All posts tagged: Faith

The Fine Lines that Separate Faith from Fantasy and from Presumption

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By Dr. Michael Brown What is the difference between faith in the invisible God and fantasy? Or the difference between faith and presumption? The lines that separate faith from fantasy and presumption can be fine, but they are definite and they are clear. Failure to recognize those lines can be the difference between life and death, between truth and error, between a solid, fruit-bearing walk with the Lord and spiritual deception. Hebrews 11:6 teaches that “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Faith is essential and foundation in our relationship with God. Yet many would claim that this very act of faith – putting our trust in something or someone that we cannot see with our natural eyes – is an act of fantasy and self-deception. In the eyes of many skeptics and atheists and agnostics, believing in the God of the Bible is no different than believing in an alleged Flying Spaghetti Monster, …

So much COVID: Do you still believe in God?

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How was your life in early January? We had severe cold weather and something like a blizzard. Cars didn’t like to start, and I spend part of my working days outside. Yes, it was cold. My required COVID mask made my breath vent up to my forehead, and the moisture froze to my hair. I had the strange problem of combing ice out of my hair, all day. And yes, I had to wear a mask to protect from COVID, outside, at minus thirty, with only one other person in the area. That other person also had to wear a mask. It gets ridiculous, and we have been warned by the medical authorities that we will all be infected with the Omicron variant of COVID; we just don’t know when that will happen. Where I live, we are no longer told that vaccines will prevent COVID. The new motivator is that vaccines may reduce the severity of symptoms when we do get sick, and we will get sick. The goalposts are shifting. I could rant …

The power of believing

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By Rick Renner When our TV program was broadcast on Channel One in Belarus, every home in the entire nation had the ability to watch it. The proof of how many people watched our program was the mountains of mail we received every week from Belarus. The impact we had was simply phenomenal. So at the urging of a pastor in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, we took the train to that city and held a three-day meeting for our television viewers. People came from all over Belarus, to the point that the auditorium could not hold everyone who tried to get into the meeting. It blessed us to see such a response to the Gospel message delivered through our TV program. However, the first night of the meeting was a real struggle because they gave me an interpreter who knew almost no English. All night he and I wrestled back and forth on the stage, trying to understand each other, and I knew that the crowd was missing what God wanted to say to …

How to Lose it all: Have you seen the movie ‘Come Sunday’?

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Did you ever lose your faith? Yes, you did, if you are older than six. When I was a boy, I remember some other children who were told that Santa Claus was not real. I stayed out of that violent argument, but I saw their confusion and outrage. As we get older, people disappoint us, and if we are honest, we can disappoint ourselves. I formed a career goal when I was about twelve, and I saw myself as one of those people, just working on an education and waiting for an opportunity. I knew who I was, and my conviction was unshakable. Near the age of forty, I had to tell myself that it would never happen, and I had to keep the job I already had. I lost my faith. You are probably wondering; I saw myself as an archaeologist, like the ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ and I thought of it first, before they made that movie. After reading all those books, and studying in so many university courses, it never happened. …

COVID Long-haul and Faith

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When I first was diagnosed with COVID back in early May, most people were compassionate and helpful. Some were not, They simply rebuked COVID and claimed that if I had faith, I would not get sick. When I kept getting more sick, some said it was my fault since I was not vaccinated. Others explained that COVID was a judgment of God on the evil of this world and, well, just saying. The bottom line is that the response to this Christian pastor and his ministry leader wife getting COVID were mixed.  Believer and non-believer showered us with everything from anger to love, shame to hope. Now that we’re long haulers of COVID poisoning, we have to make adjustments. I am not good at making life limiting adjustments. I’d rather be in some lonely back alley talking to people and feeding them then sitting on my couch waiting for an improvement or just a good day. The prognosis is unclear since the medical profession just doesn’t know. So, we don’t know. We don’t know if …

Fear Factor

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Fear has long been an enemy of faith. The two are about as opposite as you can get. Yet they have two things in common. They both divide and unite. The world wants us all to be united. We’re not united unless we have a common goal or a common enemy. COVID became that enemy in the past few years. But that wasn’t enough. So, the purveyors of fear decided that any voice that didn’t line up with the ever-changing World Health Organization were enemy voices and therefore needed to be silenced. Thus, scientists and doctors who saw things differently were mocked, ridiculed and ousted by the scientific and medical community. There was no dialogue or discussion about the reasons why they had a different view. All that mattered was that they were different. Free thinking and certainly freedom of speech were seen as threats to the established narrative of we say so and friends.   It wasn’t even the idea of who was right, it was a matter of a more powerful voice silencing …

Christians: What happens when we quit?

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Are you a believer; in anything? Have you thought about quitting? Do you know anyone who has? The pandemic with the Covid virus has closed churches where I live, and it feels like everyone is dropping out. Quitting is like a modern fad. Often, millennials do not like the things that were important to baby boomers, especially religion. There is a growing trend these days, to quit religion. I have some close relatives who have done that. If you do an Internet search with “ex” and any belief, you will find many discussion sites. There are ex-Mormons, ex-Muslims, ex-Evangelicals, and probably any other belief you can think of. Some have video testimonials. I’m a Christian, so what should I do with this information? This is important. I was raised with the idea that new converts would find their way to the truth, but now we have reverts who leave. There are several possibilities: a) They never really believed. People easily drop out of ‘Churchianity’ if they have only joined a religious tribe. Subscribing to a …

POLL: Are young people secretly turning to God online?

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According to a remarkable poll conducted on behalf of Religion Media Center over 50% of young people between the ages of 18 to 24 are watching online Church services during the COVID pandemic. Online services can be viewed on several social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook in the privacy of a person’s home. The poll was conducted by Savanta ComRes of 2,244 young adults in Britain between July 31 and August 3, 2020. The survey also revealed 45% of those aged between 18 and 24 and 49% of those aged between 25 and 34 had prayed in July. But what is equally significant is that by August the number praying had climbed to 55%. Rev Dr Peter Phillips, the director of the Centre for Digital Religion based in Durham, England, called the numbers staggering and added he was shocked by the results. And what can’t be understated is that while similar polls showed that older people’s interest in online church services waned as the pandemic went on, the same is not happening with …

55 | Crossing over to the other side of faith

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Hi my name is Dean Smith, and in this podcast I am asking: Are you ready to cross over to the other side of faith? But first let me tell you an interesting story involving the dramatic healing of Tony Yahle in West Carrollton, Ohio. It was so dramatic that the story was featured in several secular news sites including the New York Daily News, ABC News and WHIO TV.

47 | How many crosses did Jesus actually die on?

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Follow our podcasts on: PODCAST NOTES: Hi my name is Dean Smith and in this Easter podcast, I want to answer the top theological question of the day, namely how many crosses did Jesus die on? Now here is the strange thing, most Christians, and I even include myself in this, at times believe Jesus actually died on two crosses. The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus was crucified along with two other men and that Jesus was on the middle cross with the two criminals on either side of him. But most Christians believe that at some point, God switched the Lord to one of the other crosses.  And what is even more incredible, the disciples, who had been absolutely traumatized by the Lord’s crucifixion, didn’t even notice and never recorded this switch in the Bible.  I know this sounds strange, but this is what most Christians believe.  Of course, most of you are saying, I don’t believe this. Well, all I can say is, are you really sure you don’t? When I …

Choosing faith over fear

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The world is completely rattled right now. All the media can talk about is the Coronavirus. We are being bombarded 24 hours a day. Governments are taking extreme measures to try to contain the Coronavirus. The stock market is in a free fall. Business are closing down. And now news is circulating that a second massive locust swarm is building that could devastate Africa a second time this year. The world is being shaken. Jesus promised birth pangs prior to His second coming that included earthquakes, plagues and famines (Matthew 24:7-8; Luke 21:9-12). But here is the important thing about birth pangs, they are just the warm up, meaning the big show is yet to come. I have to admit I am feeling a bit rattled by just the birth pangs and it makes me wonder how I will function when God’s main event takes the stage. During these critical times we have choices to make. It is not how I will respond to the Coronavirus, it is how will I respond to fear? The …

Why Does God Let Cars Crash?

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If there is a God, why do cars crash? Why do people crash their lives? A few days ago, I saw a nice young couple. In my opinion, they were a good-looking young couple, and very polite. The only problem was, he was in a wheelchair, and I guess that he was injured for life. His young wife worked hard to support him, and I think she is a hero, but I didn’t like what I saw. Some terrible accident ruined their happy life together. So, where was God? I have more than one friend who is close to me, with something very wrong in their lives. It’s painful to watch, and it is not easy for me to trust God for them. I also have a relative in a town where I work some times. People I talk to know my relative, better that I do. She is famous as one of the most messed up people in town. Those conversations are embarrassing. I have this nagging doubt that nothing will happen if I …

Study says optimists more likely to live longer

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According to the Daily Mail, researchers from Boston University stated that optimists tend to live longer than those with a more pessimistic view of life. The researchers came to this conclusion after monitoring the attitudes and lives of 69,744 women and 1,500 men. The women (aged 58 to 86) were surveyed for ten years and the men (aged 41 to 90) tracked for 30 years. During this period, the researchers asked them a series of questions to determine if their outlook on life was negative or positive. They concluded that on average men with the most optimistic view extended their lives an additional 11% and women 15% when compared to their negative counterparts. They also found that optimists were more likely to hit 85 years of age with 70% more men and 50% more women reaching that age. Their findings were published in the journal entitled “Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences.” According to the researchers, optimistic people were defined as those who believed “the future will be pleasant because one can control …

The flame of faith

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Español: La llama de la fe When it comes to praying for a miracle, doubt and fear circle my mind with thoughts I can’t do this and my faith drains away. Yet my ability to pray confidently and clearly for miracles seems possible until I am actually faced with a seemingly impossible situation, then doubts flood my mind. The mountain of the impossible looms over me blocking my faith and diminishing my hope.  Why even try to pray or believe for the impossible? As a result, I lower my expectations and say to myself, maybe next time I will be able to believe for a miracle but not now . . . not this time. It’s not that my hopes are too high and I fail to reach them; it’s that they’re too low and I do. But there is something I have started doing recently that seems to help. Whether your hopes and expectations for a miracle are high or low start envisioning a candle burning brightly and steadily inside you. And let this …

Study reveals the heart health benefits of optimism

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Español: Un estudio revela los beneficios del optimism para la salud del corazón. An article published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology stated that having a positive outlook on life results in a person having a reduced risk of heart disease. In their study, the research group led by Darwin R. Labarthe, a professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, looked at the results of several studies on the impact of a person’s psychological well-being on heart health. They revealed that an optimistic view of life not only positively impacted a person’s heart health, but that optimistic outlook also led to lifestyle choices that physically benefited heart health. This included: A 2017 study that found women who were in the top 25% for highest optimistic ranking had a 38% reduced risk of dying due to heart disease. Several recent studies discovered that people who had a purpose in their life had a reduced risk of stroke. Studies also revealed that people who had the most optimistic outlook on life where less likely …

Credit: National Park Service, Alaska Region/Flickr/Creative Commons

‘Give me that mountain’: Living life with Caleb’s attitude

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Español: ‘Dame esa montaña’: Vivir la vida con la actitud de Caleb According to King Solomon how a person thinks, determines how he lives life: For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7a NKJV But there is an important caveat in this verse, because Solomon adds how a man “thinks in his heart,” so it is to him. This is a step beyond thinking, we need to believe it. Jesus said if we say to this mountain be cast in the sea (Mark 11:23), and do not doubt in our heart, it will be done. It is not enough to think it, we need to believe it. Faith and belief make the difference. Researchers at the University of Seoul in South Korea found out there may be a direct connection between what older people believed to how they actually felt. What they believed in their later years directly impacted how they lived their life. According to the Daily Mail, the research team asked 68 people between the ages of 59 to …

Credit: Ron Adams/Flickr/Creative Commons

Reach for your thread of hope

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God’s faithfulness has been my lifeline through  the desperate times when it seemed that there was no hope in sight and nothing to reach for. But at the last moment when my faith was at its lowest and my desperation at its peak, a  very thin thread of hope would appear dangling in thin air, barely visible . This was the case of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’s garment – it was her last thread of hope. Mark said she had suffered at the hands of physicians for years (Mark 5:26) and the fringe of Jesus’s cloak was her lifeline. “20 And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; 21 for she was saying to herself, ‘If I only touch His garment, I will get well.’” (Matthew 9: 20-21) There is a thread of hope hanging from the hem of Christ’s robe just for you. Desperation and fear often brought me low, but it also positioned me to …

Alice Cooper performing at Alexandra Palace in London, England 2011 Credit: Kimon Froussios/Flickr/Creative Commons

Alice Cooper, ‘shock’ rock star and Christian

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If there was anyone who I thought would never become a Christian, rock star Alice Cooper, 70, would have been on that list. Yet 40 years ago Cooper got a wake-up call when after bingeing on alcohol he started throwing up blood. During his heyday that featured such mega hits as “Schools out,” he was known as the “Godfather of Shock Rock.” His stage shows took on horror show themes including fake blood, guillotines, electric chairs, snakes and tortured baby dolls. But today Cooper publicly states he has embraced Christ and is preparing to play the role of Herod in NBC’s live version of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. In an interview with New York Daily’s Confidential, Cooper recalled his decision to become a Christian. He came from a Christian background, his grandfather was an evangelist and his dad a pastor and after leaving home, Cooper fled Christianity. But he was drinking buddies with other famous rock stars of the day such as Jimmy Hendrix and Jim Morrison of the Doors both who died at …

Nick Foles running for a touchdown in 24-16 victory over the Redskins in 2013. Credit: Mr.Shultz/Wikipedia/Creative Commons

What are the odds? It reveals God is in control!

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What are the odds that the Most Valuable Players (MVP) in the two most important football games in the US and the most important football game in Canada would be Bible-believing Christians. Not just run of the mill Christians, but men serious about their faith. The latest was the Superbowl game played on Sunday, when the Philadelphia Eagles upset the Superbowl-laden New England Patriots 41 – 33. The last time the Eagles won a major championship was in 1960 when they won the NFL league title. They have never won a Superbowl that was initiated in 1966 as a championship game between the AFL and NFL. The most outstanding player of Superbowl LII was the Eagles back-up QB Nick Foles. But for a season ending injury to their starting quarterback Carl Wentz, another sincere believer, Foles would not have played. Over the years, Foles has spoken repeatedly of his faith and recently in an interview with CBN said that he wanted to be a pastor when his football days are over. He is currently taking …

The Mespotamia Valley where Abraham and Sarah lived before God called them on their journey of faith: Credit: Hassan Janall U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/Wikipedia

Faith through doubt: 4,000 year old marriage contract confirms story of Ishmael

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Español: La fe a través de la duda: contrato de matrimonio de 4.000 años de antigüedad confirma la historia de Ismael Though the patriarch Abraham and wife Sarah ended up in the ‘Faith Hall of Fame’ (Hebrews 11:8-11), their lives were far from a perfect display of faith. God had promised Abraham and his wife Sarah a son out of which would come a great nation (Genesis 17). Though they clung to this promise, there were times when they doubted God and took matters into their own hands. One of these moments involved Hagar, Sarah’s personal maid: Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. (Genesis 16: 1-2 NASV) Sarah told Abraham to impregnate her slave who would serve as a surrogate and have a child that Sarah would …

The Sea of Galilee where Peter "briefly" walked on water. Credit: Asf Antman/Flickr/Creative Commons

The incredible, delayed healing, of Delia Knox

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It was Christmas Day, 1987, when a drunk driver slammed into the back of a car that Delia was a passenger in. She along with her sister and brother-in-law were driving home from a church service in Toronto, Canada. Their car ended upside down and though her sister and husband only had minor injuries, Delia, then 23, was paralyzed from the waist down. Delia was also a gospel singer and though she continued to sing from a wheel chair, she dreaded ministering in other churches, because invariably they wanted to pray for her healing. At first, she appreciated their efforts but after a while she began despising these services that invariably focused on her healing. She recounts people dragging her out of a wheel chair and then watching her collapse to the floor. In an interview with CBN, Delia said “I’ve been plopped, dropped and flopped, and flipped to the point where I was like, ‘I just can’t go through this anymore.’” Then she met Bishop Knox, a speaker at a conference, she attended. They …

Use whatever faith you have for your miracle

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I think the Charismatic brand of faith preachers have probably done more to destroy faith in Christians than actually increase it. They have convinced many of us that all we need is “more” faith and we can do the miracles of Jesus and drive around in Aston Martins. But is that what the Bible really teaches? Luke tells the story about a day the disciples asked Christ to “increase their faith” (Luke 17:5). They watched Christ perform great miracles and they wanted more faith so they could do the same miracles. But the answer Jesus gave them was shocking. 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you. (Luke 17:6) Instead of telling the disciples what great miracles they could do with great gobs of faith, Jesus said they only needed an ounce of faith — mustard-seed sized faith — and they could cast a mulberry tree into the ocean. Mulberry trees run from 32′ …

Photo of Allepo, Syria (Photo Craig Jenkins Wikipedia/Creative Commons) where Muslim extremists captured Karla Mueller insert image (YouTube capture)

Despite ISIL’s torture and rape, Kayla Mueller refused to renounce Christ

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On August 4, 2013, American Kayla Mueller, 24, from Prescott, Arizona was working as a humanitarian aid worker in Syria when ISIL captured her and a friend, Omar Alkhani, as they were leaving a Doctors without Borders hospital in Aleppo. Omar who was a contractor for Doctors without Borders was released a few weeks later. Meanwhile, hoping for a ransom, ISIS moved Kayla to various locations throughout Syria. In 2014, the Islamic extremists notified Kayla’s parents of their daughter’s kidnapping. However, nothing could be worked out and  after 18 months in a brutal captivity, Kayla died in February 2015 after an air strike by the Jordanian air force. Recently in an interview with ABC’s news program 20/20, four hostages who shared a cell with Kayla came forward with a story about her remarkable faith in Christ. It appears ISIL was purposefully trying to force Kayla to recant her faith. But in the face of the unrelenting torture, Kayla remained strong to the end. According to ABC, her torture included “verbal abuse, prolonged isolation, sensory deprivation, stress …

Eric Metaxas addressing the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr/Creative Commons

Eric Metaxas on ‘authentic’ faith

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Eric Metaxas recently gave an interesting speech to a three-day conference called The Bridge. Its theme was the persecuted church. Metaxas is a popular author, speaker and radio host. He has written several books and has appeared as a cultural commentator on Foxnews, CNN and MSNBC. Since the death of Chuck Colsen of Prison Fellowship he has become one of the main voices for the organization’s program Breakpoint. Samuel Smith a writer for Christian Post reported on Metaxas’s hour-long speech in which he said the faith of the North American church has become diluted because of our success. Metaxas said in other parts of the world where Christians regularly face persecution, they have been forced to ask themselves “Do I actually believe this or don’t I?” Until recently, Christians in America have never been faced with this question. Metaxas cited the life of German Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) who the Nazi Gestapo arrested in April 1943 because of his vocal opposition to Adolph Hitler. Metaxas wrote a book on Bonhoeffer —Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. …

A fig tree with fruit. Photo: Sean O'Sullivan/Flickr/Creative Commons

Start doubting your doubts

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George Bernard Dantzig had just received his Masters Degree in mathematics in 1937 and a short time later was accepted as a Doctoral candidate in mathematics at the University of California. His Doctorate would be interrupted by World War 2 and Dantzig, who died in 2005 at age 90, would finally receive it in 1946. But one day in 1939, he was late for a Doctorate statistics class. When he arrived, his college professor, Dr. Jerzy Neyman, had written two statistical problems on the black board. Believing these were class assignments, Dantzig wrote them down and took them home. In an 1986 interview with College Mathematics Journal, he said the two questions proved quite challenging and it took him a few days to complete them. After finishing, he sheepishly approached Dr. Neyman apologizing for having taken so long. When Dantzig asked if he still wanted the assignment, the professor told him to throw it on his desk cluttered with paper. Six weeks later, on a Sunday morning at about 8 AM, while Dantzig and his …

Middle East dust storm. Photo: diogo.saravia/Flickr/Creative Commons

Are you covered with the wrong dust?

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Jesus was sending his disciples to preach the gospel in some nearby villages when He gave these odd instructions. 13 If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. 14 Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. (Matthew 10:13-14 NASV) If the village did not heed their words or receive Christ’s message they were supposed to shake the dust of the village off their feet. In the dry Mediterranean climate, dust was a constant way of life and not surprisingly idioms about dust found its way into the common vernacular. It was a quirky saying and sometimes we struggle to understand what Jesus was referring to. In fact, Jesus may have alluded to a quaint saying associated with Rabbis of the day. In her book, Walking in the dust of the Rabbi, Jesus, author Lois Tverberg explains that Jesus’ teaching approach was very much the …

And Jesus wondered at their unbelief. Modern-day Nazareth. Photo: Adam Jones/Flickr/Creative Commons

Has this punctured a hole in your faith?

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When we study the New Testament, one of the major themes is faith. But equally as prominent is the concept of unbelief that is a major hindrance to miracles. Unbelief basically cuts a hole in our reservoir of faith allowing it to seep away. There are many things that can cause such a rip. One of them is offense. In Mark 6, we read how Jesus had arrived at His home town, Nazareth, and on the following Saturday popped into the local synagogue where the leaders invited Jesus to teach. At this point, Jesus’ reputation was starting to grow. From the congregation’s reaction, it was clear people were aware of the reports circulating about His miracles. Now as they listened to Jesus teach, they were “astonished” by what Jesus had to say. But not everyone. Some were offended. They had been attending the synagogue faithfully for years and now “this man” a carpenter, the son of Mary, was teaching their congregation. They had been attending this synagogue for years and now this upstart was teaching …

Purified faith. Photo: Molten gold Domiriel/Flickr

Peter’s word for today — testing of faith and garrisoning our salvation

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According to ancient tradition, the Roman Emperor Nero crucified the Apostle Peter because of his faith in Christ. However, believing he was unworthy to be crucified in the same fashion as Jesus, Peter requested crucifixion upside down which the Romans did. By the time Nero became emperor in 64 AD, Christians were considered social outcasts in Roman society. The Roman emperors were considered gods and it was a person’s civic duty to make sacrifices to them. Christians could avoid martyrdom by simply making an offering to the Roman emperor. Later, the Romans required Christians to show certificates that they had made a sacrifice to the emperor, witnessed by others. If they refused it usually meant torture and death often by crucifixion or fire. After the Romans finished constructing the Colosseum in 80 AD, along with commons crooks and slaves, Christians were thrown in the arena before massive crowds to be ripped apart by lions or other wild beasts. One of the contraptions the Romans used to entertain the tens of thousands sitting in the seats …

Cam Newton’s brush with faith

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Cam Newton, the all pro quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, is arguably the best NFL player in 2015-16. Standing at 6’5″ and 245 pounds, Newton is a dominating Quarterback in the NFL, running and passing the football with equal ease. After finishing the season 15-1, he led the Panthers through the post season to a seat at the Super Bowl. But from an article on God Reports, we find that Cam comes from a strong Christian background. His father, Cecil Newton, is a bishop presiding over five Pentecostal churches based in Georgia. There are moments when Cam’s faith peeps through the glamour and fame like on Instagram when he recently cited Luke 12:48: “To whom much is given, much is required. Thank you God, for giving me this platform, I will be forever be thankful.” He also escaped serious injury in a car accident. His truck was hit by a car as Newton drove through an intersection causing his truck to roll. Newton missed only one game due to a minor lower back fracture. He …

Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Phillip Photo: Ben Murray/Flickr/Creative Commons

This year’s Christmas message will be Queen Elizabeth’s clearest expression of faith

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For nearly every year since 1932, England’s Royalty has broadcast a Christmas message across Britain on BBC, the government-run TV station. The only year it didn’t happen was in 1969 when BBC instead aired a documentary on England’s royalty This year, Queen Elizabeth, 89, will be making her annual broadcast which according to an article in The Express will be the clearest expression of her Christian faith since she became Queen in 1952. In recent years, the Queen has become increasingly vocal about her faith. The broadcast to be aired on Christmas day is expected to attract millions of viewers. Last year 7.8 million people watched the Queen’s message. The Queen will backdrop her faith declaration with the “unprecedented” rising persecution of Christians around the world particularly by Muslim extremists in the Middle East where ISIS has targeted believers. According to The Express, a source within Buckingham Palace said “she [the Queen] is driven by a deep and spirited faith.” Though to a lesser degree, the Queen has also felt first-hand the threat of Muslim Jihad. In September, the British …

Archbishop Justin Welby with Korean prelate Kim Geun-Sang in Seoul: Wikipedia/Ellif

Are you struggling with doubt?

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An article in The Independent, a British Newspaper, states that Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, confessed to having moments of doubt about God. He is the senior bishop of the Church of England and considered the symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican church including the Episcopalian Church in the US. Welby made these statements on BBC’s Songs of Praise, a program featuring hymns and inspirational stories. Justin said when he heard about terrorists killing nearly 130 people, he went out to pray the next morning. He asked God where He was at when all this was happening. Responding to a question whether these attacks caused any doubts Welby said, “Oh gosh, yes” and then added they put a “chink in my armor.” Though the Church of England is largely Liberal in its view on God and the Bible, Welby comes from the Evangelical persuasion inside the Anglican church. It shows that even the best of us can struggle with doubts. I appreciate his honesty and I don’t believe Justin is alone in this struggle. …

Photo: Alesa Dam/Flickr

Is thanksgiving a key to unlocking answered prayer?

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This past year I realized I was receiving noticeable answers to prayer and I believe it was tied to thankfulness. I could keep praying, pleading and asking God for what was on my heart but I knew at some point I needed to start thanking Him for the answers as well. Although I did not understand it at the time, I believe the reason for my prayer answers was a result of consciously including thanksgiving in my petitions. Gratitude acknowledged my faith in God for answers I had not yet received. “Who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.” (Romans 4:17 NKV) Thankfulness calls into being that which does not yet exist. It gives life to our requests, creating the movement that brings  answered prayer forward to the present. Being thankful for answers yet to come is the springboard to faith, the catalyst that gives life to our prayers. By being thankful, I was believing instead of doubting. An expectancy accompanied me throughout the day.  The spiritual atmosphere …

Impalas in a Dutch Zoo. Photo: Peter Maas/Wikipedia

Kept captive by their lack of faith

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Commonly called the impala, the reddish-brown African antelope is renowned for its speed and jumping ability. They can jump over obstacles as high as 3 meters high (9′ 8″) and can make leaps of 10 meters (33′) at a time. They are not a very large animal. The horned male impala only reaches a maximum height of 36 inches at its shoulder. Even with this amazing ability, the impalas’ preferred method of avoiding predators is hiding in the tall Savannah grass. Despite this incredible leaping and jumping ability, zoos are able to pen Impalas with a relatively small fence, some as low as four or five feet. As long as its solid and the Impalas are unable to see where their feet will land on the other side, they will not risk the jump. So they remain captive. If impalas are mixed with other animals that are not affected in the same way by a solid fence, then zoos need to build an extremely tall wire fence to keep the impalas captive — because they …