Recently, a friend of mine commented on the fact that a character in one of my stories referred to God in the plural. My friend said some people would consider such a reference as blasphemy, because it implied polytheism, the worship of many gods. As Christians, we believe in one God who exists as three unified, but distinct persons each of whom equally possesses all the qualities of Godhood. This is one of several truths…
God demonstrated his love for every human being by sending Jesus to die in our place while we were his enemies. Jesus paid the price required to redeem us, so we could be restored back to a right relationship with God. Even though the redemption price has been paid, you are not redeemed just because you exist. You cannot remain an enemy of Jesus and expect redemption. We all have to repent of our sins,…
Have you ever thought about what kind of world we would have today if Adam and Eve had not sinned? I have been thinking about that for a while, because that subject will be the focus of my next novel. My working title is A Better Place. I think it will take me a long time to write, since it is so hard to imagine a world in which sin does not dominant. What do…
Ruby’s birthday and Valentine’s Day are approaching fast. Ruby has been known to stretch these events into extra days of special treatment. It could be a weekend, a week, or even a month, so I am under a lot of pressure right now. However, don’t worry too much about me, because my birthday is coming up in March, and I’ll be sure to get my fair share of extra attention. You see, in marriage you…
Morality concerns the distinction between right and wrong and the difference between good and bad behavior. It seems to me that our society is having trouble distinguishing between right and wrong. I read an article in the Louisville Courier Journal about COVID-19 vaccinations in Southern Indiana. The article quoted from a February 1 post on the Clark County Health Department Facebook page which said, “At the vaccination sites we are seeing a substantial lack of…
Wendy Thomas Russell said, “…if we raise kids to be moral and ethical and kind and generous, then what they believe is secondary.” On August 10, 2015, Ms. Russell was interviewed on PBS Newshour. She is the author of a book entitled, Relax, It’s Just God: How and Why to Talk to Your Kids About Religion When You’re Not Religious. Jesus said, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to…
Frustration and anger are emotions the prophet Jonah embraced. The Lord told Jonah to go and preach in Nineveh and warn them that their city would be destroyed in forty days, because of their wickedness. Jonah tried to flee away from God. He did not want to warn Nineveh, because he wanted God to destroy them. Jonah hated the Ninevites more than he loved God. So Jonah defied God, but eventually he did go and…
Teacher, you pour your heart into preparing and delivering your lessons. Are you sure your learners even understand the words you are using? I recently posted an article about The Seven Laws of Teaching by John Milton Gregory. Gregory’s third law, The Law of the Language, says “The language used as medium between teacher and learner must be common to both. Use words understood in the same way by the pupils and you – language…
The Apostle Peter once preached and his message was so successful 3000 people believed and were saved. A few days later Peter delivered the same message and it made his audience so furious they wanted to kill him. In both cases Peter was preaching to his fellow Jews. Below are excerpts from the book of Acts where these occurrences are recorded. A. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has…
Pray like an apostle. Does that seem like a tall order? The Apostle Paul’s prayers are a good model for us. At the beginning of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 Thessalonians, Paul describes his prayers of thanksgiving and petition. He repeats almost the same four basic things in each of these letters. Paul tells the Christians in these cities that he gives thanks to God for the faith they have in Jesus and their love…