Category Archives: Faith & Witness

Dove flying in Lisbon, Portugal

A House Divided

As many of you know who have been reading this webzine on a regular basis, my by-line has been missing for several issues. Did I run out of things to say or write? Hardly! However, what I have been struggling with over these last few

Dove flying in Lisbon, Portugal

Grace: Too Good To Be True?

As I’ve continued to consider the biblical concept of grace, I’ve been amazed at its simplicity. Is this idea of grace really as simple as we’ve been told? We are inculcated with attitudes that influence our concept of God. So often we’ve been told “there’s

Black man praying

God Is Setting It Up

And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. (Genesis

Dove flying in Lisbon, Portugal

The Wilderness

There seems to be a pattern in the growth of many Christians. It seems at some time, many of us must go through the wilderness. In Old Testament time, the wilderness was a physical place; it was a desert. In our modern times, the wilderness

Dove flying in Lisbon, Portugal

Conflicts and Challenges Facing Gay and Lesbian Believers

There are deep personal tragedies, countless and sometimes seemingly endless wounds gay people must face. Let us understand the term “gay” to include gay males, lesbians, bisexual people, transgender people and all of us who identify as a sexual minority. We encounter all sorts negative

Man Paper Bag Cover Face Ashamed Portrait Concept

What’s It to Me?

I am a white, straight male. I have two children and one grandchild. I’ve been married to the same woman for almost twenty-seven years now, and if we both live long enough, we will most likely celebrate our golden anniversary together. No, I am not

Stained glass window image of Jesus

Becoming a New Creation in Christ

When once you have accepted the Jesus Christ Message, nothing is ever the same again. All values change radically. The things that one spent time and energy in striving for are felt to be no longer worth the having, while other things that one passed

Stained glass window image of Jesus

A New Creation, Make It So!

There are unchurched people who fear becoming a new creation in Christ because they think if they adopt Christian behavior they won’t be able to have any more fun. Those of us living a Christ-filled life know better. But Christians have gotten a bad rap

Stained glass window image of Jesus

Life in the Brave New World of Jesus

When I was at the seminary, a team of students did interviews with people who had made “decisions for Christ” in a local evangelistic crusade in Kentucky. They also interviewed others who knew the recent converts. To their surprise they found that the most common

Stained glass window image of Jesus

Learning To Fly: A Meditation on Change

I would like to take you with me in spirit to a place in South Africa called the Karoo. This is an arid and somewhat inhospitable world – its hot, semi-desert conditions stretch for many miles in every direction. Tall, silent mountains keep watch over