Topic > Christian Living
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…
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.
When Personality Tests are Damaging
Introverts are quiet, shy, and don’t like meeting people. Extraverts (or “extrovert” as this psychology term is often spelled) are loud, seek attention, and love meeting people. You’ve probably heard such descriptions of personality types.
Editor’s Picks: Top 3 Articles | Identity
Welcome to this brand-new section on Editor’s Picks. Throughout the course of the year, we’ve received some extremely helpful and well-written pieces that we think will be a pity to not share with you again—especially if you missed them the first time.
Starting Upstream
My home sits along a creek in a canyon in the shadow of a large mountain. During the spring snowmelt and after heavy rains this stream swells and acts more like a river than a creek. People have drowned in it. One day I traced the origin of the creek to its very source, a snowfield atop the mountain. From there the melted snow begins the long journey down the mountain, joining other rivulets to take shape as the creek below my house.
It occurs to me, thinking about prayer, that most of the time I get the direction wrong. I…
Hope for raising godly children
Scripture gives parents plenty of hope in raising their children to know and love the Lord. We find that hope in both the Old and New Testament. And so, even though there are no guarantees, how can parents do their part in helping their children “discover the Word”? Don’t miss the conversation with our guest, “Our Daily Bread for Kids” author Crystal Bowman. Today on “Discover the Word”!
Job Hunting: Are You Relying on Yourself or God?
“You are the future generation and you can change the world.” So we are told repeatedly in university, and it is with this mindset that we enter the working world as bright-eyed fresh graduates, full of hope and expectation. But the reality is quite different.
Ringing Reminders
The clock tower at Westminster, which contains the bell known as Big Ben, is an iconic landmark in London, England. It is traditionally thought that the melody of the tower chimes was taken from the tune of “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth” from Handel’s Messiah. Words were eventually added and put on display in the clock room:
Lord, through this hour be Thou our guide;
So by Thy power no foot shall slide.
These words allude to Psalm 37: “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall,…
Is He Listening?
Sometimes it feels as if God isn’t listening to me.” Those words, from a woman who tried to stay strong in her walk with God while coping with an alcoholic husband, echo the heartcry of many believers. For many years, she asked God to change her husband. Yet it never happened.
What are we to think when we repeatedly ask God for something good—something that could easily glorify Him—but the answer doesn’t come? Is He listening or not?
Let’s look at the life of the Savior. In the garden of Gethsemane, He agonized for hours in prayer, pouring out His heart and…
He Will Reply
I was elated when I came upon the Twitter page of my favorite Korean movie star, so I decided to drop her a note. I crafted the best message I could and waited for a reply. I knew it was unlikely I would receive a response. A celebrity like her would receive an enormous amount of fan mail every day. Still, I hoped she would reply. But I was disappointed.
Thankfully, we know God responds to us. He is the “Most High,” the “Almighty” (Ps. 91:1). His position is exalted and His power is limitless, yet He is accessible to us.…
When I was Angry with God
Have you ever been angry with God because of an illness, a physical disability, poverty, or family problems? I have. Several years ago, I felt some pain in my back, but didn’t think of going to see a doctor.
On the Wing
In his book On the Wing, Alan Tennant chronicles his efforts to track the migration of the peregrine falcon. Valued for their beauty, swiftness, and power, these amazing birds of prey were favorite hunting companions of emperors and nobility. Sadly, the wide use of the pesticide DDT in the 1950s interfered with their reproductive cycle and placed them on the endangered species list.
Interested in the recovery of this species, Tennant attached transmitters to a select number of falcons to track their migration patterns. But when he and his pilot flew their Cessna behind the birds, they repeatedly lost signal from the…
An Invitation to Rest
At a friend’s bedside in a hospital emergency ward, I was moved by the sounds of suffering I heard from other patients in pain. As I prayed for my friend and for the ailing patients, I realized anew how fleeting our life on earth is. Then I recalled an old country song by Jim Reeves that talks about how the world is not home for us—we’re “just a-passin’ through.”
Our world is full of weariness, pain, hunger, debt, poverty, disease, and death. Because we must pass through such a world, Jesus’ invitation is welcome and timely: “Come to me, all you…
Reject Apathy
The room was splashed with an assortment of enchanting colors as women in beautiful saris scurried around, completing the final touches for a fundraising event. Formerly from India, these women now live in the USA. Yet they remain concerned for their native country. Upon hearing about the financial situation of a Christian school for autistic children in India, they not only heard the need, but they also took it to heart and responded.
Nehemiah did not allow his comfortable position in life as cupbearer and confidant to the most powerful man at that time to nullify his concerns for his countrymen.…
