Jesus who said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved” (John 10:9). On the night before His crucifixion, He told His disciples, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (14:6). Within a few hours…

Experiencing God through nature

Who taught David about God when he was young? Today, “Our Daily Bread for Kids” author Crystal Bowman joins us to discuss what you can learn about David’s early experiences with God through his lyrics in the Psalms. And one of the ways God spoke to him was through nature, while he was tending sheep. Don’t miss the discussion today on “Discover the Word”!

New Year Resolution: To Stick To My Resolutions

Every year, I make the same resolutions, and every year, I fail to carry them out. So my resolution for 2016 is: stick to my resolutions. Nonetheless, my failure to abide by my resolutions has not stopped me from saying this prayer this year.

Hold On!

A cowboy friend of mine who grew up on a ranch in Texas has a number of colorful sayings. One of my favorites is “It don’t take much water to make good coffee.” And when someone ropes a steer too big to handle or is in some kind of trouble, my friend will shout, “Hold everything you’ve got!” meaning “Help is on the way! Don’t let go!”

In the book of Revelation we find letters to “the seven churches in the province of Asia” (chs. 2–3). These messages from God are filled with encouragement, rebuke, and challenge, and they speak to…

The childhood faith of David

King David was a mighty man of faith, but he wasn’t an overnight success, he learned God’s ways throughout his youth. Today on “Discover the Word” we begin our discussion with special guest, “Our Daily Bread for Kids” author Crystal Bowman on the childhood faith of David. What did David mean when he said, “Since my youth, God, you have taught me”? Join the study today on “Discover the Word”!

A Letter to All Believers: We are “intolerant”

Dear friends, You may not like hear this, but I have to inform you that we, believers in Christ, are a group of intolerant people.

HK Outreach Resources

We have a mission to fulfill

Are you a working adult who spend at least half your waking hours at work? Perhaps you are wondering: how can I fulfill God’s commission to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) in my workplace?

Or perhaps you are a student, homemaker, or retiree who have tasted the goodness of God and you…

You Have Value

After my mother-in-law died, my wife and I discovered a cache of US Indian Head pennies in a dresser drawer in her apartment. She wasn’t a coin collector, as such, but she lived in the era when these pennies were in circulation and she had accumulated a few.

Some of these coins are in excellent condition; others are not. They are so worn and tarnished you can hardly see the imprint. All bear the stamp “One Cent” on the opposite side. Although a penny these days has little value and many consider them useless, this one-cent coin would have bought a…

True Shelter

In March 2014 a tribal conflict broke out in my hometown area, forcing my father’s household, along with other refugees, to take cover in the region’s capital city. Throughout history, people who have felt unsafe in their homelands have traveled to other places searching for safety and something better.

As I visited and talked with people from my hometown, I thought of the cities of refuge in Joshua 20:1-9. These were cities designated as places of safety for those fleeing from “relatives seeking revenge” in the case of an accidental killing (v. 3 nlt). They offered peace and protection.

People today still…