Building Up Relationships
Friendship is a beautiful thing. Meaningful, heart-to-heart friendships influence us greatly and bring stability into our lives, especially if they are grounded in Christ. True friends encourage us when we’re hurting or discouraged, and they rebuke us when we sin, yet they always care for us. Building relationships is hard. It takes a lot of time to build meaningful…
Abba Father
Sometimes we can learn things from everyday situations. A few years ago, my three-year-old son and I went for a walk. We were in an unfamiliar area with lots of vegetation. I told my son to stay close by me. He was doing great. However, when a calf that had broken loose from the rope that she had been tied with, went running by, my son gave chase. “Did I not just tell him…
A Broken and Contrite Heart
A Study of Psalm 51 By Harold S. Martin Used by permission of Bible Helps PO Box 391, Hanover PA 17331 It was springtime for King David, but he chose not to go out with his army as they continued to make new conquests. That year, the king chose to stay home (2 Samuel 11:1). Late one afternoon, as David was strolling about on the flat roof of the royal palace, he noticed a…
When Mothers Concede
“What are plain mothers of today telling their daughters about the carousel of cosmetics proffered for women?” This is a question I have pondered many times as I observe the girls in the church benches grow into womanhood. My wonder is weighted with concern. Listen in with me as two sisters talk about this topic. “What do you do about things like a touch of acne cover-up…
Trust in the Lord -with all thine heart
If we step back and look at our own life, can we honestly say that we trust in the Lord with all our heart? I often think of my children—they trust in me with all their hearts; there is no fear within them; they do not worry. My prayer is that I can trust in my Heavenly Father in the same way. Here in Haiti a lot of people are driven by fear. They fear the uncertainty of…
The Strength of Covenant
If marriage is a covenant, what is the significance of covenant relationship? What makes it a covenant relationship, and how does this differ from any other relationship? These are answers that we must pursue if we are to understand the permanence of marriage and if we are to successfully navigate the rocky shores of a troubled marriage. Covenant in our society has become…
The Inquisition of Jacques Dosie
“My lady, I thank you very much for your affection and favor towards me, but I have given myself entirely to God to be His friend, and with that I hope to live and die,” rang the confident, faith-filled words of Jacques “zhahk” (a French form of the male name Jacob or James). Persecution was fiercely raging in Europe in the year 1550. For their profession of faith…
Regeneration – Stem Cell Issues
Today, I’d like to continue and possibly complete our discussion of Regenerative Medicine. I want to consider where it stands today, and how Christians can navigate the complex maze of treatments. As you may recall, in the previous issue of this magazine we discussed that Regenerative Medicine is man’s attempt to re-create organ systems. We described how fetal tissue was…
Preparing for Death Gracefully
Studies in 2 Timothy 4:6-18 -by Harold S. Martin Used by permission of Bible Helps, PO Box 391, Hanover PA 17331 Second Timothy is the last letter that Paul wrote. He was in a damp underground prison, dug out under a government building in the city of Rome. Paul was jailed for preaching Christ and the resurrection. Nero was the Roman Emperor; he was the Saddam Hussein of…
Our Testimony that God’s Ways Work
Nearly 43 years ago, on a warm August afternoon, two 19-year-olds (a young woman and her fiancé) excitedly came out of her parents’ home and walked slowly down a small hill toward a group of 200 waiting people. Her father, a minister, awaited them at the front of the aisle. Flushed with excitement they stood before him and listened to the short message he had prepared…