The Gospel is a message of hope and encouragement that highlights Godās love and mercy for everything He has created. It emphasizes His desire for the creation, the earth and all its inhabitants to dwell in peace and harmony with Him. It also highlights that God is actively working out His plan to add children to His family. His plan is fulfilled yet in the future when His Kingdom is once again established over all the creation and all beings who are willingly led by Him. The Gospel can be … [Read more...] about The Gospel: God’s Plan for Mankind
Salvation
Being Tenderhearted
Having served in the army during the Vietnam era, each time I see that poignant image of Vietnamese children screaming in panic as they flee from a napalm attack, it transports me back to my own experience in a very visceral way. I feel their anguish and their pain. A few years ago, when I saw a photograph of a little boy named Aylan, killed trying to escape the mayhem that tore apart Syria and looking so similar to my own grandson of the same age, again, I felt that same sense of loss and … [Read more...] about Being Tenderhearted
Conversion Is a Process
Can reading just one scripture save your neck? It sounds outlandish, but King Henry II of England, crowned in 1154, issued a decree that ultimately allowed certain English prisoners to do just that. King Henry issued a law that stated, āA person subject to the death penalty could appeal for the benefit of clergy.ā A minister or cleric assigned to the prison would then be called in to stipulate a passage of the Bible that the prisoner would have to read aloud. The accepted passage came to be … [Read more...] about Conversion Is a Process
Are You Anchored?
Years ago, I worked as a Project Assistant for the Arizona Game and Fish Department on a trout habitat below Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River. We arrived by boat near the diversion tunnels at the base of the dam, and as he jumped out, my boss wrapped the rope around a large rock. After working a while, I went back for supplies. Climbing over a rock outcropping, I panicked! The rope had come loose, and the current was rapidly pulling the boat downstream. I took a gigantic leap for it. … [Read more...] about Are You Anchored?
A Coin of Hope
In 2018, 70.8 million people were displaced by conflicts and violence worldwide, according to the UN Refugee Agency, up from a record 38 million in 2014. Despair has driven many to risk dangerous and life-threatening journeys just to find some type of relief. This is Satanās world, and he is the author of confusion, depression, and negativity. But our Creator, the One True God, is positive! Depression is like a two-sided coin, so letās flip it over and look at the other side, the coin of … [Read more...] about A Coin of Hope
God’s Goyim
There are numerous words that we use in our daily vocabulary that have changed meaning over the years. Have we allowed ourselves to appropriate a meaning to the word āGentileā that was not intended? In Galatians, the second chapter we see Paul giving the account of Peterās example as a Jew when he separated himself from the Gentiles fearing what other Jews would think. The Jews regarded Gentiles as inferior. Eastonās Bible Dictionary states the definition of "Gentile" as (Hebrew, usually in … [Read more...] about God’s Goyim
Expression of Godly Love
It is difficult to escape the feeling that our world is becoming more divided by the day. For example, we are hearing more about political identity. While it has been quite customary to identify with some political party in terms of general policy, the term has now developed a sharper edge. Amy Chua writing in The Guardian newspaper notes: āWhen groups feel threatened, they retreat into tribalism. When groups feel mistreated and disrespected, they close ranks and become more insular, more … [Read more...] about Expression of Godly Love