“Work”- When you hear the word what comes to mind? Is it the daily grind of producing purposeless papers or mixing concrete for long hours? Attending lectures with eyes half-shut or cleaning up some spill on the hall floor at the end of a long hospital shift? Whatever work means for you, it may have…
Photo by Abby Tolsma Writers write best when they are writing on their own terms. They write best when they are passionate about something, and deep feelings produce the best work. For this reason pain and heartache—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—often get the credit for the work that touches people’s hearts. I don’t want to…
There are whispers in Galilee Of a prophet divine A carpenter turned king The water turned wine Compassionate love That will never cease Wonderful Counselor My prince of peace There are whispers in Galilee Whispers of a king No royal robe No crown and no ring The world pushed me aside He welcomed me…
Photo by Phil Kenyon Two weeks ago I visited Detroit, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh for a couple days. My friend and I toured about the cities primarily on foot enjoying the views of high-rises and stadiums. I enjoyed the varied architecture and time periods on display in each city. The picture above captures a small view…
I’m going to tell you about the best deal ever. In terms of what was paid and what was received. Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ disciples—who’s name has gone down in infamy for having betrayed Jesus—allowed the Jewish religious leaders to make a deal with him. And this is what it was: They pay him…
“Don’t be a Judas!” That sounds like pretty good advice! Judas has gone down in history as the worst sort of betrayer. A back-stabber. A despicable kind of person. Nobody wants to be a Judas! But there’s a problem. It’s too late. You already are. And so am I. You see, Judas is actually pretty…
Once I was at a conference where a Brazilian pastor was explaining the irony of missions today. He explained how American missionaries ventured into the heart of the Amazon to share the gospel, after spending years translating the Bible into the local tongue. He then shared how Brazilian pastors were flying into suburban parts of…
Photo by Phil Kenyon Last week I went for a cruise to enjoy some of the lovely weather. I stopped at an abandoned farmhouse to take some photos and captured this shot of some broken glass. The whole house was in disarray, windows were smashed, the interior lying in ruins. Yet, there was something beautiful…
I was doing a Bible study about children teenagers (Editor’s note: Dr. Murray originally wrote “children” but we all know that teenagers are still their parent’s children, right?) the other day, and discovered that the most common word God uses when talking about children teenagers is “obedience.” Here’s a couple of New Testament verses for you…
Photo by Abby Tolsma “I’m not good enough.” “I don’t think God could love me.” “Why would anyone, especially God, care about me?” Have you said any of these things? If so, maybe you are feeling hopeless at this stage of your life. You realize that you have so many flaws and wonder how the…
