Life seems to continually set before us the interaction between opposites - polar opposites that are inextricably linked to one another. You know them: joy and sorrow; pleasure and pain; beginnings and endings; good and evil; heaven and hell; God and Satan; life and death....and so on.
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As followers of Christ, there are many stark realities to face, not the least of which are realities about ourselves. God calls the Christian to a place of frequent (and honest) self-examination; if we undertake this task for ourselves in earnest, we will soon discover that we spend a good amount of time occupying the throne of our life.
Read MoreThere’s a book that’s been around for a few years now called “The Christian Atheist”. This title would probably elicit a chuckle or two if the truth of it were not so disheartening…and scary. Look around – if you compare what you see around us to what the Word of God says, the truth in the title of the book will probably punch you dead in your face! In fact, the premise of the book is actually found clearly stated in its sub-title: “Believing in God but Living As If He Doesn’t Exist”.
Read MoreFrom the day we are born, life is all about us; we don't know anything else, and the adults around us tend to accommodate our every need and then some! It's only over time, through teaching and as a result of life experiences that we come to understand the truth: “Life is actually not all about me.” What a revelation, huh??!!
Read MoreNearly three decades ago, we examined and wrote about an important, yet divisive and little discussed issue in our country that had been bubbling just below the surface for decades prior. We took another look at this issue two years ago, pointing out its role in a tragedy at a church bible study. This issue has raised its ugly head yet again, this time in 2017 Charlottesville (and other cities) and in a way that is reminiscent of 1954 Little Rock or 1963 Montgomery.
Read MoreSo how is the church to respond to the events in Charlottesville this past Saturday, and the resulting fallout? Expressions of outrage? Dismay? Utter disgust? Condemnations “in the strongest possible terms”? Of course any and all of these should be PART of our response...but let’s be honest – that's the shallow end of the pool.
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