Proper 16: Life’s Most Important Question

My son is renowned in our family and circle of friends for asking questions. He asks questions about everything. His inquisitive mind constantly seeks knowledge. When the air conditioner repairman and pest exterminator visit our house, he stands right beside them, asking questions about their jobs. We have thought about having a T-shirt made for him with a big question mark on the front because questions are so important to him.

Proper 15: The Purpose of God’s Blessing

In South Korea, every 12th grader has the SAT college entrance exams on the same day in November. On that day, their mothers gather together in Buddhist temples, cathedrals or churches to pray for a good score. For some of the religious institutions, it is one of the most significant days for their financial receipts because mothers donate a lot of money as part of their praying for the SAT. When their children get a good score, parents believe their god has blessed them.

Proper 14: Faith Like a Child

From the time he wakes up until he goes to bed, my 18-month-old son runs all over the house and runs into stuff. Once, he climbed up the couch and managed to get onto the dining table and just pounced. Fortunately, I was ready to catch him, knowing he was about to try out as an acrobat!

Proper 13: Holding Him Tight

My twins are becoming independent as they begin to walk and gain strength. When they started to use a cup, I helped them drink so they wouldn't spill liquid, because they were not yet good at handling a cup. One day, my son tried to hold the cup and drink by himself. I cajoled him into letting me hold the cup so he could drink without spilling. However, he was so reluctant that I just let him go ahead and do it his way. I took my hand off the cup of juice, and he barely drank half the cup before dropping it, messing up his clothes and the floor.

Proper 12: I Admit It-You Are a Sinner

A few years ago in a Fort Worth suburb, a goat escaped from the Future Farmers of America pens and made its way into the halls of the local high school. It was after hours, so no one could let it out; but it was caught on a security camera, butting its head against its own reflection that it saw in the glass doors. Finally, this angry goat butted so hard that the door shattered and it escaped, apparently unhurt.

Proper 10: God Accomplishes His Plans

I now have the joy of pastoring a leading church in Brazil, Igreja Batista Do Murumbi, Sau Paulo; but in 1984, I was teaching at a small Bible school in 1984. God had given us a deep conviction that we should pursue a higher level of theological training, which at that time, was not available in my own country. However, the more time passed by, the more we felt this dream was fading way. Inside of us there was a question: God, how can we accomplish what You have convinced us to do if we don't have the resources?

Proper 9: The Christian’s Inner Conflict

In 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a famous book titled The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The book chronicles the life of Dr. Jekyll, who believes good and evil exist in everyone. Through personal experimentation, however, Dr. Jekyll discovers his evil side-Mr. Hyde. He develops a potion that attempts to separate his good side from his darker impulses, allowing him to be transformed into a creature free of moral conscience.

Proper 8 (A): Who’ll Feed the Preacher?

What would you attempt if you could not fail? Are you hindered in what you would like to attempt for the Lord because of self-doubt? I wonder how we would run our computers if Bill Gates had not dropped out of Harvard and risked founding MicroSoft? I wonder if Coca-Cola would have blanketed the globe if Robert Woodruff, CEO of Coca-Cola from 1923 to 1955, had not had a vision of people being able to buy a Coke anywhere in the world? I wonder if the modern missionary movement would have gained the same impetus if William Carey had chosen to remain in his cobbler's shop in England rather than set out for India?

Trinity Sunday: Our Job Description

The Swiss missionary and theologian, Emil Brunner, likened the church's involvement in missions to the relationship that exists between fire and burning: "The church exists by mission as fire exists by burning." In other words: no burning, no fire; no missions, no church."