Sound Words (Page 33)

Silly Servants I have an ever-lengthening bucket list, but I honestly can’t say that building a giant box is a priority item. It was definitely on Noah’s to-do list, though. In fact, the project was a big part of his life for at least a century. Forget for a second that you know his story and try to imagine what it was like to be in his position. You spend a good portion of most days assembling materials to construct…

The Beauty of Reconciliation Sometimes people don’t get along. And yes, there are in fact greater understatements. In any case, for those of us with siblings, we probably learned fairly early just how easily conflict can arise. From disputes over toys to room intrusions, to wars waged over the coveted shotgun seat, it seems there is no shortage of reasons for children to bicker. I can only imagine, then, that two boys as different as Jacob and Esau could have…

The Meaning of Life I have lived most of my life as a dead man. While that statement is sure to warrant at least a few raised eyebrows, I’d argue that any surprise stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of what it really means to be alive. Occasionally, we talk about our “spiritual lives” and “physical lives” as if the two could be separated. On the one hand, we can only understand life and death as we witness it: the spark of energy…

The Best Record in History It’s a pretty big deal for sports teams to have a perfect record throughout the season.It’s also extremely difficult to maintain, especially after a team has held one for a while. For one thing, players feel the additional pressure of perfection that tempts them to strive not to lose rather than fighting to win. But they also experience a lot of extra attention as every other team tries to dethrone them. Invariably, perfect records dissolve…

Brethren or Burdens? I’ve never smelled a dead body, but I’ve been told you never forget the stench. I can only imagine, then, how cemented the scene of Cain’s seething rage must have been in his memory. What a disturbing image: the sight of his own brother’s beaten, lifeless corpse lying before his feet, as a crimson river silently flowed into the thirsty ground beneath him. And it’s that smell, the foul stench of death, that wafts through the Bible…

Naaman’s Baptism There are many types and anti-types in the Bible. Many are deliberate Old Testament stories or characters that foreshadow principles revealed in later days. Deliberate or not, there is a parallel to baptism seen in a well-known Old Testament story – the healing of Naaman. On the surface, some parallels are clearly evident. Both involve washing in water; both persons are healed and made purely clean. Beyond that, a closer look at Naaman reveals an attitude seen over…

Laying on of Hands Ken Fleeman (2019-01-20)

Discipline The idea of discipline brings up negative emotions. We instantly think of punishment for wrong doing. However, discipline is better understood as a training process. Discipline is defined as “the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience” (Google Dictionary). When it comes to our spiritual training, the teacher is to “Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2 NKJV). Note that this requires patience. Punishment should…