Unless the lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. These are perhaps the two causes of greatest concern in life: provision […]
Current Events
“Keep us from evil.” It is a prayer that many pray by rote. But one way God answers this prayer is with the men and women who would offer their lives to keep us from evil. The photo above is a church in Germany, within sight of the concentration camp at Dachau. The peacefulness of this scene attempts to mask the demonic face of evil. Whether it is with the evil within or with the enemies of freedom, fighting evil comes at a high price. I took this photo driving away from Dachau. I was with two of my closest friends. We were stunned at the horror of what we had just seen: Man’s inhumanity to man! This church looked […]
A Texas superstore. A Dayton entertainment district. A school. These should be safe places, but they were not. Why? The Holy Spirit wrote Scripture knowing exactly what fears you would face in this your life. The face of terror is ugly and unnerving. Cafes, concerts, sporting events, and church are common gatherings that traditionally have provided places of safety and refuge. But as the terror of the dark human heart is revealed before our eyes, the reality is that there is no place apart from God where anyone is truly safe. What happened in Texas and Ohio this past weekend could just as easily have happened to anyone of us and our families. Evil may wear the face of an […]
Psalm 46 was written for difficult times, times like this past weekend in El Paso and Dayton. These opening verses are filled with the drama of life-dominating events. But even in chaos and turmoil, God is our refuge, the one we can hang on to: God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Jacob was someone who knew that he needed to trust God. He made a mess out of his life. He struggled with God and with people. […]
Another shooting. Funnel clouds forming. People dying. Families broken. Lives shattered. Hatred rules. Where is safety? It was another quiet Sunday. Church had just ended. All seems normal until some motorcycles ride onto the church property. The pastor and 5 other men are pulled out and ordered “Convert to Islam or die.” They refuse, and they are executed, one-by-one behind the church.* Yes, this is a normal Sunday afternoon in Burkina Faso and in many other countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Many news agencies, including the BBC, are reporting that thousands and thousands are being slaughtered for their Christian faith, to the point it is being called genocide. Where is safety? Twelve people in Virginia Beach are murdered by a co-worker […]
It would not be surprising for your children to ask, “Why is God allowing these terrible fires to hurt so many people and destroy their homes?” You may even be asking yourself that same question! Here are three possible attempts to understand these catastrophic fires ravaging California and God’s involvement in them. 1. The Fires are random circumstance The first way is to attribute the fires to a random collection of circumstances that sparked these fires and led to the awful results. In this construct, God had nothing to do with the fires and the destruction they caused. God’s role is one of consoler and comforter. We are left with God playing the role of a bystander observing the fires […]
Today the fast and furious chaotic mess of the midterm will be over. Many think these midterms are the most important in American political history. So, there is much uncertainty and turmoil about which party will win control of the legislature. But tomorrow, the efforts of man to influence election results will be over, at least for the next 24 hours! However, despite all of the human uncertainties God, will continue to exercise his dominion over the political arena. This means that nothing will happen today that will stop the people of God from obeying God. Tomorrow we can be thankful for God’s good providence. But we don’t know the results of the election yet. How can we be thankful? […]
Florence is headed for the Carolina coast. The projections for the storm’s impact are increasingly dire. The track is not the “typical one” for hurricanes striking land. The storm is predicted so stall near the coast and then after a day or two slowly move across the state of South Carolina. The potential damage is catastrophic. Are the movements of Florence random? Is her track simply an unfortunate convergence of high and low pressure systems? Are the Carolina’s at the mercy of fate? The Bible says that nothing is random and that Jesus Christ is the Lord of the wind and the waves. Job proclaims that the pressure systems controlling Florence are following the direction of God. He loads […]
Safety is an illusive pursuit. It is possible to purchase elaborate safety features for a new car and still be involved in an accident due to poor driving. Or one could have an excellent plan for physical health with proper diet and exercise and then become sick contracting a contagious disease. Laws can be passed that attempt to make us safe. But these laws will not protect against the evil of the human heart. Tomorrow is the 17th anniversary of 9/11, a chilling reminder of darkness of the heart. The Bible teaches us that evil is the natural state of all humans. Evil, wicked actions are a part of life, whether we pass laws to the contrary or not. It […]
Each year I repost the prayer President Franklin Roosevelt made for the success of the D Day invasion on June 6, 1944. President Roosevelt did not speak of many Gods or many faiths or many religions. He did not sheepishly lead the nation in a moment of silence, afraid that he might offend someone. Roosevelt knew that the fate of global civilization hung in the balance as tens of thousands of young soldiers stormed the beaches of France. If the invasion failed, there was no plan reliable B. So Roosevelt asked that the will of Almighty God be done. To him and to millions and millions around the world, the idea of seeking protection and victory from a moment of […]