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Showing posts from July, 2019

Wondering Where the Lions Are

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Recently while hanging out at Panera Bread, I heard a variety of songs playing on their sound system. One of them was the 1980 hit “Wondering Where the Lions Are” by Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn. For the next few days, that song kept going through my mind. Soon I got to thinking about lions in Scripture. The lion is often called “The King of the Beasts.” Its furious roar can be heard for up to five miles causing other creatures to freeze in their tracks. Contrary to popular belief, lions abide in the woods or fields, not in jungles. Nor will you usually find them walking around in cities and towns. That’s why it’s ridiculous for the lazy man to claim in Proverbs 22:13, “There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!” Lions are mentioned in prophecy. In Ezekiel 38, the “young lions” refer to countries birthed from the U. K. including the United States. The first of the four living creatures in Revelation 4:7 is “like a lion.” Revelation 5:5 refers...

Focus on the Family…and Ministry

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Often I visit the CBN News website to read about current events from a Christian perspective. Back in 2010, one of their headlines was “Evangelist Benny Hinn Opens Heart to Viewers.” The Israeli-born televangelist talked about his wife divorcing him (they have since reconciled and remarried). Benny admitted he was so busy with the ministry that he neglected his family and urged viewers not to do likewise. Billy Graham also regretted not spending enough time with his family. In his autobiography “Just As I Am”, the evangelist wrote that “...over the years, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the Team became my second family without my realizing it. Ruth [Billy’s wife] says those of us who were off traveling missed the best part of our lives—enjoying the children as they grew. She is probably right. I was too busy preaching all over the world.” Billy confessed, “Every day I was absent from my family is gone forever. Although much of that travel was necessary, some of it...

To the Moon and Beyond

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This Saturday will be the 50th anniversary of man’s first walk on the moon. I was five years old then and don’t remember watching it live. The Apollo 11 landing occurred on a Sunday night with Neil Armstrong stepping on the lunar surface just before 10:00 p.m. CST. Since it would have been past my bedtime, I was probably asleep then. I do remember dressing up as an astronaut for Halloween three months later and wearing my costume at kindergarten. As a kid, I looked forward to the 21st century figuring we’d be living like The Jetsons. I assumed our space program would travel throughout our solar system and beyond. Although probes have orbited and landed on other extraterrestrial bodies, manned missions using the Space Shuttle haven’t gone beyond our earth’s orbit. When Newt Gingrich briefly ran for president in 2012 , he suggested putting an American base on the moon by 2020. While it’s unlikely that will happen next year, President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon ...

Flak About “The Shack”

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For over a decade, one of the most popular books on the Christian market has been “The Shack.” This 2007 novel self-published by Canadian author Wm Paul Young went on to become a best seller. A movie based on the book came out two years ago. While many Christian leaders endorsed “The Shack”, some dismissed it as heresy. One reason is God the Father represented as a woman. I haven’t read “The Shack” for other reasons. One of them is I never felt led to do so. Years ago as a young believer, I devoured many Christian books but have since focused more on reading the Bible. Nowadays, I rarely buy any books. I trust the Lord to provide what He wants me to read. Whenever someone offers to give or loan me a book, I often examine the cover, table of contents and any endorsements before deciding if it’s something to invest my time in. So why this article about a 12-year-old book I haven’t even read? A few days ago, a Facebook friend shared a post that aroused my concerns. A prophetic ...