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Why Am I Here?

“… everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”  (Is 43:7) Lord, you have made me for your glory.  May I, by your grace, reflect that glory for which I was made. Last week we talked about the fact that everyone is a moral creature, that we all believe some things to be right and some things wrong. Of course, every now and then, you hear someone say that moral absolutes do not exist, but these people do not believe what they say. If someone were to walk up to…

You Can’t Do That!

“You shall not … You shall not … You shall not …” Ex 20:1-17 Lord, we praise you.  You care for what is right because you are good. Here in America, right now, many people are protesting the actions of Donald Trump.  We’ve seen marches on Washington, protests in many cities, placards, a refusal to cooperate in Congress, even a riot at Cal Berkeley.  Now I mention these actions not to argue for or against Trump but to illustrate a point.  You see, all of these protests, in whatever form they take, occur because the protester believes something is wrong….

In the Image of God

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Gen 1:26-7) You have made us, O God, and we are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Praise You! Have you ever worked those puzzles that are mazes? You know, the ones where you have to draw a line from the start to the finish, but in between are all sorts of false paths. In order to solve those mazes, you must know two things: your destination…

Learning Another Culture

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  (Isaiah 55:8-9) Lord, I must listen to you, not to me or to my culture.  Please teach me your ways, that I may walk in your truth.  Since most of you who read this blog are international, you understand some of the difficulties of living in a new culture. For example, a Chinese woman here in America once told my family…

What’s So Special About Christmas?

Christmas is the most celebrated holiday on Earth. Every December half the globe puts up lights and trees, makes special foods, exchanges gifts, attends parties, travels to see family, and talks about peace on Earth. But why? What’s so special about Christmas? Ironically, most people who celebrate Christmas do not understand what makes it so special. To many people, Christmas is nothing more than gifts and Santa Claus or a nice season to have parties. Oh, they do know that somewhere in the background the holiday is tied to the baby Jesus, but their knowledge somehow never reaches their hearts….