Take a moment right now and leave a one-word comment, and tell me what you’re thankful for.
No need to explain or elaborate. Just one word.
My one word?
HOPE.
May our God bless you and your family this Thanksgiving.
YOUR TURN:Tell me in one word what you’re thankful for. To leave a comment, just click here.
For many people, reading about the sacrifices of ancient Israel is a real yawner. But if we think about the Thanksgiving holiday, one sacrifice rises from the ashes of antiquity to offer encouragement.
(Photo by Photodune)
In the days of ancient Israel, a special offering, different from the ones required for sin, allowed a person to give God thanks for something the Lord had done.
Rituals are apparently irrational acts which become rational when their significance is explained. —Northrop Frye
Hidden behind the veil of ritual and strangeness are principles of timeless value for your life.
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Most of us men tend to look to other men of history when we look for heroes. That’s precisely why I chose to read this book.
After all, in Scripture we see God powerfully using women, and His work through their lives didn’t cease when the canon closed.
To the degree we live out the message we say we believe, treating everyone with dignity and worth and measuring success by the standards of Jesus and the not the broader culture, to that degree only we will succeed in serving up good news to a thirsty world.
Vanishing Grace: What Ever Happened to the Good News? (Zondervan, 2014)
Reading Yancey’s book, Vanishing Grace, took me back 20 years when I read his excellent volume, What’s So Amazing about Grace? At the time, the book held its place in my life as one of the best books I’d ever read.
As I read this new volume, it struck me as tackling a similar thrust: we live in a world thirsty for God’s grace and Christians often throw salt on the wound rather than live as dispensers of grace.
Your pastor likely has never seen the places he preaches about each week: the holy city of Jerusalem, the waves on the Sea of Galilee, the rocky slopes of the Judean wilderness. You can change that.
(Photo: Jerusalem from east. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
To your pastor, these places may be mere words on the pages of his Bible—places he’s experienced only in his mind’s eye through pictures, Bible atlases, and travel videos.
Your pastor’s seminary gave him the biblical languages. But YOU can give him the Bible lands.
It’s easier than you think. Here’s how.
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I have been in fulltime Christian ministry for 25 years. (Hard to believe.) I have served as a music minister, a senior pastor, a writer, and as a leader in a parachurch ministry.
(Photo by Photodune)
The last quarter century has taught me lessons I’ll never forget. I learned them in the trenches of time, disappointment, and even failure.
Although some of these principles may seem to apply to those in vocational ministry, all have application to us as believers. Whether we’re parents, singles, marrieds, or even disillusioned with church—these apply.
In no particular order (except the first one), here are 17 of them.
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The Bible Reader’s Joke Book (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition, 2014)
What’s so funny about the Ten Commandments? Wonder no longer. Need a good one-liner for your upcoming Bible lesson on relationships, or your sermon on giving, or your youth talk on purity? You’re all set.
A few years ago, my friend Dr. Stephen Bramer told me he was writing a joke book for the Bible. I laughed. I thought he was joking.
Turns out, he was! (And the book totals more than 2000 jokes.) The subtitle says it all: A collection of over 2,000 jokes, puns, humorous stories, and funny sayings related to the Bible: arranged from Genesis to Revelation.
The funniest part of the book to me? The copyright page.
Seriously. Check it out here.
Tell me what you think: Know any good Bible jokes? To leave a comment, just click here.
I’m excited to serve as the conference speaker at Horn Creek Christian Camp this winter.
I’ll be teaching on the life of Joseph as it relates to “Waiting on God,” the title of my upcoming book. I would love for you to bring in the New Year with my family in beautiful Colorado!
See more info here.
“Learning to Wait on God with Joseph”
by Wayne Stiles
Sorry, listening to the audio on this website requires Flash support in your browser. You can try playing the MP3 file directly by clicking here.
I had the privilege to teach at the Marathon Fellowship class at Stonebriar Community Church this past Sunday.
The subject covers part of my new book, Waiting on God.
I hope the message encourages you.
Tell me what you think: What has God taught you as you’ve waited on Him? To leave a comment, just click here.