Sound Words (Page 31)

The Beatitudes Jesus gained a little distance from the multitudes by going into a mountain where His disciples gathered around Him. He enumerated a series of beatitudes which mark the opening of what we know as The Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5). Each beatitude is a divine blessing pronounced on those possessing certain qualities. Each blessing is followed by a reason for the blessing. The beatitudes do not describe different types of individuals. Rather, they are a composite of…

Why Do Children Cry When babies hurt or need something, when all is not the way it should be, they cry out to their parents. Even as young children acquire language, some thoughts and feelings continue to transcend the limits of their vocabularies, leaving crying as the only option to communicate what truly is transpiring within them. And if we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that we adults can still relate. As we grow, the harsh realities of…

Preparing for Parenting Sometimes, the most glorious moments can also be the most terrifying. Preparing to be a parent rightly evokes such mixed emotions. As adults who have had ample time to come to grips with our own weakness and fallibility, is there anyone among us who feels completely confident about shaping the heart of a child, training him in the ways of the Lord, demonstrating for her what it means to live a life full of faith in God?…

In Loving Memory of Lost Children Over the last two weeks, we have noted that nothing about death is good, yet God’s goodness remains, even when we are faced with death. This week, I hope we can see through the comfort of the Scriptures how much God truly cares about those plagued by the pain of loss. God hears. God sees. God understands. God Cares. When Hagar flees from Sarai, the angel of the Lord finds her in the wilderness…

June 30 In Loving Memory of Lost Children “No parent should have to bury their child.” This quote from last week summarizes what  comes to mind when we consider the death of a child. Truly, no parents should have to come to terms with the death of their children. Yet they do. I would like to continue to share some thoughts about this kind of loss, but first let me clarify a few things. I am not pretending to know…

In Loving Memory of Lost Children “Where is Théodred? Where is my son?” If you are not familiar with this sad quote, it comes from the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. In it, a king named Théoden awakens from a cursed stupor to find that his beloved son Théodred is dead. During an exchange with Gandalf, following Théodred’s funeral, Théoden utters what everyone is thinking. “No parent should have to bury their child.” There is a…

Choosing Godly Leaders All it takes is an election to get people thinking about the importance of leadership. It concerns me, though, when I hear Christians who will obsess over the people leading this country but who will not think twice about those who are leading God’s people. What concerns me even more is that there are Christians who do not think God’s plan for leadership in the church is even necessary. Nevertheless, a reader would have to be blind…

Tempted by Pain Relief “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:13–15 ESV) As we conclude our look at our desires and the ways…