మీరు తీవ్రమైన శ్రమ గుండా వెళుతున్నారా? మీరు మీ ఆకలిని కోల్పోయి ఉండవచ్చు లేదా మీరు కొన్ని వారాలుగా లేదా నెలలుగా సరిగ్గా నిద్ర లేకుండా ఉండియుండవచ్చు. భయము మరియు విస్మయము నెమ్మదిని మరియు శాంతిని భర్తీ చేశాయి. మీరు ఒంటరితనం, నిరుత్సాహం మరియు ఏకాంతవాసం అనుభవిస్తున్నారు, వీటిని అంతులేని శారీరక లేదా మానసిక బాధతో జటిలం చేసుకుంటున్నారు. మీరు ప్రార్థన చేసారు మరియు ఇతరులను కూడా ప్రార్థించమని కోరారు. అయిననూ, ఉపశమనం లేదు. నేను చాలా […]
Read MoreTag Archives: Romans
A Rare and Remarkable Virtue
If one attempts to lead a congregation without this Spirit-given virtue, he is driven to frustration, irritability, and severity. His pulpit becomes an avenue of anger, his preaching a diatribe of demands, and his person insulting and intolerant as Diotrephes of old. No, God encourages me and my ilk to be “long-tempered.”
Read MoreI Walked Where He Stood
It doesn’t take a Rhodes scholar to guess the country, though the towns may sound strange: Offenbach, Darmstadt, Mannheim, Coburg, Heidelberg, Worms . . . . The land of beer steins, sauerkraut, liverwurst, and black bread; cuckoo clocks and overflowing flower boxes; wide, winding rivers and deep green woods; stone castles on hillsides and quiet, efficient trains; and the greatest music ever written. The beloved homeland of Bach, Mendelssohn, Handel, Beethoven, and Wagner.
Read MorePredicaments
Ah, those predicaments . . . life is full of them. Often they are of our own making. Other times they just seem to happen mysteriously to us. Occasionally, predicaments are comical or borderline crazy. Sometimes they can be irritating and troublesome. But one thing is for sure: Predicaments are unpredictable. And embarrassing. And confusing. And really weird.
Read MoreOn Being Confidential
Be honest now, can you keep a secret? When privileged information passes through one of the gates of your senses, does it remain within the walls of your mind, or is it only a matter of time before a leak occurs? Do you respect a person’s trust or ignore it, either instantly or ultimately?
Read MoreIntrusions, Part Two
How do you feel about intrusions? Like an early-morning knock at your door? Like a talkative passenger next to you on a packed-out flight? Like an injury or illness that strikes at the wrong time?
Read MoreIntrusions, Part One
If you question your depravity, check your attitude toward intrusions. Having a French origin, “intrude” emerges from two terms, meaning “to thrust in.” An intrusion, therefore, is someone or something that thrusts itself into our world without permission, without an invitation, and refuses to be ignored.
Read MoreUs and We, Not I and Me
Nobody is a whole chain. Each one is a link. But take away one link and the chain is broken. Nobody is a whole team. Each one is a player. But take away one player and the game is forfeited. Nobody is a whole orchestra. Each one is a musician. But take away one musician and the symphony is incomplete.
Read MoreOutgoing Love
His face was covered with a full beard. His hair fell almost to his shoulders. When he smiled, his white teeth flashed in contrast to the blanket of brown that concealed his skin. His eyes were blue, clear, and alert. His laughter was strong and familiar to my ears. It reminded me of the times we sat together as friends in seminary, wrestling with reason and trying to unscrew the inscrutable.
Read MoreDepravity on Display
Paul’s exposé of depravity in Romans 1:18-32 is a chilling account of human wickedness, a vivid pen-portrait of unleashed unrighteousness, unashamed godlessness, and unnatural lust. Reaching the final argument of his prosecution, the teacher from Tarsus twists the accusing knife with cruel eloquence: “and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them” (Rom. 1:32).
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