Obedience – The Gateway to Moral Freedom
“Freedom is not the right to do what you want, but the power to do what you ought.” Today, in an age of cheap grace, there are many who are professing Christians but few disciples who are obedient to the Great Commandment and Commission. Cheap grace can be understood as “a faith that does not…
Read MoreJoy Is a Decision
In his book To Laugh Again, Chuck Swindoll says, “I know of no greater need today than the need for joy. Unexplainable, contagious joy. Our country seems to have lost its spirit of fun and laughter….” God wills for us to be Spirit-controlled and joy-filled people. As a friend once said, “Most of us need…
Read MoreGod’s Positioning System
Published 7-14-2016 Our post title is a play on the popular term GPS—Global Positioning System. Summer is the active season for vacations and family reunions, sometimes in distant locales. Travel by automobile is not nearly the same challenge as decades ago. One travel accessory was the inevitable set of roadmaps and Trip-tiks. In our day…
Read MoreCreation Care
Published 7-5-2016 Our Creator has designed a physical world demanding precision fine tuning of hundreds of systems to be comfortably and healthily habitable. These physical systems with all their cosmic and geological magnificence could be perceived as a work of grandeur even if humans did not exist. Creation’s purpose, however, would be unfulfilled without the…
Read MoreForced to Agree
Published 6-30-2016 Students of climate science encounter an interesting term—climate forcing. Our earth climate had been “forced” naturally into warmer conditions by increased solar radiation in distant geologic history. In effect, the sun became brighter and warmer. More recently earth’s climate has been temporarily “forced” by several significant volcanic eruptions into cooler temperatures. Many climate…
Read MoreUnsettled Science
Published 6-29-2016 Two groups were organized in 2005 in response to the perceived environmental challenges posed by climate change. We highlight these two groups, pointing out similarities and differences. The Evangelical Climate Initiative is composed exclusively of 300 evangelical leaders in the United States sharing concern about environmental stewardship. The Cornwall Alliance For The Stewardship…
Read MoreEnduring the Heat
Published 6-24-2016 Our somewhat warmer 2016 Northern Illinois winter and spring may call attention to the issue of climate change in a few residents’ minds. But as I write, the southwestern United States bakes in oppressive, record-breaking heat. As usual, the anthropogenic climate change subject receives much attention at such times. Imagine daytime temperatures of…
Read MoreScientists Ask–Is God Dead?
Published 6-20-2016 In 1966 there was a famous Time Magazine story asking “Is God Dead?” The thought of the death of God could have been interpreted in several ways. Did a pre-existent God cease to exist? More likely, the meaning of the title was captured by the thought that our culture had created no need…
Read MoreDivine Credibility for Children
Published 6-13-2016 Christian parents raising children desire to instill a sense of divine existence and love for their Creator in their offspring. We are always pleased when our grandchildren want to pray before mealtime, thanking God for the gifts of food and asking him to bless all the dear ones in their acquaintance. At some…
Read MoreGod as Our Good Father
When we think of our earthly fathers, what emotions come to mind? For some, our first thoughts are love or kindness. For others, our first emotion is absence. Still others sense pain, whether from a broken or abusive relationship with the one man on earth who should care the most about our lives. These emotions…
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