Finding Mercy in the Mess (Gen. 19)
16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out… Read More »Finding Mercy in the Mess (Gen. 19)
Suffering
Broken and Blessed: A Review of Ann Voskamp’s The Broken Way
We are at our best when we are broken. This is the essence of Ann Voskamp’s latest, The Broken Way. It’s not a book for… Read More »Broken and Blessed: A Review of Ann Voskamp’s The Broken Way
Fearless: King (Matt. 26:37) Chris Altrock – April 2, 2017
A few weeks ago my family and I saw magician Criss Angel perform. In many respects he is the king of magic. According to his website and according to what he said at the show we saw, he’s been named “Magician of the Year” six times.[1] He was the youngest magician inducted into the International Magicians Society Hall of Fame. Criss was the first recipient of the Magician of the Decade, as well as the Magician of the Century.
It seems he was born a magician. He learned his first trick at age 7 when his Aunt Stella showed him a card trick.[2] Five years later, at the age of 12, he gave his first paid performance as a magician. The venue was a friend’s birthday party. He was paid $10. Today he makes millions and performs to massive crowds. You could say he was Read More »Fearless: King (Matt. 26:37) Chris Altrock – April 2, 2017
Blaze: Dig Deep (Matt. 7:24-27) Chris Altrock – January 29, 2017
David’s Rock
3 How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? 4 They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. (Ps. 62:3-4 ESV)
These words were written by a man named David. It was a hard time in David’s life. There were some nasty people in his life at this time. And to describe how they made him feel, David uses the image of an army with a battering ram. That’s how nasty these people were. Can you see them? They are shouting. They have their hands raised. They have this battering ram.
And then there’s David. David describes himself as a “leaning wall, a tottering fence.” He’s like a house or a castle. And these nasty people have been attacking him; so hard and so effectively that David’s walls are leaning in. These people have been beating against those walls. Again and again. And now, they are just about to topple over. Can you see them? These nasty people just need one more good run at David and the walls of his life are going to fall all the way in. And it’s going to bring the whole house, the whole castle, David’s whole life, down with a great fall.
Phew! That sounds like a tough season in life, doesn’t it? I wonder if you can relate.Read More »Blaze: Dig Deep (Matt. 7:24-27) Chris Altrock – January 29, 2017