Christian Living

World Wars I and II brought indescribable pain and suffering to millions of people, brought death to millions more, and possibly 1.5 trillion dollars or more worth of damage. In today’s world, violent crime is up 467%, the number of incarcerated criminals up 463%, and out of wedlock births up 461% all in the last 40 years. Is it too simplistic to say it is all because of the unbroken will?
As we can see from the statistics above, the human will is nothing to trifle with.
The will is a part of what makes you. It is one of the three major aspects of the mind.

In Judges 17:6 we have recorded, “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” This sad commentary is again given as a summary in the last verse of Judges. As we read Judges and first Samuel we see the same was holding true among the priests as well. As we follow Israel’s history, 1 Samuel records that they opted to fix this by anointing a king. King Saul started in humility, but already in 1 Samuel 13, he too was doing that which was right in his own eyes. What happened to the standard?

Psalm 130:1-3 “Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord who shall stand?”

Why are so many churches struggling to have a healthy church life? This is a question I have often asked myself. As I look at the conservative churches across the country it concerns me. The purpose of this article is to look at this question and to look into God’s word for some answers to it.

What had started as perhaps just an ordinary day for us, had become a day with a most unusual happening. We had been hearing strange stories of a rabbi in town. Everyone said he was a different sort of rabbi. His teaching was captivating, his demeanor was gentle and kind, but something was uncommon. We decided today we take some time off to see if we could find out more.

Revival movements in history have been catalysts of movement and change in the church. What lessons can we learn from the most recent one in North America?

A man comes up with an idea to start a business. He sees a market for an item. He puts a lot of energy and time into getting his business off the ground. He works long hours and comes up with creative ideas. He’s willing to step out and lead his business, but soon he grows older and is no longer able to put the amount of energy into his business that it needs. So he hands it down to his son who has been helping him. The son does well with the business but eventually grows old and needs to hand it down another generation.

The US Interstate system and secondary roadways are lined with thousands of miles of “rumble strips”. These carved indentations in the asphalt and concrete are designed to produce a sharp rumbling noise to alert drivers they are drifting to the edge.
There are many reasons one would drift off the road. These may include drowsiness, carelessness, eating, being deep in thought, mobile device distractions, etc. There are many driver distractions that take the driver’s mind off the focus of navigating his vehicle in a careful and safe manner.

I surveyed the young man who had just entered the garage I was working in. He was a typical figure on any construction site with scuffed work boots, faded jeans, a muscle T-shirt, and baseball cap. As he neared the ladder I was working from, something caught my eye. On one suntanned shoulder he had a small tattoo. Looking more closely I made out the figure of a large buck and between his antlers were the words “Archery Hunter”. The rattle of my impact wrench made conversation nearly impossible, so I merely smiled and nodded as he passed.

Every neighborhood has them, probably every congregation—those people who carry around a spirit of grievance. “I have been wronged,” they say. They develop a self-pitying, complaining spirit.