“The water receded” (Genesis 8:1). With those three words, God brought an end to the epic story of the great flood. From the oceans to the skies, the Creator was screaming one word across the globe. Hope. Know this. When your boat takes on water, the water will recede. When your debt consumes you, the…
According to folklore, leprechauns found abandoned gold and buried it so no one could find it; it can only be recovered at the end of a rainbow, where the rainbow touches the earth. God created the rainbow as a sign of his grace. Life is full of challenges, storms, and floods, often as consequences of…
The captain of the Titanic was warned that there might be icebergs. President Lincoln was warned to not go out in public. Karl Wallenda was told to use a net. The builders of the Hindenburg were warned that filling it with hydrogen might blow up in their faces. Record producer Dick Rowe was warned to…
Noah was a late bloomer. He married at the age of 498 and lived to 950. He built the first ship to prepare for the first flood the world had ever known. A man of patience, it took Noah 120 years to complete the ark. At 440 feet in length, the boat was 1.5 times…
An interesting study was conducted, which revealed the degree to which most of us overestimate our own abilities. Participants were given a series of words to spell. After the test, each person was asked how many words they thought they had spelled correctly. Several participants said they thought they had gotten 100 percent of the…
For centuries, theologians have debated the importance of two competing forces – God’s sovereignty and man’s free will. Most of us fall on one side of that or the other. This isn’t the space to debate reformed theology (although I’m happy to have that discussion another time). But I think we can all agree on…
If you want to know where you will be in five years, take a look at the habits you practice every day right now. A man a lot smarter than me said, “The strength of a man’s virtue should be measured by his habitual acts” (Blaise Pascal). An extensive research project surveyed some of the…
I hear it a lot. “Why should I take a polygraph as part of my disclosure? My wife should just trust me.” Here’s my response. The nice police officer who pulls you over for swerving all over the road gives you a breathalyzer test. Why? Because he’d be foolish to take your word for it…
Theophan the Recluse, a 19th-century Russian Orthodox, penned the following words: “Into every duty a God-fearing heart must be put, a heart constantly permeated by the thought of God; and this will be the door through which the soul will enter into active life. The essence is to be established in the remembrance of God,…
John Piper said, “Missions exist because worship doesn’t.” Anthropologists estimate that at least 18,000 different gods, goddesses, and various animals or objects have been worshiped by humans over history. Today, it is estimated that 80 percent of the global population considers themselves spiritual on some level. But that doesn’t always translate to biblical worship. Jesus…