As Christians, we have no excuse for leaving a trail of broken friendships and relationships behind us. Yet it does happen.
Why?
How to stop the revolving door
“But our church isn’t anything like that!”
I was having coffee last week with a young man new to our church. He was asking about our history. And I was telling him about the ups and downs, and how long it took for the church to take root. At the end of my description, those were his words.
And I agreed. I replied: “You’re right. This is a whole new church.”
How do I know God will answer my prayers?
If you were sitting in the Frog Pond (a coffee shop, not a marsh) in Owen Sound one recent morning, you might have overheard a heated discussion between Elaine and I. The question from her was something like this: “You talk all the time about the promises of God and how we can claim them for our lives. But how am I supposed to know what promises God has made to me that I can actually claim?”
The power of encouragement
I woke up the other morning feeling anxious. It seems to hit me in the mornings. I did some exercises I do every day, and that usually knock the anxiety out of me.
But then two far more powerful things happened. I opened my Bible for my regular Scripture reading, and I wound up in Hebrews 10. I got down to verse 23, to this phrase: “For he who promised is faithful.” To say it jumped out at me would be an understatement. It was as if God himself was yelling it in my ear.
Defeat is not an option
Some years it seems like spring will never come.
It’s so bad here there is snow in the forecast, and it’s the first week in May.
Both you and I know there are times when life is just like that. One thing piles on top of another. We pick ourselves up off the mat only to get hit by the next oncoming train. The enemy seems to have more power than God.