What’s wrong with the world?

A few years before the First World War a British newspaper published an article bearing the above title. Shortly thereafter the following letter to the editor appeared: “Dear Sir: Regarding your article 'What's Wrong with the World?' I am. Yours truly,” ― G.K. Chesterton Chesterton later expanded on that thought, saying: "In one sense, and that … Continue reading What’s wrong with the world?

Remedy for election fever

There is an election in Canada today; I will not vote. I am a citizen, I am qualified to vote, but I am also a citizen of the Kingdom of God and that citizenship is much more precious to me. There has been a lot of anger, a lot of divisive emotions stirred by this … Continue reading Remedy for election fever

A Christian admonition from 600 years ago

[Barbe means beard. It came to be applied to the person wearing the beard, becoming a term of affection for an uncle and then became the term which Anabaptists in France and Italy used for their ministers. Pragela, a valley in the Alps west of Turin and near the French border was home to a … Continue reading A Christian admonition from 600 years ago

The race of life

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay  Jesus said: “but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 10:22 Something in me would like to think that He meant:All you have to do is sit tightAnd everything will turn out right. But I believe what He really meant was:Keep on running with all your mightUntil you cross the … Continue reading The race of life

The kingdom of God

The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom with spiritual citizens and a spiritual king. When a person repents of living in the ways of the world and is born again by the power of the Holy Spirit, that person becomes part of the kingdom of God. Such a person, though still living in this … Continue reading The kingdom of God

“Finders keepers” would have been the wrong choice

[First posted November 14, 2013] Noah Muroff, an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, and his wife Esther went shopping online for a desk for the study in their home and found a cherry wood executive desk that they were able to buy for $150.  When they got it home, they found it would not fit through the door … Continue reading “Finders keepers” would have been the wrong choice

The importance of French

One of our ministers visited in Côte d’Ivoire and was invited to preach the sermon in a Sunday worship service. He spoke in English, the missionary translated to French and a local brother translated to the local language. Someone might ask, “Why didn’t the missionary learn the local language?” The answer to that is another … Continue reading The importance of French

Old money and new money

During my teen years, I used to pick up the latest copy of Look magazine at the drugstore and read it end to end. I can only remember one article. I don’t remember the title, but it was about people from families that had been wealthy for several generations and the new rich. The point … Continue reading Old money and new money

Are You Perfect?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructed his disciples: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:46). Instructions like this are found all through the Old and New Testaments. In Genesis 17:1, God said to Abraham: “I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be … Continue reading Are You Perfect?

Pray for them which despitefully use you

Job didn’t know why this was happening to him. All his children and all his livestock were suddenly gone, then his body became covered with oozing sores. He used dust and ashes in an attempt to calm the itching. His three closest friends came to commiserate with him and at first had no words to … Continue reading Pray for them which despitefully use you