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For a subject index of articles on
this website, click here.
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December
2007/January
2008
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Letters to the editor "The God
you present in the Three-Piece Suit, the pieces sending other pieces to
other places, seems a bit anthropomorphic..."
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In Other Words:
Sticking
together. By James R. Henderson. "Two
people are like a lump of porridge."
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Editorial: How ugly are the feet?
By John Halford. On the back of our previous issue, we show a barefoot
man looking at our magazine.
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Cover story:
Lovers of pleasure... Are we trying too
hard to be happy?, by Dr. Archibald Hart. We are pushing the
pleasure button in our brain—and overloading a system that is not
designed to be continuously stimulated.
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Christmas Light, by Mike Feazell. Christmas
lights remind us of the true Light, Jesus Christ.
Managing the postmodern church,
an interview with Dr. Karl Moore. Should we adapt leadership styles to
the culture?
Oh No... I'm a mother-in-law, by Muriel
Hacker. Be a positive influence, not a divisive one.
I've been reading...
What About Those Who Have
Never Heard? book review by Paul Kroll.
Small miracles, by Gianni and Mirella Iarroni. A family learns from a
tragic accident.
Bystander: 21st-century bystander, by Joyce Catherwood. We see and
respond to Jesus, too.
Discovering Handel's Messiah, by John
Halford. The musical masterpiece was
written by a man on the edge of despair.
The First Church Christmas, by Paul Kroll. The Church celebrated
Christmas to defeat paganism, not copy it.
Speaking of Life: A Time for Love, by Joseph Tkach. Do we love people
only when they do well?
The Boys, by Kerry Gubb. I feed the birds, but they don't seem very
thankful.
The way of Trinitarian love, by C. Baxter Kruger. Jesus suffered from our
wrath, not from the Father's.
Born of a woman: a study of Galatians 4, by Michael Morrison. God treats his
children as adults.
Hmm... "The very best way to send an idea is to wrap it up in a person."
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copyright 2007
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entire issue in pdf format
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October/November
2007
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Cover story: The Trinity:
Just a Doctrine?
By Mike Feazell. For the average Christian, the kind of people
who have families to feed, jobs to get to, and lives to live, what
difference does an ancient doctrine make anyway?
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Interview with Ruth Tucker: Hope for the Left Behind Church.
by Sheila Graham. God works in little churches, even churches losing
membership.
Bystander: The Woman Accused of
Adultery,
by Joyce Catherwood. Just before dawn, the door to our hiding place
burst open and slammed
against the wall. Scribes and Pharisees stormed in...
Meeting
a Living Legend, by Curtis May. It isn’t often that a man gets
to meet one of his boyhood heroes. I got to meet Fred Shuttlesworth.
The
Dead Sea Scrolls—60 Years Later, by Timothy Finlay. The Scrolls
strengthen our trust in the validity of the Scriptures, further our
understanding of Judaism, and deepen our background knowledge of the New
Testament.
The Prayer God Always Answers,
by Bernie Schnippert. Be careful, because the answer will shake you to
your core.
Encounter 2008: All Generations Gathered As One Family.
Announcing a retreat for all ages, near Cincinnati, Ohio, in October
2008.
Church
History Corner:
Vatican II and the Future of Church Unity, by Paul
Kroll. Vatican II altered Catholic Church life in many fundamental ways
and opened up dialogue between Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox
churches.
new feature:
Speaking of Life: Which Is the Best
Translation? By Joseph Tkach. New versions reflect growth
in biblical scholarship, including better texts, as well as changes in
the English language.
Good
Things, by John McLean. Each night, Melanie wrote down three
good things that happened to her that day.
Look
Again: God's Video, by C. Baxter Kruger.
Bible Study: Redeemed From the Curse
of the Law: A Study of Galatians 3, By Michael Morrison. The law
cannot declare us righteous. So the obvious question is: What was the
law for?
The Gospel Revealed: A
Study of Galatians 1
Justified by Faith, Not
By Law: A Study of Galatians 2
The Greeks Had a Word For It:
Antilepsis. It is the noun form of a verb that
means “to take hold of the other side.”
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Hmm...
Entire issue in
PDF format (2.5
megabytes)
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August /
September
2007
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Letters to the editor
"I’m confused as to your organization’s belief that "all" are God’s
children. Don’t you have to be a believer to be a child of God?"
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Editorial:
Stirred—but not shaken By John
Halford. These are stirring times to be a Christian. Critics are having
a field day, questioning, undermining and ridiculing every aspect of our
beliefs. Nothing, it seems, is sacred.
Cover story: Immortality: The
"Mother of All Changes" By Paul Kroll. The hope of all
Christians is to live again—and live forever—by a resurrection from
death, an event that will occur at Jesus Christ’s return. But what kind
of body will God provide for us?
Companion article: What happens in a chrysalis?
In Other
Words: Advice to husbands from a nomadic
tribe
By James Henderson. "Man, don’t break the vase from which you drink."
One Pilgrim's Progress:
"If you really had repented..." By Mike Feazell.
Christians set out with the best of intentions to change their ways.
Some ways change, but other ways stick like super-glue.
The problem of forgiveness, by
Lila Docken Bauman. Forgiveness is more than merely an ideal Christian
virtue; it penetrates to the very heart of life.
Facing
up to Autism, by Judith Foyabo. Before my son was born, I had a few
friends who had children with autism. But I had no clue what it really
meant.
I've Been Reading...
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the
Night-Time, by
Mark Haddon; reviewed by Victoria Feazell. This book provides a simple
yet insightful look into the mind of a young person with
high-functioning autism.
Dumpy, Dumpy
moments, by David Harstin. As a home daddy, I spend most days doing
housework and tending to my children’s needs. Today has been especially
frazzling...
Bystander: The Unclean Woman,
by
Joyce Catherwood. Jesus praised my faith and said, "Take heart,
daughter, you are free from your suffering!"
Getting it back to front, by John Halford. Churches, like
British front and backyards, seem to like to separate themselves with
walls.
Still small
voices, by Shirley Henderson. At this conference, the voice of
God was in the still small voice of one woman who stood up unprepared
and spoke from her heart.
Church History Corner:
Billy Graham: Evangelist to the World,
by Paul Kroll. It is estimated that some three million people have
responded to Graham’s offer at the end of his campaign sermons to come
forward and accept Christ.
Look Again:
Was Jesus plan "B"? By C. Baxter Kruger. Jesus is the original
plan, the alpha and the omega, the eternal Word of God, the good
shepherd appointed before the creation of the world.
"Not Long
Now..." By Kerry Gubb. I don’t want to die. I didn’t ask for
this wretched cancer to eat away my life.
Bible Study: Relationships in and
out of the church: a study of Colossians 3-4, By Michael Morrison.
Paul describes the kind of conduct that is appropriate for people whose
lives are "hidden with Christ in God."
Hmm... Whatever
I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.
Entire issue in
PDF format (2.5 megabytes)
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June/July 2007
Cover story: No contest: Why the
argument over Genesis? By Dennis P. Gordon. What did Genesis 1
say to the people of the ancient Near East?
One
Pilgrim's Progress: "People, I just want to say, you know, can't we
all get along?",
By Mike Feazell. Most of us do "get along," more or less, most of the
time.
Changing
Faces, by Brenda Plonis.
I silently thanked God I had only two lips.
Bystander:
Joanna, by Joyce Catherwood.
My sojourn in the palace provided a unique opportunity.
In Other Words:
Who's afraid of the big, bad... lion?
by James R. Henderson. The Maasai are not afraid of lions—the lions are
afraid of the Maasai.
Christian
Odyssey Interview: Good news to the poor.
An interview with Richard Stearns, President of World Vision U.S.
Should you take the Bible literally?
by Bernie Schnippert. Whether you say "yes" or "no," the critic will
respond...
Church
History corner:
How Russian
became Christian,
by Paul Kroll. The king demanded that the
emperors give him their sister in marriage.
Is the Bible just a white man's
book? Part Two. By Dan Rogers. The Bible mentions people of
color not because of their color, but because they were there.
I've Been Reading...:
Evangelism Through the Local Church,
by Michael Green; reviewed by Mike Feazell. Why would
anyone want to be a member of our congregation?
Look again:
The boy in the airport, by Baxter
Kruger. The boy walked out and stopped dead still. His eyes scanned the
airport.
Bible Study:
New clothes
for new people: a study of Colossians 3, by Michael Morrison. Our
life is hidden with Christ, and that has something to say about the way
we live.
Hmm...
Entire issue in
PDF format (2.5 megabytes)
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April /
May
2007
Cover story: Is the Bible just a white man's
book? Some scholars say that the Bible does not mention any
people of color. By Dan Rogers.
One Pilgrim's Progress:
Loaded Bibles and made-up minds,
By Mike Feazell. Can we read the Bible without any bias?
Moving
mountains in Appalachia, by John Halford. How one congregation
encouraged churches to cooperate.
The thief's story,
by John Halford. He was the first person to look to the crucified
Jesus for salvation.
Church
History corner: Augustine: "Father" of the
Western Church, by Paul Kroll. Perhaps the most influential
theologian of Christianity in the West.
Lost in New Orleans, by C. Baxter
Kruger. In the first of a series of articles, Dr. Kruger gives a living
picture of how Christianity works.
In Other Words:
Now wash your hands, by James R.
Henderson. Ever tried to wash your right hand without using the left?
Modern
Slavery: the unheard cries, by Curtis May and Neil Earle. About
27 million people are trapped in abusive labor.
Bystander:
Martha, by Joyce Catherwood. "I suppose I was jealous of Mary. I
was sorry I had not understood what Mary did."
Where are you, Lord? by Michael
Houghton. "I had blunt, direct words with God this morning. I was not
happy with the way things were going."
WWJD? By Kerry W. Gubb. Do people
even know what Jesus did?
Bible Study: Victory on the cross: a study of Colossians
2, by Michael Morrison. Jesus triumphed on the cross, and we share
in his victory.
Hmm...
Entire issue in
PDF format (3 megabytes)
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February
/ March 2007
Cover story: Watching God
work in the Philippines
God gave the harvest. All we did was shake a tree full of ripe
fruit. By Michael Morrison.
Companion article:
Is a short-term mission worth it?
One Pilgrim's
Progress:
Does it all depend? By Mike Feazell.
Does salvation depend on what we've done?
Confessions of a part-time
waitress, by Brenda Plonis. The job takes patience,
multi-tasking, dexterity and politeness.
I've Been Reading...
Cities of God: The Real Story of How
Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome, by
Rodney Stark; reviewed by John Halford
Christian
Odyssey Interview: Playing
Jesus--a discussion with Bruce Marchiano. He played the lead
role in the dramatization of the Gospel of Matthew.
Impress
Yourself, by Rose Huff.
What do you do well?
Generations Camps 2007.
Fifteen Christ-centered camps and retreats for children, teens, adults
and families.
Church History Corner:
William Wilberforce: Christian
abolitionist, reformer, statesman, by Paul Kroll. The struggle
would be long and bitter, and was not won until three days before his
death.
Bystander: Widow of Nain By Joyce
Catherwood. Stunned and speechless, his friends just stood there with
their mouths open, watching a dead person talk to them!
Dead
to Sin—Oh Really? By Sheila Graham. In Christ, we die to sin—but
still struggle against it.
In Other
Words:
Get Salty By James Henderson. Grace
should flavor our relationships
with others around us.
Bible Study: Already in the Kingdom: a
study of Colossians 1, By Michael Morrison. God has rescued us from
the dominion of darkness and qualified us for his kingdom.
Hmm...
Entire issue in
PDF format (2.5
megabytes)
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October/November 2006
Letters to the editor
When did the Golden Rule become "For God so loved the world..."? I
thought it was "Do unto others..." Oops.
I've Been Reading... Christian
Zionism:
Road Map to Armageddon? Adherents of Christian Zionism
believe that there is no prospect for lasting peace between Jews and
Arabs, nor that there should be.
Editorial:
Helping our
unbelief, by John Halford. If we are honest, we will
admit that there are times when our belief needs some help. We want to
be so sure in our faith that nothing can shake us. Then something comes
along...
Cover story:
Ancient words...but ever
true? Can we still trust the Bible? Is the Bible just a collection
of old manuscripts gathered together and preserved by human beings? Can
we still trust it as the word of God?
One Pilgrim's Progress:
Let God be God By Mike Feazell. Some Christians teach that
God forgives only the people he predestined to forgive. If that's true,
Jesus’ prayer didn’t make a whole lot of difference.
An answer
in the dark, by Marie Docken.
Why did God let the man enter my home in the first place?
A fool for
Christ, by Sheila Graham. How about putting aside your earthly
pursuits for a while to spend time with your heavenly Father? My
daughter Tina calls such special time a God Day.
What, me
take a Bible course online?
Why not try it out—it doesn’t cost you
anything to get started. The first class in the Foundations of Faith
course is available free to anyone visiting our web site.
Loving them
to the end, by John Halford. Ruby Jones worked as a nurse in New
Orleans. As Hurricane Katrina bore down upon the city, her family begged
her to evacuate. But Ruby went to work as usual, and ended up on the
cover of Newsweek.
Bystander: The synagogue
ruler's wife, by Joyce Catherwood. I had heard about Jesus
and how he healed people, even raising a woman’s son from the dead. I
wanted to find him. But it would have been impossible...
Do we
have the right books in the Bible?, by Michael Morrison. Who
decided which books should be in the New Testament? If Constantine tried
to do it (as the Da Vinci Code suggests), he failed. So who
did it?
In Other
Words: An elephant's tail, by James R. Henderson. All of us feel
like an elephant’s tail sometimes. Perhaps we think we are insignificant
in the great scheme of things. But that is not how God sees us.
The gospel of Superman,
by Neil Earle. In the gospel, the Myth became Fact and Truth and dwelt
among us, and we beheld his glory. It's the only story worth writing
about.
Making
friends with the disabled, by April Hottle. Disabled people
are often starved for conversation. But many are trapped behind the
social barriers that we unconsciously tend to erect around them.
Church History Corner:
William Tyndale and the birth of the English Bible, by Paul
Kroll. The idea that a Bible translator could be hunted down like a
criminal and his Bible translation burned and destroyed seems
shocking.
Bible Study:
Saved by God's mercy - a study of Titus 3, by Michael Morrison. We are justified by grace—put right with God—as his gift to
us. Good works cannot save us, but they are still good, and they are
characteristic of people who trust God.
Lectionary readings
for October and November 2006.
Hmm... If Christians would take all the energy we put into proving we’re right
and invested that energy in pursuing and doing good,
somehow I think that more people would believe we are right....
Entire issue
in PDF format (2
megabytes)
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August/September 2006
Letters to the editor
I really
enjoy reading Christian Odyssey, but I was disappointed to be
unable to read large sections of the magazine...
In other words: Don't just go
- leave a legacy, by James Henderson. Have you ever heard of the
phrase “a parting shot”?
It is a term from archery and is a distortion of “a Parthian shot.”...
Editorial:
Praying for the peace of Jerusalem, by John Halford.
When
trouble strikes the Middle East, prophecy buffs and pundits start
quivering. Is this the series of events that will lead to the return of
Jesus Christ? Let’s hope they are right. But don’t get your hopes up.
The prophecy buffs have never have been right before.
Heaven's
above - or is it? By John Halford. Scientific discoveries have
made us rethink our ideas about nearly everything on earth. Why not
heaven, too? Our
only reliable source of information is the Bible, and that is
surprisingly vague about what comes next. But the Bible does promise
that if we put our trust in God, we will receive many benefits in this
life (along with challenges) and we can expect benefits to continue
forever in a world to come.
One
pilgrim's progress: Just a nobody? By Mike Feazell. In
Jesus’ day, kids were on the low end of the totem pole. But when the
time came for someone to step forward with the seeds of one of Jesus’
greatest miracles, our Savior called on a “mere” kid, a “nobody.”
My
father's living will, by Lila Docken Bauman. When Dad died, he
left us with much more than memories. Unlike
his physical belongings, the bequests of his living will increase and
multiply in the giving.
Bystander: The beautiful
anointing, by Joyce Catherwood. ...I
was rudely jerked back to reality by the voice of Judas, who indignantly
complained about the waste of expensive perfume, insisting that I should
have used the money instead to help the poor...
"Send
us some children": A story of transformation, by John Peterson.
When you are down to nothing, God may be up to something.
One gloomy Sunday morning in February 2003, I looked at my
“congregation” —just three elderly folks and myself—and faced facts.
This church was dying. “Lord God,” we prayed, “if we are going to
survive, we must have children. Send us some children.”
Perichor...what? A
discussion with C. Baxter Kruger. God wants us to feel we are
"one of the family."
...My
son peers around the corner of the door and looks at me, and the next
thing I know, he comes flying through the air and jumps on me. We start
wrestling and horsing around and we end up on the floor. Then his buddy
flies into us and all three of us are just like a wad of laughter.
Church history corner:
Persecution, penance, and "the lapsed" By Paul Kroll. Many
Christians steadfastly refused to go along with Decius’ demands and
confessed Christ even under brutal torture. They were given the honorary
title “Confessor” by the church. However, multitudes of Christians did
sacrifice to the gods and the emperor.... But they eventually wanted to
be readmitted to the church.
Unmasking
male depression, by Archibald Hart. The symptoms are different
but the effects are just as devastating. ...She
can
accurately describe the classic symptoms of male depression: “He becomes
irritable, short-tempered, withdraws into a shell, refuses to talk. When
he responds he overreacts—whether it be to the news, his dissatisfaction
with his meal or the kid’s noise.”
A
cup of cold water, by Sheila Graham. Why Good Samaritans need to
be careful.
“Lord,” she prayed, her heart aching, “Forgive me and, please, give me
another chance to give a thirsty person some water.”
I've been reading: A
Generous Orthodoxy, by Brian McLaren;
review by Fraser Henderson. Some
Christians might be willing to listen, to consider the culture we find
ourselves lost in and, rather than seeking a way out, engage and love a
broken world in which God is building his kingdom.
Bible Study: Making grace look
good - a study of Titus 2, by Michael Morrison.
Paul is
advising believers to perform their social roles well—he is not
necessarily saying that those social roles are good. But we can with
some modification apply what Paul says to situations today.
Lectionary readings
for August to October 2006.
Hmm...
When one
door of happiness closes another opens; but often we look so long at the
closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.
Entire issue
in
PDF format (2 megabytes)
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| June/July 2006
Letters to the editor:
It was disturbing to read your article, "Bible Prophecy: What’s it All About,"
in the latest Christian Odyssey (April/May 2006)....
I love the Christian Odyssey very much but have one small
complaint.... I laughed until I cried at John Halford’s
orangutan, then read the rest of the article and cried again. |
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Editorial: An E-ticket
ride:
First was a long slow haul up an incline,
and a brief moment to admire the view and catch a glimpse of less
adventurous friends far below. Then you hurtled down towards what looked
like a sheer drop. "No way," you’d think. "We’re going to come off." But
as the bobsled careened around the track you realized that the ride only
looked impossible. If you stayed with it you’d be okay. In some ways a
journey from legalism to grace is like that. You see, a legalistic
approach to your relationship with God is "safe," like an A ticket ride.
The pace is slow and the rules seem clear-cut.
By John Halford.
Will it play in Peoria?
This midsized midwestern
city is
considered an ideal test market for the USA. They say that if you want to
know if a new idea or product will be successful, find out if it "plays in
Peoria." So what two visionary pastors are attempting to do here is worth
watching. Cliff Parks is the pastor of a
congregation that is mainly
Anglo-American. Tony Pierce pastors a
congregation that is mostly black.
Going
on a Guilt Trip? Guilt trips. They’re all the rage, you
know. Everybody’s taking them. No date restrictions. Availability unlimited.
People of all ages are welcome. But there are a few hidden costs.
Among other things, guilt trips cost you your stomach lining, your sleep,
your sense of humor, your ability to have fun, your productivity and any
realistic sense of who you really are and what your purpose really is. By Mike Feazell.
Turn-key or makeover?
If you are thinking about finding a new church home, you might want to
consider doing your shopping with a real-estate tip in mind. The "perfect"
church might not be the best spiritual investment.
In the real estate market, a house
that is in tip-top shape is often referred to as a "turn-key" house. If
you buy the home, it is in nearly perfect condition.
By Shane Bazer.
A new look at The
Good Samaritan:
The Good Samaritan is one of
Jesus’ most popular parables. We preachers often use it to encourage people to
be unselfish and to be proactive in serving others. But there is more to the
story than that. Jesus was doing far more than putting hypocritical religious
leaders in their place. Let’s take a closer look.
By Joseph Tkach.
Majors & minors: Family night is a
real learning experience in our household. What I learn during our meal
continually amazes me, yet validates my sense that children want parents
to care about what the children care about in their developing world. It
is comforting for me to realize that the stages of emerging adolescent
independence are fairly predictable, and as parents we can look for two
common signposts... By Rose Huff.
Mary Magdalene: I probably have more
reasons than anyone to respond with fierce loyalty to our Lord. He lifted
me out of wretched conditions, conditions so desperate they are hard to
describe. I lived in terrifying darkness, plagued with despair and
depression. Often I didn’t know who I was, where I was—I had lost complete
control over my life. By Joyce Catherwood.
I've been reading... Pocket History of Theology: I know,
theology is a boring subject. But, wait! Don’t turn the page. Theology is an
exciting subject because it’s central to our Christian lives, and so
is knowing something about the history of the church, our heritage. Studying
historical theology also connects us to two millennia of history and the
ancestral people of our church. By Paul Kroll.
The faith of an atheist -- a discussion with Alister
McGrath: I was
a very aggressive
atheist as a schoolboy. I believed that atheism was the way of the future, and that
religion was an evil relic of the past. So nowadays, when I read books
expounding atheism, I can say: "that was me, once." There were several things that made me change my mind. I
began to discover while still at school that the sciences cannot disprove God....
Right idea... Wrong foundation:
800 years ago, the people of Pisa in
Italy decided to build a tower. The tower was to
have bells that would ring out to the surrounding countryside as witness to the
glory of God. Things began to go wrong almost at once.
The Protestant Church in
Hitler's Germany and the Barmen Declaration:
Many German Christians at first welcomed Hitler’s Nazi party to
power as a historic moment of Christ’s work on earth.
The Nazi "Führer
Principle" was to be adopted by the churches, which was a claim that Hitler was
"lord" over the German church. But some German Protestant pastors, led by Martin Niemöller,
were opposed.
Church History Corner, by Paul Kroll.
A miracle
in torn blue jeans:
In the blackness of those weeks that stretched into months,
God sent me a miracle that I almost did not see. I never would have noticed it
at all if I had not been sick. We have a young man in our congregation who
attends with his sister. It would have been easy to overlook him. But when
God slowed me down, I began to notice this eight-year-old boy, who
attended with his sister. By Michael Houghton.
A covenant of forgiveness: Some cultures
have customs of forgiveness. The Masai in Tanzania perform an
"osotua." If a sin has occurred between families within a community, the parties
are brought back
together. The community prepares a meal, and both
families must bring food. The offended must accept and eat the food prepared by
the offender, and vice versa. It is called "holy food."
In Other Words, by James Henderson.
Tell Peter:
The life of Peter, Jesus’ friend
and leading disciple, is a lesson for all who are discouraged. He
struggled with despair but, through the faithfulness of our Lord, he found
acceptance and forgiveness. By Eugene Guzon.
Loving in deed:
The four oldest kids could only think of one
way to find out. They grabbed their youngest brother’s arms and legs, dragged
him kicking and screaming to the edge, threw him out, and watched to see what
would happen. A Jump Start article, by Pete Ahlstrom.
Leaders in
truth: a study of Titus 1:
In the first
chapter of his letter to Titus, Paul describes the qualities of a good church
leader. He warns that some people try to lead believers away from the truth.
Even in the 21st century, Paul’s advice is still needed. Bible Study, by Michael Morrison
Lectionary
readings for June-July
Hmmm... No man has a good enough memory to be a
successful liar.... If you lose hope, you lose everything.... The peacemaking
meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.
entire issue
in PDF format |
| April/May 2006
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Letters to
the Editor:
I have just finished reading Sheila
Graham’s very interesting update of the Hittites, but I was distracted
by her use of BCE. Will you be using BCE in future articles instead of
the historical BC? I just don’t believe the secular usage is proper in
Christian literature or articles. Am I a hard-core traditionalist?
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Tired of Life, With Everything to Live For:
On one evening
last February, a lady who will be 100 next year, asked me, "Why has God let me
live this long? What’s the point?"
How do you answer that?
I told her I would
need to think about it. A week later I was still thinking. By
John Halford. |
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Intelligent Design: What it is ... what it isn't. Certain features of the natural world—from
miniature machines and digital information found in living cells, to the
fine-tuning of physical constants—are best explained as the result of an
intelligent cause. ID is thus a tacit rebuke of an idea inherited from
the 19th century, called scientific materialism. By
Jay Wesley Richards, Ph.D.
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I've
been reading... Dawkins' God, by Alister McGrath. So brilliant is Dr. Dawkins’ reasoning, so
eloquent his arguments, that even highly educated scholars refuse to
debate him. Not so Alister McGrath. Once an atheist himself, McGrath is
now one of Britain’s leading Christian scholars. He tackles the logic
for atheism head on, and in fact, turns many of the arguments on their
head. Book review by John Halford. |
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A matter of perspective:
"Oh, look at all the deer, Honey. Do you see them?" "No." "They’re right
there, coming up the hill. Don’t you see them?" "No, Mom! If they’re right
there, why can’t I see them?" I bent over to look from his angle. I
couldn’t see them either. A Jump Start article by
Angie Ruble. |
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Whatever happened to church growth?
Church growth was an idea that was popular 15 or 20 years ago. It
promised to halt the decline in congregations and turn things around.
But in North America, it is estimated that
only between 18 and 25 percent of the population
attend church. Why hasn’t it worked? An
interview with Eddie Gibbs. |
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A Week to
Change Your Life:
Every summer
the Worldwide Church of God’s Generations Ministries hold a series of
camps in many locations around the country. We’d like you to come to one
of them, because we think they are great. But then, we would, wouldn’t
we? So don’t take our word for it. Listen to some of the young people
who went last year. |
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Camp With a
Mission: OK, so you’ve been
there, done that and got a drawer full of camp T-shirts. Then perhaps
you are ready to expand your Christian growth in a new and challenging
way. How about stepping into a foreign culture with the gospel of Jesus
Christ? As part of our Generations Ministry programs in 2006, we are
adding Crossing Borders—an exciting new venture. |
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Bible Prophecy:
What's it all about?
People are scared of what they don’t know, and they don’t know the future.
So it seems that any old huckster who comes along claiming to know what’s
around the corner, if he’s clever enough to forge God’s signature to his
predictions by juggling scriptures like a circus magician, can round up
quite a hefty following. One Pilgrim's Progress, by Mike
Feazell. |
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A Sorry State of
Affairs: Understanding the power of an apology:
"Why should I
apologize to the descendants of slaves, or the holocaust, or the
Northern Irish? I didn’t do it. It happened before I was born. How can
apologizing for things you didn’t do help anything? Is it biblical?
Aren’t you just stirring up trouble?" By Curtis May
and Neil Earle. |
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As Ugly as Sin.
This orangutan obviously
understood the first rule of showmanship: give the crowd what they want. He
decided to give them an encore. So he vomited the orange into his hands and
proceeded to eat it again. As I watched the impromptu display of gastronomic
versatility, it occurred to me that that is how you and I must look to
God when we sin. By John Halford. |
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Bystander: Salome.
"I was overjoyed to follow Jesus and care for his needs as though he were my
own son. He nicknamed my boys ‘Sons of Thunder’ because of their enthusiastic
support. He and John had become best of friends. So as we traveled to
Jerusalem one day, it seemed natural to me to ask Jesus for a favor. By Joyce
Catherwood.
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Easter in
the church:
At some point in the first two centuries, it became customary in the
church to have a yearly celebration of the Lord’s death and resurrection
called Pascha. It is the same word used for "Passover" in the Greek version of
the Scriptures. Our Easter season has grown out of the old Pascha celebration.
In time, the Pascha became observed throughout the church.
Here is the history. Church History Corner, by Paul Kroll. |
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Keep on
walking:
In developing nations people walk for miles along roads. In
crowded and remote areas, day and night, you see people walking. There is a
saying used by the Kikuyu tribe of Kenya—"Kuguru ni irata thi," meaning
"the foot goes all over the world." The Kikuyu
slogan stresses the need to persevere. Our feet are gifts, and we need
to use them to accomplish whatever our goals are. By
In Other Words, by James Henderson. |
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Will we
live again? A study of 1 Corinthians 15:1-23:
When Paul
calls Jesus the firstfruits, he is saying that Jesus is a promise of a much
greater harvest yet to come. He is the first to be resurrected, but he
represents many more who will also be resurrected. Our future depends on
his resurrection. Not only do we follow him in his sufferings, we also
follow him into his glory.
Bible Study, by Michael Morrison. |
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Hmm...
Because the
ideas and projects have the name of God attached to them, it is easy to
assume that we are involved with God. It is the devil’s work to get us
worked up thinking and acting for God and then subtly detach us from a
relational obedience and adoration of God, substituting ourselves, our
godlike egos, in the places usually occupied by God.... And other
quotes.
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Lectionary readings for April and May |
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Entire
issue in PDF format |
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
|