Compel them to come in

“And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” Luke 14:23. As a Mennonite who has renounced all use of force, how can this verse apply to my attempts to share the gospel? In the 17th century Blaise … Continue reading Compel them to come in

My boomerang won’t come back!

This was the title of a hit song from about fifty years ago. Sung by a British singer with a cockney accent, it was the lament of a young Australian Aborigine who couldn't get his boomerang to come back to him. It was the type of politically incorrect, culturally insensitive song that would never be … Continue reading My boomerang won’t come back!

Gentle Jesus, meek and mild

GENTLE Jesus, meek and mild, Look upon a little child, Pity my simplicity, Suffer me to come to Thee: Fain I would to Thee be brought, Dearest God, forbid it not: Give me, dearest God, a place, In the kingdom of thy grace. -Charles Wesley The words of the song give us an appealing description … Continue reading Gentle Jesus, meek and mild

To see as God sees

By virtue of my birth into this world, I am of the earth, earthy.  This means that I have a natural affinity for all that is earthy.  I gauge success the way the world gauges success; I gauge failure the way the world gauges failure.  I expect governments to care for the elderly, the mentally … Continue reading To see as God sees

Lift up your eyes

Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.  John 4:35 We often quote this verse in evangelical circles when the topic comes to missions.  Do we remember the circumstances in … Continue reading Lift up your eyes