By Allen Curry. How would you describe such biblical char
“Good is bad . . . and bad is good!”
By Bob Sweet. Sounds like doublespeak? Perhaps, but bear with me a moment, please. We all have our perceptions of what is good; God, motherhood, the flag, apple pie, pay day, plenty of money, health, easy times, for example. Likewise, we have our perceptions of what is bad; the Devil, abortion, rutabagas, bills, lack of money, sickness, hard times, and so on.
Now some of the “good” things listed above truly are good. No question about it! And some of “the bad” really are bad. But can it be that some of the things we consider “good” may not be good – at least for us? And some of the “bad,” could they be good for us? By now, you are getting my drift. Our percep
I Am Proud of My Church
By Donald E. Hoke. Are you proud of your church? Do you enjoy it, promote it, praise it, defend it? You should! For it is the one institution that Jesus Christ Himself established – it is the only eternal organization in the world. You will spend eternity with its mem
When God Directs the Play
By Kathryn Farris. Bacilia was home when she saw two men approaching. The children were tending the sheep and goats up on the mountainside; and her husband Isidore was in Baja, California, working. Two men, strangers to Bacilia, walked down the trail toward her house in Yosondua, Mexico. She peeped through a crack where the mud chinking had fallen out and confirmed her fears. They were indeed coming to her house. She squelched her natural tendency to withdraw and stepped outside. Too timid to face the men, she looked down at her bare feet and a soft voice said, “Too ni ini, taa.” “Good afternoon.”
She sensed that these men were different–kinder somehow. They called themselves her “her-manos” or brothers in Christ. True, her husband Isidoro had learned of Christ while working on Bible translation with the North American who lived nearby, and at one time she and Isidoro professed to be Christians and had even been baptized – but their lives remained unchanged.
She strained to catch what these men were saying. They spoke Spanish, not her native Mixtec language. She depended on Isidoro or the children to be her ears and mouth when she had to converse in Spanish. Today she was on her own and she listened intensely. “A film – her house – tonight – invite others.” She hoped she had understood.
Intrigued with the idea of seeing a film, some
ACTS of Kindness: Mercy Ministry in Philadelphia
By David and Kate Kiersten Apple. One Sunday, while walking down a sunlit street and admiring the marble steps of a brownstone, a parishioner sees a green blanket nestled in the crook of the steps and the building. She would later say to her husband: “Before mov
First Aid for AIDS
By Debbie Dortzbach. Like a boulder thrown into the calm waters of an alpine lake, the effects of AIDS are rippling to every edge of the worldwide church. As its influ