Artificial Sweetener

            Have you ever had anything so sickeningly sweet that the sweetness lost its sweetness?  Of course when I say this, we think immediately of food; though the principle is applicable in many areas.  Take for instance the film industry, particularly regarding Christmas.

It's the End of the World!

     “Repent! The end of the world is nigh! Doom, death, and destruction are at hand!”  I’m sure you can easily picture the dishevelled ‘prophet’ on the streets downtown with his message sharpied onto his cardboard sign, preaching of the coming judgement and destruction.   Imagine if you saw him, but as you came closer, you notice how calm he is.  How his message doesn’t look scribbled and frantic, but instead reads more like the cover of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, written in large, friendly letters: “DON’T PANIC.”

Lost and Found: A Cause to Celebrate

Have you ever lost your wallet? Your phone? It can be quite distressing realising that one’s place for keeping money, ID, photos, means of communication, etc. are nowhere to be found on one’s person. When one is reunited with their lost property after double-checking pockets or back-tracking, there is a tremendous sense of excitement and relief. This is because we value such things. The same principle applies in church.

One Nation Under God

          We like to say of our country that we are “one nation under God” and “in God we trust.”   But does our nation believe that? Are we really in a Christian nation?  When we look around ourselves, we have to answer ‘no.’   So how do we become a Christian nation once again?

What if God Was One of Us?

Everyone! Quick!  Run for the hills while you can!  Obamacare has just been passed!  Taxes will go up!  Health-care quality will go down!  Democrats will take control! Liberals will rule our lives! Communism will supplant capitalism!  Education will get dumberer!  The seas will burn!  Dogs will give birth to cats!  The sun will set in the East!!!!

Epic Fail!

            “Epic fail, dude!” How often have you heard that one after you or someone else makes the blunder of the century?  Fails are remarkably entertaining these days.  There is even a popular web blog dedicated to chronicling, preserving, and spreading these tales of beleaguering blunders.  Now suppose there was a blog or even a whole book filled with every single one of your failures, and that was visible to the God who will judge you according to your actions.  Every mistake you made, every ignored opportunity to do the right thing, every sin.  Epic fail.

Byway to Hell

            It’s been over thirty years since AC/DC first wrote their open declaration and celebration of their projected eternal destination in their hit song ‘Highway to Hell’, and today there are many who proudly call it the soundtrack of their spiritual journey.  Such flagrant embracing of separation from Christ is terribly tragic, but what is equally tragic are the lives of those going to the same place, just taking the scenic route instead.

What Is Truth?

As Christians, God has called us to be champions of righteousness–harmless as doves, and crafty as serpents.  What this is telling us is that we are to be balanced in all that we do.  If there ever was an area where we ought to put this into practice, it is philosophy.

Dying to Die

            The greatest serial killer of our time has never been apprehended.  His victims number beyond reckoning.  He is never seen by his victims, but he makes his presence unbearably strong.  He often kills in the most sadistic, agonising ways imaginable.  He claims lives across the globe.  His vendetta stretches as far back as the beginning of time.  His name is Despair.

"By Faith [your name here]..."

What if faith wasn’t just blind trust in something? What if it wasn’t just hollow assumption? What if it wasn’t just taking someone at their word, keeping your fingers crossed on whether or not they’ll actually come through on their promise? Well actually, it’s not!

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that, “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith takes empty hope and gives it substance. It is not blind assumption of something, but rather evidence for it. Often we may feel as if we are on trial for our beliefs; with the world around us, or even our own doubt, prosecuting, and with our ‘mere faith’ put forth as an argument against us; but in this light, it becomes evidence for us. A defense attorney often may have to search and search for evidence, but in this case, it is offered freely to us as a gift! For many, however, that is the problem.