As I prepared my sermon, I was afraid. So I wrote down this prayer: After preaching the heart of God,If the worst case could beIf I perish, I perish. (Esther 4:16) God accompanied me and comforted me,In my countless darkest nights.I had nothing,So, I am not afraid of losing anything.I … ∞
As we enter the second half of Lent, I cannot help but reflect on the fact that we are also halfway through the school year. For some of us, this is our first year of college, while for others, it is their senior year, and the work is piling up. … ∞
It’s so wonderful when words, phrases, or stories from the Bible become well-known life lessons shared for countless generations. Words such as “let he who is without sin cast the first stone” from John 8:7 offer invaluable wisdom for all ages. While I was studying the text (John 8:7), I … ∞
December 26, 2023, we drove to my parents to celebrate Christmas with them, and once we had arrived I pulled my stepfather aside to ask how my mother’s latest cancer scan went. You see almost two years earlier she called me one day with my stepdad sitting beside her and … ∞
Luther explicating his understanding of worthiness in regard to receiving the sacrament came in March of 1521 when he wrote a “Sermon on the Worthy Reception of the Sacrament.”[ix] He began by stating that those who are living openly in sin shall not receive the sacrament.[x] He then proceeded to … ∞
As the new year begins, many of us are thinking about making resolutions and setting goals for the coming year. For Christians, the new year can also be a time to reflect on the past and look to the future with hope and anticipation. The theme of new beginnings is … ∞
It occurred to me as i was talking with some of the newer attendees of our church this weekend, that the concept of Advent is not something naturally familiar to believers. We were lighting the candles at the start of our service and as this couple and their kids walked … ∞
Teaching can be seen as a profession or an occupation bent towards influencing people to learn something aside from what they already know or showing them a better perspective about an idea they might have already known. It can also be seen as the process of meeting other people’s need … ∞
We are in the season of Advent. What does this season hold for you this year? Perhaps it is a time of rejoicing at a new life opportunity, or at the ability to travel freely, visit with family or wait in expectant hopefulness for a promise of God to come … ∞
Part One: The Road To Motherhood God has always been there. I know that now. But as a young girl with divorced parents in the 1980s, I went to Sunday school at St. Peter’s Anglican Church with my grandmother. I didn’t understand who God was, but God knew who I … ∞
There are negative and positive reactions towards problem. Below are some of the many ways a person reacts to problem. Weeping and crying: People weep and cry when they lost hope in life or in certain situations. Most people end up crying bitterly when they had been disappointed. But in … ∞
Twice this week this text of Jesus calming the storm has come up through various outlets for me. Perhaps it is because I need to reflect on the words and their meaning more deeply. Earlier this week I was at a prayer meeting where we practiced Visio Divina. This is … ∞
As an individual, there has been so many times in your life when you felt like crying every single day, pain so real and so burdensome that it saps you of all energy and strips you of all motivation, probably you have often sobbed over the state of your life … ∞
The duties or work of a religious leader can be tagged as a “ministry”. As such, every matured Christian should see him/herself as a leader with a ministry or responsibility for the kingdom. As an individual, I have not been actively involved in any serious ministerial role as such. However, … ∞
Recently, I had the wonderful opportunity many Calvin Seminary students have experienced. That was to participate in Professor Mary Vandenberg’s Systematic Theology II class period on the limits of forgiveness. This discussion revolved around forgiveness, repentance, reconciliation, and justice. Reflecting on the class, I found myself confronted with shifting notions … ∞
