“Blessed to be a blessing.” That turn of phrase never actually appears on the pages of Scripture. But it’s an accurate summation of God’s ongoing plan to rescue our broken world. God will bless a particular individual, who will in turn become the conduit of God’s blessings to the rest of humanity. We learn in Genesis 12 that the particular individual is… Read more »
Philosopher J.P. Moreland remembers the time he was invited to speak at a gathering on the validity of faith. A friend gave him fair warning. One of the guests, a man who was finishing up his Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins, was an outspoken skeptic of all things religious. They ultimately crossed paths at the dessert table. The man could hardly wait to… Read more »
One hundred years ago, Dr. Albert Abrams was the most celebrated physician in the United States. He singlehandedly pioneered a revolutionary way of tackling illnesses and disease. “The spirit of the age is radio, and we can use radio in diagnosis,” he declared. Thus Abrams created “spancho-diagnosis,” which involved the use of an electronic device called a dynamizer to analyze patients’… Read more »
May the peoples praise you, God;May all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy,For you rule the peoples with equity. May the peoples praise you, God;May all the peoples praise you!(Psalm 67:3-5) Happy Fourth of July!
It’s a colossal work of art – 18 feet long and 12 feet high. John Adams, who is depicted standing heroically dead center, called it the “Shin Painting.” That’s because once it was mounted on the wall of the US Capitol building rotunda, where it remains to this day, the typical viewer would be staring directly at his shins. There was… Read more »
America lives in the shadow of 9-11. Japan lives in the shadow of a different kind of national disaster, commonly called 3-11. On March 11, 2011, an earthquake of unprecedented strength rocked the country. The massive tremor, which registered 9.0 on the Richter Scale, generated a tsunami that in places topped 130 feet. It inundated 200 square miles of coastline and traveled… Read more »
It matters when we see someone’s face. A few years ago, Jonathan Turner, an Israeli physician, conducted a fascinating experiment. With their consent, he took photos of 300 men and women who were coming in for CT scans. He attached the photos to their images that were then submitted to radiologists. The radiologists – who knew nothing of Turner’s plan –… Read more »
Every now and then it’s helpful to experience what it’s like for the shoe to be on the other foot – and for that matter, the socks as well. About a decade and a half ago I was walking our two exuberant Australian Shepherds on a local trail. When a jogger approached us from the other direction, with her well-behaved dog… Read more »
Churches are famous for rummage sales. “Rummage” is a word that gets very little play in contemporary conversation. It might be defined as “a confused miscellaneous collection.” A rummage is a mishmash, a jumble, a stew, a hodgepodge, a clutter, or an agglomeration of a great many items that at first glance appear to have little in common. We speak more… Read more »
In the ancient world, successful people were expected to boast. Highly regarded teachers, politicians, and public officials were encouraged to polish their resumes and roll them out before the watching world as often as they could. Caesar Augustus ordered that his achievements literally be carved in stone all over the empire. Soldiers competed for high honors that could only be won in… Read more »
