Reading the Holy Scripture by Thomas à Kempis

TRUTH, not eloquence, is to be sought in reading the Holy Scriptures; and every part must be read in the spirit in which it was written. For in the Scriptures we ought to seek profit rather than polished diction.

Likewise we ought to read simple and devout books as willingly as learned and profound ones. We ought not to be swayed by the authority of the writer, whether he be a great literary light or an insignificant person, but by the love of simple truth. We ought not to ask who is speaking, but mark what is said. Men pass away, but the truth of the Lord remains forever. God speaks to us in many ways without regard for persons.

Our curiosity often impedes our reading of the Scriptures, when we wish to understand and mull over what we ought simply to read and pass by.

If you would profit from it, therefore, read with 9 humility, simplicity, and faith, and never seek a reputation for being learned. Seek willingly and listen attentively to the words of the saints; do not be displeased with the sayings of the ancients, for they were not made without purpose.

What are You Living For -Francis Chan

School of Suffering

By Joseph Tson

     The communist attack in Romania is a three-fold one directed toward individuals, churches, and pastors. The primary plan of attack on individual Christians is to make their life miserable where they work. Discriminate! Demote! Keep them at the lowest place. Continually tell them how they are not wanted there, that they are merely tolerated. Make trouble for them! Harass them! There are few in prison. The main threat is this constant daily trouble, harassment, and hate.

      Now I was a pastor to such people. I knew how much they had to suffer because they were always coming to me, their pastor. It was mainly this question of 'Why?' 'Why, pastor, why do we have to suffer like this? Why does God allow it? I had to study this issue of suffering. I had to give them an explanation, a reason for it...

The Face: A Reflection of the Heart

Proverbs 15:13 says, "A glad heart makes a cheerful face."  I think the Proverbial writer here is expressing an extremely common sense point.  Even children get this.  Our actions will reflect the state of our heart.  When our heart is happy, we naturally smile.  When we are depressed to the very core, our outward appearance reflects that.  We all acknowledge this truth in everyday life but for some reason we don't apply it to our worship.

Busted Wineskins

Have you ever taken a glass freshly cleaned and dried right out of the dishwasher and tried to put ice cold water into it?  Hopefully, if you have, it was only once right?  And if you haven't, let me go ahead and warn you from experience, its not a good idea.  The extreme cold mixed with the extreme hot causes the glass to, at best, crack or, more likely, shatter, leaving you with glass and water all over the floor.  (P.S.- this applies to trying to cool glass dishes right out of the oven with cold water as well... shoulda seen that one coming...)

The Breath of Life

In the beginning, when God created man, He "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7).  We also know that in the beginning "the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2).  Also reading into the flood account we find that "They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life" (Genesis 7:15).  If one were to compare the words for "breath" and "spirit" in these instances they'd find them to be irrevocably connected (Job 27:3, 32:8, and Isaiah 57:16).

So what does all this theological mumbo-jumbo amount to?

Jesus Would Buy Used from Amazon

I always heard the phrase growing up "You can't judge a book by its cover."  I think this is most certainly true.  Especially now in the age of the internet where Amazon and ebay are as frequently shopped as Walmart, I think people have come to understand that just because the cover is torn and the pages are slightly discolored, doesn't mean the story is any less valuable or entertaining.  So when it comes to books we all agree.  We get the picture.  

But...

A Big Mac for Jesus

If you're anything like me, you've had your fair share of days when you feel like you just can't stand your job any longer.  You find it boring, repetitive, and don't really see the benefit or purpose of it.  Too often our workplaces become nothing more than the means to an end with nothing but the paycheck in our sights.  Let me go ahead and tell you right now, if this is the way you view work then you are going to be miserable.

The Shadow of the Cross

Have you ever heard someone say "I'm living in the shadow of..." and then they fill in the blank with whatever or whoever is seemingly bigger, better, or more popular than they are.  What they mean is that no matter what they do or how hard they try they will always be second best in comparison to whatever has cast its shadow upon them.  It's like they're hidden from the rest of the world because of it.