Ministry > DanielParker
Day 2 - Crying for us all
Read: Jeremiah 3:12-22
“My wayward children,” says the Lord, “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts” (v.22).
During the American Civil War, General Stonewall Jackson befriended a little girl at a home where he wintered. Five year old Janie Corbin adored Jackson so much that she wore a piece of gold braid in her hair, taken from…
IN- GETTING OVER GRIEF
A friend recently went through a long and extended period of mourning after the loss of his beloved wife of 42 years. During his wife’s extended illness, and subsequent loss many people who really loved him stood by him unable to find words of comfort. After a certain amount of time had passed, I asked him one day about how…
Day 1 - Seasons of Grief
Read: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance (v.4).
Last year I received two pieces of extremely sad news within a few hours. First came the news that a dear friend died of a sudden heart attack. Steve, who was only 60 years old, was a good man…
Conclusion-There Is Hope
When you hear the hard news,
there are two diverging roads from which to choose.
One’s despair, but don’t go there. There is hope.
All of us will face the chilling, bitter winds of life. The lyrics above are from a song I wrote that reflects on my journey as a five-time cancer survivor. There are no easy answers when tragic events and…
Nail-Scarred Hands
Like me, you may know exactly when you received certain wounds that left scars. A small scar on my wrist is the result of a fellow middle-school band member plowing me over in his haste. Another on my elbow is from the time a driver mistook the gas pedal for the brakes and slammed into our van. And a third…
Known by God
“Who is this stranger?” A college student in Georgia (USA) asked that question when a fellow student texted him saying a DNA test showed they could be brothers. Separated by adoption almost twenty years earlier, the young man texted a reply in which he asked what name the other student had been given at birth. He immediately answered, “Tyler.” Replied…
Detective Work
In 1986, Sir David Suchet, the English actor known for playing detective Hercule Poirot, began a quest to understand the resurrection of Jesus. Wondering what would happen after he died, he began reading the book of Romans. After twenty years of careful consideration, he committed fully to believing in Jesus.
“Without the resurrection there is no faith,” Suchet concluded, echoing Paul’s…
As Spring Follows Winter
Standing trial for the “crime” of writing about his nation’s unprovoked invasion of another, the journalist made his final statement. Yet he didn’t defend himself. Instead, he spoke boldly. “The day will come when the darkness over our country will dissipate,” he said, “when at the official level it will be recognized that two times two is still four; when…
God Remembers
Sok Ching had just recovered from Covid-19 when her aged mother took a fall. Days later, her mother died. Then her estranged husband filed for divorce and threatened to fight for custody of their young son. Sok Ching felt like she was going through a desert, totally drained of life. Where is God? she wondered. Does He know what I’m…
The Sweeper’s Prayer
When Raza saw a man sweeping his street, he felt sorry for him and gave him some money. The man thanked him and asked Raza if he could pray for him. Surprised, Raza wondered how to answer, feeling conflicted but wanting to make the man happy. He consented and the sweeper prayed, giving thanks for the money and for Raza,…
Way More
George had a passion for telling others about Jesus. He organized a gospel crusade in his high school. In college, he recruited two of his friends to distribute the Bible in Mexico. George Verwer later founded the international ministry Operation Mobilization.
Successful though he was, Verwer was aware of mistakes he made. In his book Messiology, he wrote, “I believe history…
Finding Joy in Longing
Author Susan Cain’s research revealed that people played the happy songs on their playlists an average of 175 times but the sad songs 800 times. What is it about sad music that’s so compelling for many? Cain suggests it has to do with our hunger for longing—“joy that’s laced with sorrow. Which is often triggered when we experience something so…
When Disappointment Comes
To try to rid himself of his disappointments, a man decided to auction off his belongings on eBay. He said, “On the day all my possessions are sold, I intend to walk out of my front door with my wallet and passport and nothing else.” He planned to visit his mother before heading to the airport. "I'll see where life…
Adrift
A man desperate for work agreed to spend six months miles from shore on a tiny fishing hut—lighting lamps to attract fish. His only human contact occurred once a week when supplies were delivered. Disaster struck when the hut’s mooring broke and he drifted hundreds of miles out to sea. His hopes later sank as he watched ten ships pass…
IN-Easter—The Hope of Easter
Introduction
CLOUDY VISION
In March 2013, I spent a week in and around Tromso, a Norwegian city located within the Arctic Circle. Coming from a city-state on the equator, I was looking forward to experiencing snowfall in its softest powder form. But what I was hoping for more than that was to see the aurora borealis, also known as the northern…
