My oldest niece Katie, at her graduation last year at Southern Adventist University.
Wednesday’s section of this week’s Sabbath School lesson asks the question, “What does Jesus’ miracle of multiplying the loaves and fishes teach us about the sharing of our faith?”
One thing we learn is, the boy who gave his lunch, enabling Jesus to feed the multitude did not have to grow up before Jesus could use him in a great way.
My oldest niece is getting married next month, yet [...]
While living in Texas, one day as I was grocery shopping, I decided I was tired of bringing the proverbial bachelor dish of canned corn to church potlucks. I wanted to actually make something. I stood there in the middle of the store, with my cart, wondering what a bachelor like me could possibly make.
Enchiladas! Those can’t be too hard.
So I set out on a hunt, looking for things that would go well in an enchilada dish. I came up [...]
Would you be surprised to learn that only 31% of Americans believe that the Bible is the literal word of God. That number shrinks to a mere 10% if we’re only asking people who claim no religious affiliation. In addition to that, 19% of Americans feel the Bible is nothing more than a compilation of myths and legends.
Image © Krieg Barrie from GoodSalt.com
What do you think? Do you believe the Bible is the literal word of God or a [...]
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
Image © Jeff Preston from GoodSalt.com
While prayer is not the only ingredient to revival, it is very important.
Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual power. No other means of grace can [...]
Image © Darrel Tank from GoodSalt.com
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
Diet is a very important part of weight control, but it is not the only thing. There is exercise, and I have read that the right amount of sleep is a factor [...]
How often do/should you pray? How long do/should you pray? Can you pray too much? What do/should you pray about? Is it possible to pray wrong? Are there certain words/phrases you need to use? What if you feel like God’s not listening? If God knows everything, why do I need to pray? Do I have to kneel every time I pray? What if you don’t have time to pray? Does praying really make any difference anyway?
Image © Lars Justinen [...]
Image © Pacific Press from GoodSalt.com
In my almost 50 years, I have seen leaders of my country come and go. Some were called good, some were called bad. There have been some fierce debates over whether or not certain leaders were good or bad.
Still my country remains strong. You know why I think that is? While some leaders are good and others not so good, I believe it is the common citizen who keeps my country strong.
Leaders may compromise [...]
How honest is your mirror? Has it ever lied to you?
Image © Krieg Barrie from GoodSalt.com
Sometimes when we look at the way some people leave their houses, we might think their mirror has not given them an accurate picture of how they look. In those cases, though, it’s usually the mental picture that is faulty, not the mirror’s reflection.
Often our own mental picture of ourselves is different than reality.
“Here’s some good news: if you’re like most people, you’re way [...]
Should you pay tithe?
I don’t think so.
Image © Pacific Press from GoodSalt.com
I think paying tithe is a heathen practice. (Please stay with me to the end.) Here’s why:
Paying tithe presupposes that I have goods or money that I wish to exchange for goods or services.
Paying something (offering) to a deity in exchange for grace or favor is a heathen concept.
Paying tithe is sometimes seen as a sort of “divine tax” in return for divine favor. (Who likes taxes?)
When I [...]
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7
Image © Standard Publishing from GoodSalt.com
When the story of the birth of Jesus is told, the innkeeper often gets a bum wrap. How could you not have room for a pregnant lady? How could you not have room for the Son of God! Wait a minute. The innkeeper did [...]
I don’t know about where you live, but where I live it seems like a lot of people are feeling pretty hopeless about their futures.
Image © Krieg Barrie from GoodSalt.com
Everywhere they look bad things are happening, and they don’t feel like they have any control over their own lives and their own futures.
According to Tara Parker-Pope of the The New York Times (May 2013), “suicide rates among middle-aged Americans have risen sharply in the past decade.” Here are the [...]
While I became a literature evangelist in 1990, it just occurred to me, that it has now been 20 years since I first became a Bible Worker in the Owasso-Claremore district of the Oklahoma Seventh-day Adventist Conference in 1993. A lot of water has passed under the bridge and through the baptisteries since then, and over time I would like to share some of my experiences over the last twenty years. Tonight, I would like to begin with a list of twenty things I have learned in twenty [...]
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” John 10:14, NIV
The Bible was written at a time when society was primarily agrarian. Prophets spoke in terms the people could relate to. Images of farm and field were easily understood, because these were snapshots of daily life. The seasons of the year revolved around planting and the gestation cycles of livestock, and daily activities often focused on the feeding and care of animals. The shepherd [...]
“This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’” Zechariah 7:9-10, NIV
An oft-recurring theme with the Minor Prophets and echoed again with Zechariah is the plight of the oppressed. Strangely, it is not the foreigners that Zechariah is accusing of this crime. It is God’s chosen people, the Jews. Today’s parallel might [...]
Daytona Beach sunrise.
In the late fall of 2006 I bought a brand new car. A few days later, or nights actually, I lay in my bed wide awake. I glanced at the clock as it read 4 AM. Then the idea hit me. If I jump in my brand-new car right now, I can travel across Florida to the east coast in time to watch the sun rise. I had seen several sunsets on the west coast where I [...]
