“Matty Lovo is a Hero,” the headline read.
I googled it. And it’s a true story. It happened 12 years ago when Matty was just 9 years old and saved his father’s life.
Matty’s dad, Matty Lovo, Sr, a semi-tractor-trailer driver, was hauling lumber through St. Helens, Oregon, when he had a seizure and lost consciousness. The semi veered into oncoming traffic. Stuck a utility pole. And seemed destined for a tragic accident. Continue reading
Filed under Influence
Annie Johnson Flint, born in 1866, is well-known in Christian circles as a poet and songwriter. She composed over 6,000 poems and hymns. However, her life was far from one of ease.
Annie was an orphan. Her foster parents both passed away early in her life. She cared for a sister who was very frail. As a result, she was compelled to be dependent on the assistance of others. She lived with crippling arthritis. She was stricken with cancer. Yet the faith of Annie Flint Johnson was strong, as many of her hymns testify. Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Last week we wrote about the extraordinary demonstration of compassion and forgiveness by Brandt Jean to Amber Guyger, the woman who shot and killed his brother, Botham Jean.
Now we learn that the Judge presiding over the case, Tammy Kemp, has been accused of “an abuse of her power.”
What awful act did Judge Kemp commit? Continue reading
Filed under Purpose
This week finds us in Denton, Texas, where I’m preaching in a meeting at the Eastside church. It’s wonderful to be back in an area where we lived and worked and to see so many of our friends again.
Last night, in connection with our theme, “Developing the Mind of Christ,” we discussed the concept of surrender. It’s a word that has a negative connotation. But it deserves our consideration. And a larger audience. Continue reading
Filed under Word of the Week
“I love you just like anyone else and I’m not going to hope you rot and die,” Brandt Jean told Amber Guyger when he took the witness stand.”
“I personally want the best for you. I wasn’t going to say this in front of my family, I don’t even want you to go to jail,” Jean continued. “I know if you go to God and ask him he will forgive you.”
Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot described Brandt Jean’s compassion toward Guyger as “an extraordinary act of healing and forgiveness.” Creuzot said that in his 37 years of practicing law , “I never saw anything like that.” Continue reading
Filed under Forgiveness
Today, October 3, is “Bring Your Bible to School Day” in the United States.
It is the sixth year for the event sponsored by Focus on the Family. According to their website, it is designed to “celebrate religious freedom and share God’s love with their friends”
Furthermore, “the event is designed to empower you as a student to express your belief in the truth of God’s Word–and to do so in a respectful way that demonstrates the love of Christ.”
Participation in BYBTSD is voluntary and student-directed Continue reading
Filed under Bible
Warren Wiersbe relates a time when he and his wife visited a world-famous weaver and watched his men and women work on the looms.
Wiersbe noticed the undersides of the rugs were not very pretty. The patterns were obscure. And the loose ends of the threads dangled.
“Don’t judge the worker or the work by looking at the wrong side,” the guide told them. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
01
Life is filled with tests.
You learn in first grade about tests. Math tests. Spelling tests. English tests. History Tests. And it doesn’t stop for the next 12-16 years or more.
Then there are drivers’ tests. Eye tests. And hearing Tests. If you want to be a doctor or lawyer you have to pass a test. I’m writing this aboard a Southwest Jet on the way to Tampa. Hopefully the Pilot passed his test and is qualified to fly. Many occupations have tests to certify you as proficient in your profession. Continue reading
Filed under Christian Living
A preacher was trying out for a church. They spent a weekend together and on Sunday night had a business meeting for people to ask questions. Someone asked, “If we hire you, what is the #1 thing you will do to help us grow?”
“I promise if you hire me I will do everything within my power to bring this church into the 20th century,” the preacher replied.
Sheepishly, after a thoughtful pause, one member raised their hand and said, “Preacher, you mean the 21st century, don’t you?” Continue reading
Filed under Vision, Word of the Week
“If a time-traveler from the early Church secretly followed you from Monday till Saturday evening, would they be able to tell you’re a Christian?”
This question raised by John Stonestreet and G. Shane Morris from breakpoint.org caught my attention early yesterday morning.
In a post entitled “Practical Atheists: Living as if God is Irrelevant,” they suggest that for many professing Christianity the answer isn’t really clear.
This is a not a new question or novel topic, but one I haven’t thought about in quite a while. Continue reading
Filed under Christian Living
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