Category: Calvary
A Growing Urgency
Ok, kids, it’s Book Club time. For Christmas, my mom gave me a book by Dr. David Jeremiah called What in the World is Going On? This book is a discussion about the end times and the return of Christ and what events might have to unfold for it to pass. It explores some of the biblical prophecies such as the one Nebuchadnezzar had in which Daniel interpreted for him (see Daniel 2). As the book talks about these prophecies, it frames them around events that are going on, such as the rapid rise of radical Islamic terrorism. → Read more...
Happy Trails 2008
Well, for many of us, 2008 was a bewildering year. It had its moments of joy and gladness, although those seemed to be overwhelmed and overshadowed by the economic gloom and doom that descended rapidly in the second half of the year. Jobs were lost, wages were cut, prices were either driven low or high, depending on what you wanted to buy. Through it all, the earth kept turning, the sun continually rose and set, and the tides came in and went, all on clockwork, reminding us that regardless of what happens with our economy, God is there, watching it all and has things in control. → Read more...
Seven More Days Until Christmas
Yikes. Just seven? I’d better get to shopping and finish off my gifts! I’ve got a lot to do between now and then. There’s wrapping to be done, last minute gifts to be gotten, packages to be delivered and Christmas cards to be sent! And I have to do all of this while balancing my budget and making sure we can pay for everything that we need this month! Wait a minute. Why is it that when I hear that there’s only seven days until Christmas, it fills me up with stress and dread, reminding me of all the work I have yet to do to get ready for the holiday? → Read more...
Season’s Greedings
So, the biggest news of this week? Of course, it’s the arrest and indictment of Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich on a bunch of corruption charges. The charges can basically boil down to this: shaking people down for political favors and money for himself and his family. It’s another black eye for the Illinois political system which has become synonymous with the expression “pay-for-play,” which can easily be tracked back to when Chicago was run by the mob, including the famous Al Capone. → Read more...
Celebrate the Holidays?
Well, we’re in the middle of the holiday season. The radio is blaring Christmas music, the mall parking lots are slowly filling up, and everyone’s gearing up for a great time, right? Well, not necessarily. As I’ve talked about in the past, holidays can be a tough time for a lot of people who are struggling with grief. Someone sent me this article by Marjorie Kooy who is a counselor for Chicago Christian Counseling Center. She also facilitates a grief support group. → Read more...
Baggage Claim
This week I’ve been thinking about our baggage. Not the Samsonite ones that we carry with us to the airport. Not that kind. I’m talking about the things, ideas, ideals, thoughts, hurts, wounds, emotions, fantasies, and opinions that we all carry with us, sometimes consciously, but usually and oftentimes subconsciously. When you go to the airport and check in your bags to put on the plane, they ask you to put it on a scale to measure the weight of the bag. → Read more...
It’s Not Just You and Me in America
Last week, my attention was brought to a sobering news story about Christians in Iraq, a country that has already been ravaged by sectarian violence and religion disagreements taken to the extreme. Allow me to quote some of the article: “Archbishop Louis Sako … called on the U.S. military to do more to protect Christians and other minorities in the face of a rash of deadly attacks that has prompted growing numbers to flee the country. → Read more...
Economic Turbulence
Well, it’s been one of those weeks. Everybody’s been talking about what’s going on in Washington with the bailout plan. Companies and banks are seemingly folding or teetering on the brink of failure. The stock market has been swinging wildly like a pendulum, mostly downwards. People, not just those connected to the financial sector, but everybody else, even those who don’t know the difference between a Roth IRA and a T-bill, have joined the dialogue about what’s going on with our economy and how we got where we are now. → Read more...
Flooded
It began with just a few drops of rain. And then it all came down, constantly and never ending. The ground and the trees soaked all the water up greedily, but the water still kept coming. Having drunk all they could, the earth rejected the rest of the water and the water rushed to streams, ponds, sewers and rivers, causing everything to rise, like a bread dough placed in the oven. When the rain finally stopped and the sun broke through the clouds, people found their basements and neighborhood streets flooded from all the water. → Read more...
Zoning Christianity
January 15, 2009
Calvary
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Matt
Last week I talked about a book I was reading that discussed the coming end times framing them through current events and biblical prophecy. One of the things that has been on my mind ever since picking up the book is the fact that we shouldn’t be separating our secular and religious life into different, distinct zones. This has been nagging me for a couple of weeks now, which I definitely interpret as the Holy Spirit that dwells in me tugging on my conscience, trying to reveal a truth about my life to me. → Read more...
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