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Godliman Street
My wife, Carolyn, and I were walking in London and came across a road named Godliman Street. We were told that a man once lived there whose life was so saintly that his street became known as “that godly man’s street.” This reminded me of an Old Testament story.
Saul’s father sent his son and a servant to look for some donkeys that had wandered away. The young men searched for many days but couldn’t find the animals.
Saul was ready to give up and go home, but his servant pointed toward Ramah, the prophet Samuel’s village, and replied, “Look, in this…
A Small Fire
It was a Sunday night in September and most people were sleeping when a small fire broke out in Thomas Farriner’s bakery on Pudding Lane. Soon the flames spread from house to house and London was engulfed in the Great Fire of 1666. Over 70,000 people were left homeless by the blaze that leveled four-fifths of the city. So much destruction from such a small fire!
The Bible warns us of another small but destructive fire. James was concerned about lives and relationships, not buildings, when he wrote, “The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great…
Painting a Portrait
The National Portrait Gallery in London, England, houses a treasure of paintings from across the centuries, including 166 images of Winston Churchill, 94 of William Shakespeare, and 20 of George Washington. With the older portraits, we may wonder: Is that what these individuals really looked like?
For instance, there are 8 paintings of Scottish patriot William Wallace (c. 1270–1305), but we obviously don’t have photographs to compare them to. How do we know if the artists accurately represented Wallace?
Something similar might be happening with the likeness of Jesus. Without realizing it, those who believe in Him are leaving an impression of…
The Discipline of Spiritual Perseverance
Perseverance is more than endurance. It is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen. Perseverance means more than just hanging on, which may be only exposing our fear of letting go and falling. Perseverance is our supreme effort of refusing to believe that our hero is going to be conquered. Our greatest fear is not that we will be damned, but that somehow Jesus Christ will be defeated. Also, our fear is that the very things our Lord stood for— love, justice, forgiveness, and kindness among men— will not win out in the end and will represent an unattainable goal for us.
5 Ways to Become the Most Eligible Bachelorette
Yes, you can congratulate me. I am finally getting married. The wedding will be held in a church, and will be followed by a fabulous lunch reception. And nope, we won’t be having a wedding banquet.
Looking at your “bucket list” in a whole new way
Today on Discover the Word, we welcome special guest and bestselling author Ann Voskamp to the table for a second week of a series of conversations based on Ann’s new book, called “The Broken Way.” Discover a new way of looking at your “bucket list” today on Discover the Word!
“Broken and given”
Today on Discover the Word, Ann Voskamp tells the group about a life-changing trip she made recently to Iran to share the compassion of Jesus. Join them as they discuss how we all can use whatever position we’re in to be “broken and given” for those around us. Discover what that means when you tune […]
Random Acts of Kindness
Some say that the American writer Anne Herbert scribbled the phrase “Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty” on a placemat at a restaurant in 1982. The sentiment has since been popularized through film and literature and has become a part of our vocabulary.
The missing note is “Why?” Why should we show kindness to others? For those who follow Jesus, the answer is clear: To show the tender mercy and kindness of God.
There’s an Old Testament example of that principle in the story of Ruth, the emigrant from Moab. She was a foreigner, living in a strange…
Doing good for the sake of the gospel
Today on Discover the Word, hear the conclusion of a thought provoking study on Titus chapter 2 with previous hosts Haddon Robinson, Alice Mathews, and Mart DeHaan. It’s a special encore presentation of an unconventional Christmas series that originally aired years ago, but one that can have a profound impact on how we live out […]
God’s grace changes the way we live
God’s gift of grace does more than give us peace about our past and hope for our future. It changes the way we live today. Today on Discover the Word, join past hosts Haddon Robinson, Alice Mathews, and Mart DeHaan as they take a look at Titus chapter 2 and discuss the way God’s grace […]
The Power of Simple Words
Raucous laughter marked the guests in my father’s hospital room: Two old truck drivers, one former country/western singer, one craftsman, two women from neighboring farms, and me.
“…and then he got up and busted the bottle over my head,” the craftsman said, finishing his story about a bar fight.
The room bursts into laughter at this now-humorous memory. Dad, struggling for breath as his laughing fought with his cancer for the air in his lungs, puffs out a reminder to everybody that “Randy is a preacher” so they need to watch what they say. Everything got quiet for about two seconds;…
Another Side of Comfort
The theme for our adult camp was “Comfort My People.” Speaker after speaker spoke words of assurance. But the last speaker drastically changed the tone. He chose Jeremiah 7:1-11 and the topic “Wake Up from Slumber.” Without mincing words and yet with love, he challenged us to wake up and turn away from our sins.
“Don’t hide behind the grace of God and continue to live in secret sin,” he exhorted, like the prophet Jeremiah. “We boast, ‘I am a Christian; God loves me; I fear no evil,’ yet we do all kinds of evil.” We knew he cared about us,…
Living in the Light
It was a dark morning. Low, steel-colored clouds filled the sky, and the atmosphere was so dim that I needed to turn on the lights in order to read a book. I had just settled in when the room suddenly filled with light. I looked up and saw that the wind was pushing the clouds to the east, clearing the sky and revealing the sun.
As I went to the window to get a better look at the drama, a thought came to mind: “The darkness is passing and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8). The apostle John…
Listeners and Doers
The phone rang in the night for my husband, a minister. One of the prayer stalwarts in our church, a woman in her seventies who lived alone, was being taken to the hospital. She was so ill that she was no longer eating or drinking, nor could she see or walk. Not knowing if she would live or die, we asked God for His help and mercy, feeling particularly concerned for her welfare. The church sprang into action with a round-the-clock schedule of visitors who not only ministered to her but showed Christian love to the other patients, visitors, and…
God has a purpose in every disagreement
In most cases, we try to avoid conflict at all costs. But it’s important to remember that God has a purpose in every disagreement. Today on Discover the Word, author Patricia Raybon shares how God used her conflict with her Muslim daughter as a springboard for ministry. Learn how God can “enlarge your territory” too […]