Tag Archives: C. S. Lewis

March 1, 2021 · 3:01 am

Word of the Week: Believe

The power of belief has been well documented in physical and material pursuits in life. From sports to business, to our personal goals and dreams belief in a necessary ingredient for success.

Napoleon Hill, known for his books on self-help and positive thinking, in his classic bestseller Think and Grow Rich, wrote, “Whatever your mind can conceive, and believe, it can achieve.”

As we continue to explore the theme Reaching Forward, and discuss the 10 concepts in Dr. David Jeremiah’s book, Forward, that are encapsulated in a single word, we come to the word, “believe.” Continue reading →

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December 14, 2020 · 6:51 am

Word of the Week: Joy

“Joy” is a word often heard during this holiday season.

Google “Christmas joy” and you will get 624,000,000 hits. You will learn that there is a movie, a novel, and a project all entitled “Christmas joy.”

Hallmark bills its many holiday movies as spreading “the joy of Christmas.” You will receive Christmas cards with a cheerful message of “joy.” Then, of course, there is the popular 18th-century song by Isaac Watts, “Joy to the World.”

Joy, however, should not to be relegated to one season, one month, or one day of the year. Continue reading →

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November 2, 2020 · 7:08 am

Word of the Week: Believe

Legend has it that the Danish, Nobel-prize-winning physicist, Niels Bohr had his desk in the shape of a horseshoe, securely nailed to the wall with the open end up so it would catch good luck and not let it spill out.

Once an American scientist visited Bohr in Copenhagen. Amazed to see the desk, he asked with a nervous laugh, “Surely you don’t believe the horseshoe will bring you good luck, do you, Professor Bohr? Continue reading →

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August 24, 2020 · 4:24 am

Word of the Week: Temperance

“Temperance is moderation in the things that are good and total abstinence from the things that are foul,” wrote, Frances E. Willard, a 19th-century American educator and president of the Women’s Temperance Union.

In Willard’s time, the concept of temperance was often linked to the total abstinence of alcoholic beverages. Continue reading →

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March 4, 2020 · 9:21 am

A Passage To Ponder: Hebrews 11

C. S. Lewis once explained his faith by writing, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

What a simple, yet profound explanation of the purpose, potential, and power of faith. Continue reading →

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October 7, 2019 · 6:58 am

Word of the Week: Surrender

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 →

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September 6, 2019 · 7:37 am

Are You A Member of the Body Or Just A Member of the Church?

“The very word membership is of Christian origin, but it has been taken over by the world and emptied of all meaning,” wrote C. S. Lewis in one of his essays.

Lewis further opined, “I am afraid that when we describe a man as ‘a member of the Church’ we usually mean nothing Pauline” as he referred to Paul’s statement regarding “members of the Body” of Christ (1 Cor. 12:22). Continue reading →

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August 7, 2019 · 7:25 am

A Passage To Ponder: Matthew 18:21-35

“To err is human; to forgive, divine” penned the British poet, Alexander Pope.

The apostle Peter probably thought he was being deeply divine when he asked, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

Peter undoubtedly thought he was being excessively generous and magnanimous. After all the Rabbinic teaching as expressed by Rabbi Jose ben Hanina said, “He who begs forgiveness from his neighbor must not do so more than three times.” Continue reading →

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August 5, 2019 · 7:51 am

Word of the Week: Confession

“Who do you say that I am?” Jesus asked Peter.

His response was immediate. Direct. Unequivocal. And divinely inspired. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matt 16:15-16)

It is a question still discussed, debated and deliberated today. Who was Jesus?

Many want to reduce Jesus to just a great Rabbi, a unique prophet, or moral reformer. In fact, it is not politically correct to say that Jesus was the Son of God or that He is the only way.” Continue reading →

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May 28, 2019 · 5:28 am

God Forgives. Forgive Yourself.

“While I am glad to debate the abortion issue, that is not the purpose of this post,” wrote my friend and preaching colleague Shane Scott in a recent facebook post. “Instead, I want to reach out to any sisters in Christ who share the same beliefs I have about abortion, but who have at some point in the past chosen to have one.” Continue reading →

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