There’s an old country Gospel song that starts with: “So many reasons why I love the Lord; so many reasons I can’t count them….”

Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem “How Do I Love Thee” has been ranked by many as the greatest love poem of all times. “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height, My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight; For the ends of being and ideal grace…..”  Browning wrote the poem for her husband. But I came across another expression of love that predates and eclipses Browning’s love poem to her husband.

[Read the rest of this article...]

Friends: “Bro, I don’t get it. Yeah, you’re a Christian but why does that stop you from joining us for Happy Hour? You don’t have to get drunk. Have a Coke. They say Prince Andrew and David Beckham are teetotalers too – so bud, come along. We just want you to have some fellowship with the guys.”

You: “No, I appreciate your invitation and you’re all great guys but I don’t feel comfortable doing that. No offence but I have other plans.”

Friends: “Well, if you’ve got something against doing that, a bunch of us are crashing over at Veronica’s later. She’s letting us take in a pretty hot movie. Why don’t you come over for a few hours?

[Read the rest of this article...]

“I’m in a real dilemma,” Bertha explained to Roy. “I don’t know what to do. I want to but I have this uncomfortable feeling inside.”

Roy asked: “Well, what’s your conscience telling you?” 

It sounds good: ‘Let your conscience be your guide.’ It sounds reassuring when we say: ‘Well, I don’t have a conscience about wearing this or going there.’ It sounds good, but…..

[Read the rest of this article...]

Dad: “I’m giving you my credit card but you must use it wisely on the weekend. No foolish spending Jared. Do you need me to give you a list of things I don’t want my card used for?”

Son: “No dad. We’ve all lived with you long enough to know what you like and don’t like. What you think is stupid and what you think is smart. We know you like a book.”

 A Friend on Saturday: “Come on Jared. You’ve got your old man’s card. Be generous. If he doesn’t like it, he’ll get over it. So what if he screams at you for an hour. You can handle it!”

[Read the rest of this article...]

It seemed to come out of nowhere. He had been traveling with his parents but just now he was ‘alone’ and that’s often when it happens. It wasn’t a groundhog that leapt out of the bushes or a fox. It was nothing less than a young, aggressive lion. As important as the preservation of endangered species is, when you’re walking alone and one of those cats decide you look like ‘dinner’, its time to think quick and act decisively.

[Read the rest of this article...]

Sometimes we think we’re empty when we’re really full. And full when we’re really empty. Perhaps your thinking is distorted today. Maybe you are lamenting your plight and wiping your eyes in desperation. “Life is horrible. Where are the good times? It can’t get any worse than this. I’ve reached the bottom. I’m on empty! I was waiting for God to step in and do His thing to get me out of this mess but nothing’s happening, so I’ll have to do something myself.” Are you wanting to intervene and forget about waiting for God any longer? Dangerous!

[Read the rest of this article...]

If my friends were talking behind my back about the priority of my life, I wonder what they might say. It’s sad when people say about a star hockey player – “Well, hockey’s his god.” Or about a successful corporate climber: “She lives for her career. It’s her god.”  Or “He lives to golf.” It’s one thing to say ‘he loves to golf’ but when someone suggests that he ‘lives’ to golf, it means golfing has claimed first spot in his life – elevated to the pinnacle.

[Read the rest of this article...]

The storm clouds of rejection were swirling and the hatred towards Christ was climaxing. Tonight would be the night the enemies would hunt the Saviour down in the Garden, tie His hands and lead Him away to brutal beatings, vicious assaults, vile spittings, and humiliating taunts. Tonight He would be arrested and tomorrow our precious Saviour would be nailed to the Cross. Jesus and his little band of disciples had climbed the stairs of a Jerusalem home and now they had just finished eating the Passover Supper in the upstairs room. But something else was on the Saviour’s mind.

[Read the rest of this article...]