Current Events

156 posts

Mosquitoes, Storms and Quakes

Large storms and earthquakes tend to get our attention. But little winged insects are just an annoyance, but nothing to take seriously, like a hurricane. But of course that depends on where you live. If you live some place where malaria and yellow fever are prevalent then the winged insects are also attention-getters. In the U.S. mainland until recently mosquitoes have been mostly in the annoyance category. Then last May, a mosquito-born virus, Zika, known mainly in Africa and Asia unexpectedly arrived in Brazil. Since then, mosquitoes have been making headline news right along with hurricanes and earthquakes. So what do mosquitoes, tropical cyclones and earthquakes have in common? They all serve at the pleasure of the Lord of heaven […]

News Or Providence?

Providence, Rhode Island; Providence Hospital; the hand of Providence — all these are just some of the ways the word providence intersects our culture. It is a familiar word that has lost its meaning. Today providence has been replaced by the word “news.” Webster’s Dictionary defines providence as: “God conceived as the power sustaining and guiding human destiny.” Western culture no longer sees God as the One who shapes and controls the events of each day. Today we call Providence, news. This shift leads to public cynicism and discouragement. News stories are reported as random events. Paul reminded the pundits on Mars Hill that it is God who is in control of life’s events, even to the point of determining […]

What Rain Teaches Your Children

Looking out onto my back lawn the sun is shining brightly and deep rumbles of thunder mix in with the sound of falling rain. Rain, sun and thunder. Each has valuable lessons to teach you and your children about how the world works. Paul told people in Lystra who were trying to offer sacrifices to him and Barnabas about the God that they were neglecting to worship. He told them that the God that he served had shown his kindness to them in ways that made the difference in their everyday lives. He brought them the rain and sun-light to grow their crops so that they would have food to eat. Often we take the rain for granted except when […]

Chariots of Fire

One morning a young man awoke more tired than he when he had gone to bed. He was totally stressed about the problems facing his country. The politicians ignored God. The leaders despised God’s law. He dreamed about the bad things that might happen. He had tossed and turned all night. To make matters worse, the major candidates offered him no hope. The more he watched his news feed and his favorite cable news network the more discouraged he had become. In discouragement he drove by his church. Sure enough, his pastor was in, so he stopped, hoping to grab a few minutes with him. “Hey Brian, how are you?” “Kind of discouraged, pastor. It seems like things are going […]

Broken Promises

The political convention season is upon us. Every four years our two major political parties gather to nominate a presidential candidate. Promises are made. Hopes are raised. Solutions are offered. The throng of delegates cheer on their nominee. America’s future will be only be safe with a victory. And if the other side should win, four years of disaster are inevitable. The conventions end and the electoral dance begins. The hope of the country is said to ride on the outcome. Is it any wonder disillusion rules no matter who wins? The truth is the conventions promise what they cannot deliver. Try is as we might, the race of man cannot save humanity from itself. What the party platforms fail […]

The Lesson of Nice

Jesus tells us in Matthew 7 that regardless of whether one is rich or poor, wise or unwise, prepared or unprepared, young or old, the storms of life will come. These storms come in many forms. Last night the storm of terror swept over Nice, France. There is outrage, sadness and fear. Once again, the question is asked: “Why is this happening?” The answer is that we live in a sin-cursed world. We are told we can be safe. Yet we are shocked to find out there is no safety. We believe we can protect ourselves. We believe that we are entitled to safety and peace. But we are being rudely awakened to the reality that these beliefs are a lie. […]

When You Are Afraid

The world is a scary place. You don’t know when or where the next mass killer will strike. You cannot will your children to safety. You cannot wish cancer away. You cannot remove the drunk driver from the road. You cannot force world leaders to be wise and responsible. You cannot stop dangers on the playground or even in your backyard. You cannot stop the hurricane or earthquake. In short, you cannot eliminate the things that bring fear in this life. If this is true, how can you know peace? How can you avoid being dominated by fear? Even in scary times, God calls you to trust him. Here is what the Holy Spirit says to you from Psalm 56:3-4: […]

Fathers: God’s Idea

Fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, and families exist because of God’s exquisite plan. Divine institution has brought stability to the planet Earth through out recorded history. These roles and institutions did not evolve or become reality because of a legislative or community process. God ordained fathers and all the rest of the family structure. Now the politically correct elite of today envision something different. The biblical construct of the family is deemed to be outdated. But look at what has happened under the rule of the politically correct. There is no longer one definition of what constitutes a family. One man and one woman are seen as archaic, even destructive as building blocks for a family. Sexual freedom has led to […]

What About Orlando?

Evil is for real. It showed its ugly face this past weekend in Orlando. There are people who are committed to bring human suffering to those they see as enemies. As evidence unfolds that this mass shooting is connected to an orchestrated scheme of terrorist plots, a grim reality continues to emerge: We are not safe. The goal of the terrorist mind is to create fear in everyday life. It is one thing to fight an enemy on a battlefield. It is quite another to wonder if death is waiting at the mall or at a place of entertainment or at a sporting event. This is what terror is all about. So where is safety found? Who offers protection? To […]

The Power Of Stillness

Life is full of drama and upset. Relationships may be filled with tensions and disappointments. The cultural landscape and the world’s political climate are unsettling at best. The noise of life is everywhere. Sometimes hope appears out of sight, other times the relentless drama of life can make it seem as if your mind is about to explode. Where is peace? The Holy Spirit speaks comfort into your life. He uses evocative images to speak to you. In Psalm 46 he says: So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. That’s challenging! Earthquakes and mountain crumbling into the sea are drama personified. Earthquakes, even with all of our sophisticated scientific advances, are not […]