tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40303312393554743412024-09-04T22:54:02.483+08:00'Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.' (Psalm 119:105)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger221125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-4404675127470101522011-07-13T09:45:00.002+08:002011-07-13T10:21:53.883+08:00

The book of Leviticus focus on sin and redemption. Sin causes man to be excluded from the nearness, knowledge and communion with God. Furthermore, the word "holy" appears over 150 times in the course of the 27 chapters - a reminder that we serve a holy God who cannot tolerate sin. The holiness of God shines like a white, fearful light upon the whole book. It is in contrast with that holiness,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-30608332882287275562011-07-12T09:02:00.004+08:002011-07-12T10:08:14.249+08:00

Exodus reveals to us the procedure of God in human history. It shows us the working of God in human lives. When we read the book of Exodus, we can think of it as a record of the doings of man or a record of the doings of God.Looking at Exodus as a record of man's doings is to be impressed with the sense of failure. Moses and Aaron are all examples of failure and weakness. To take the view of the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-2895572753283825992011-07-11T11:34:00.003+08:002011-07-11T12:17:38.590+08:00

The book of Genesis is a scientific book and in this book, it covers theology, cosmology, anthropology, sociology, hamartiology, ethnology and soteriology.Theology (The Science of God) - Genesis presents God as Creator, King and determined Redeemer; and upon these fundamental facts all Christian theology depends. The nature, methods and ultimate purpose of God are not revealed.Cosmology (The

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-18529647374462512682011-07-11T11:21:00.003+08:002011-07-11T11:28:15.314+08:00

One is incomplete without the other. To read the Old Testament without the New Testament or vice versa is missing out on something; both have to be read together for they complement each other.Every book has some direct and living message having application not to its own age merely, but to every succeeding one. The principles abide; their applications vary with the varying ages. In the study of

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-48727583296028729872010-01-26T18:51:00.005+08:002010-01-27T08:45:24.719+08:00

There is a famous oil painting called "Christ Teaching in The Temple." The painting gets it wrong. It comes from an era when religious people were still uneasy with the notion that Jesus was like the rest of us. In this picture he is standing in the midst of the elders looking very wise, obviously delivering a lecture. He is talking and pointing and they are listening. He had, no doubt, appeared

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Parish ministers will tell you that people come to them speaking with regrets like these:When I was young, my mother was going to read me a story, but she had to wax the bathroom floor and there wasn't time.When I was young, my grandparents were going to come for Christmas, but they couldn't get someone to feed the dogs and my grandfather did not like the cold weather and besides they didn't have

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-76608155547770277272010-01-26T18:50:00.003+08:002010-01-27T08:47:52.592+08:00

Some years ago, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article by Dr. Paul Ruskin on the “Stages of Aging.” In the article, Dr. Ruskin described a case study he had presented to his students when teaching a class in medical school. He described the case study patient under his care like this:“The patient neither speaks nor comprehends the spoken word. Sometimes she babbles

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-80250803818847732622010-01-26T18:50:00.001+08:002010-01-26T18:50:31.425+08:00

Sam Levenson tells a wonderful story about the birth of his first child.The first night home the baby would not stop crying. His wife franticallyflipped through the pages of Dr. Spock to find out why babies cry and whatto do about it. Since Spock's book is rather long, the baby cried a longtime. Grandma was in the house, but since she had not read the books onchildrearing, she was not consulted.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-77817642911748454532010-01-26T18:49:00.004+08:002010-01-26T18:50:07.056+08:00

"The Christmas spirit comes on me more slowly than it used to," writesJoan Mills, a mother of three children, in her book Christmas Coming. "Butit comes, it comes. Middle-aged (most of the time) and jaded (some of thetime), I complain of plastic sentiment, days too brief, bones too weary.Scrooge stands at my elbow muttering, "Bah!" and "Humbug!" as I total thebills. But when I acknowledge the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-52298631261346796052010-01-26T18:49:00.003+08:002010-01-26T18:49:47.124+08:00

Perhaps we need Santa at Christmas to help us be merry and joyous becausewe have a flawed understanding of Jesus. From today's gospel text we learnthat the first reaction to Jesus' presence on earth, of God-in-our-midst,was joy. Joy so tremendous, joy so utterly overwhelming that it mustsomehow escape the bounds of earth itself and jump towards the heavens.In John Ortberg's wonderful book The

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-82129132506075312202010-01-26T18:49:00.001+08:002010-01-26T18:49:27.083+08:00

A little girl, dressed as an angel, in a Christmas pageant was told tocome down the center aisle. The child asked, “Do you want me to walk orfly?” You feel as though she almost could have flown. Don’t ever lose thewonder and mystery of Christmas.Every year I’m reminded of those words of the late Peter Marshall: “WhenChristmas doesn’t make your heart swell up until it nearly bursts and fillyour

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-49893095658549595612010-01-26T18:48:00.004+08:002010-01-26T18:49:08.938+08:00

Consider the story of one young man. Sick and puny as a baby, he remainedfrail and delicate all his days. Later, as a pastor, his maladies were sosevere that he could not serve his growing congregation. Instead he wrotethem letters filled with hope and good cheer. Even though his body wasfrail his spirit soared. He complained once about the harsh and uncouthhymn texts of his day. Someone

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-29121358974396315372010-01-26T18:48:00.003+08:002010-01-26T18:48:46.869+08:00

Pastor William Carter said that on his Christmas vacation on his firstyear in college, he had become an expert on the birds and the bees.Biology was his major, and after a semester in the freshman class, he wascertain that he knew more biology than most adults did in his hometown ...including his minister. A few days before Christmas, he stopped in to seehim. He received him warmly and asked how

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-79968686466501873372010-01-26T18:48:00.001+08:002010-01-26T18:48:26.163+08:00

One of my all time favorite Christmas hymns is "O Little Town ofBethlehem." It has been around since 1868 although it wasn’t formally usedin churches until 1892. It is a hymn which is packed with emotion, a songabout the Christ Child, born to Mary, a song filled with the creativepower of God intervening in history with the gift of a savior.For me "O Little Town of Bethlehem," depicts the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-68322941602730985142010-01-26T18:47:00.000+08:002010-01-26T18:48:03.065+08:00

This is the time of year when we need to be on high alert for cute.We love cuteness. This is a cute-driven culture. And this season of yearturns everything it touches into glitz and cuteness.But the story of Jesus’ birth wasn’t cute.The Annunciation wasn’t cute.The virgin birth wasn’t cute.The Magnificat wasn’t cute.The little town of Bethlehem wasn’t cute.The killing of the innocents wasn’t

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-69200462940060136872010-01-26T18:46:00.002+08:002010-01-26T18:47:11.781+08:00

I am holding in my hands a copy of one of the world’s most revolutionarydocuments. In it are found these immortal words: “We hold these truths tobe self-evident, that all men are created equal.” Of course, thatdocument, the Declaration of Independence, is the charter of the AmericanRevolution. Though we have not yet lived up to it, it has been the visionthat inspires us. The only document I know

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-30953905402902381212010-01-26T18:46:00.001+08:002010-01-26T18:46:21.410+08:00

Would you allow me to be personal? I have an unusual story to tell, and I delight in telling it. My work brings me into contact with many people. In fact, I deal with all kinds of people from the humblest country folk to the highest officials. But the event I most vividly recall happened at one of the year's peak seasons. Our country's leader had felt that additional taxes were needed for us to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-7443535442947103952010-01-26T18:45:00.001+08:002010-01-26T18:45:30.723+08:00

Wally was big for his age--seven years old. Everyone wondered what role the teacher would give him in the annual Christmas play. Especially considering the fact that he was also a slow learner. Perhaps he could pull the curtain. To everyone's surprise the teacher gave Wally the role of the innkeeper. The boy of course was delighted. After all, all he had to learn was one line:"There is no room in

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-78906229232515400992010-01-26T18:44:00.001+08:002010-01-26T18:44:48.091+08:00

I wonder what I would have heard had I been there that night. It is a question that annually haunts me. Would I have heard the choirs of angels singing or simply the sounds of barnyard animals shifting around? Would I have seen the star in the sky that night or simply two poor and very frightened kids? Would I have understood the hushed silence of the divine presence, or simply the chill of a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-17363925278703345102010-01-26T18:43:00.000+08:002010-01-26T18:44:20.924+08:00

At the Annual Conference of the Methodist Church in Sierra Leone, WestAfrica. The meetings were held in the large sanctuary in the capital city,Freetown. Each day as we entered the large doors into the sanctuary therewas a young girl, maybe about the age of 8, who begged at the door. Shelooked ragged, dirty, her hair was matted and knotty, and she had ontattered clothes. No one seemed to know her

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-28917626034730868992010-01-26T18:42:00.004+08:002010-01-26T18:43:28.480+08:00

Eugene Peterson claims in one of his books: "For a long time I have beenconvinced that I could take a person with a high school education, give himor her a six-month trade school training, and provide a pastor who would besatisfactory to any discriminating American congregation. The curriculumwould consist of four courses. Course 1: Creative Plagiarism. I would putyou in touch with a wide range

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-48202676157478770962010-01-26T18:42:00.001+08:002010-01-26T18:42:22.245+08:00

Carl Michalson, a brilliant young theologian who died in a plane crash someyears ago, once told about playing with his young son one afternoon.They tussled playfully on their front lawn when Michalson accidentally hitthe young boy in the face with his elbow. It was a sharp blow full to hisson's face. The little boy was stunned by the impact of the elbow. It hurt,and he was just about to burst

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-66272803884066798622010-01-26T18:41:00.003+08:002010-01-26T18:41:40.882+08:00

For those using the liturgical colors of the season of advent: Whenever Ireflect upon the fact that purple is the color of Advent, I am reminded ofan historical story. When Louis the IV was a young boy growing up in Francethe Royal family employed one of the best teachers in the land to instructhim on the ways of royalty. When he arrived the first thing that he did wasto give the young prince a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-18553479168561479152010-01-26T18:41:00.001+08:002010-01-26T18:41:22.314+08:00

Billy Graham, who has often played the 20th century role of John theBaptizer, had these comments about the disease running rampant in ourworld: "We're suffering from only one disease in the world. Our basicproblem is not a race problem. Our basic problem is not a poverty problem.Our basic problem is not a war problem. Our basic problem is a heartproblem. We need to get the heart changed, the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030331239355474341.post-32609335915990895632010-01-26T18:40:00.002+08:002010-01-26T18:41:02.287+08:00

One critic said he had gone to many churches and heard the preacher say,"Don't try to impress God with your works" or "Don't attempt to please Godwith your merits" or "Don't try to keep the rules and regulations and thuswin your way." He looked around at nearly slumbering collections of utterlycasual Christians and wondered, "Who's trying?"Martin Marty

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