Maybe I mentioned before that I always keep dried fruit in my desk drawer so I’ll have a healthy snack handy when I’m working. Except the fruits are so dry that all that’s left of them is these nacho cheesy Doritos. Somehow that makes it an even sadder snack situation when I reach for my fruit and all I find in the bottom of the Dorito bag is a bunch of orange powder. I hate that. Some people would suggest that whenever that happens, I would do well to take the hint and go get an apple. … [Read more...]
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Are religion and science closer than we think?
A Missouri pastor recently sent me a Huffington Post article in which MIT Astrophysicist Max Tegmark assures us that religion and science are much closer than one might suspect, as evidenced by the results of a new MIT Survey on Science, Religion and Origins. You can read the results and view the survey questions on MIT’s website (http://space.mit.edu/home/tegmark/survey.html). Tegmark and his colleagues present a detailed survey of how different U.S. faith communities view the science of … [Read more...]
DON HINKLE: Ferocious news media smear a fine pastor
I first encountered Robert Jeffress, pastor, First Baptist Church, Dallas, in 1998 while working as a national correspondent for Baptist Press. My assignment was to cover an escalating controversy between First Baptist Church, Wichita Falls, Texas, where Jeffress pastored at the time, the Wichita Falls Public Library and the Wichita Falls City Council. A church member discovered that the library was making available to children two books promoting homosexuality. The member brought the books … [Read more...]
‘The Prodigal’ story led a son back home
Even something as simple as checking into a hotel can have kingdom implications. Here’s a story of what God did in one young man’s life: A young man saw me carrying my Bible and said that if I was a preacher, he sure needed to talk to someone before he did something drastic. We stepped out into the parking lot and I prayed for the Lord to work through me. I was ready to provide a gospel witness, listening prayerfully for what to say and do. When he started pouring out his story about just … [Read more...]
‘The yokes on me; yoke of Christ invigorating’
You know how I usually know I’ve been too busy? I open the refrigerator door and find fur. And then I stand there for several seconds wondering what it used to be. Then I stand there another several seconds wondering if I should have it spayed or neutered. It happened again the other day. I was standing with the fridge door open and my son told me he heard something groaning. I assured him it was only me. They heard my groaning, yet there is no one to comfort me. – For I must clean the … [Read more...]
Why some are cast out of the kingdom?
One of the more humbling experiences from my days in corporate life was being told that my reserved seat on a company jet was revoked at the last minute to make room for a late-arriving executive. Not to worry. I was offered the one remaining seat, located in the plane’s lavatory, where the toilet came equipped with a safety belt. Rather than cool my heels on the tarmac, I swallowed my pride and took my place on the aluminum throne. It reminded me of Jesus’ parable rebuking those who … [Read more...]
JOHN YEATS: Wishing I was younger; keys to marriage longevity
The story is told by Zig Ziglar after his 44th wedding anniversary that his wife looked at him one day and said, “Honey, I wish I was younger.” “Why?” Zig replied, thinking about the adventure of four decades of marriage to the woman of his dreams. “If I was younger, I could be married to you even longer,” she answered. Amazing story about a couple that loved each other through some of life’s very deep valleys. Is this the kind of marriage relationship people only fantasize about? Or is … [Read more...]
DON HINKLE: Confronting unloving culture, winsomely, with passion
And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?” – Acts 23:1-3 The term “culture warrior” has become a pejorative descriptor for people like … [Read more...]
RHONDA RHEA: Pointing to Him and His radiant glory
I burned my right index finger on the toaster the other day. Man, did that smart. It might not have been so bad if I hadn’t kept aggravating it. Do you know how many moves in everyday life require an uninjured right index finger? It was on the very tip to boot. The typing tip. And I’m a writer. That means every j, u, n, m, h and y was painful, not to mention my 6’s and 7’s. There are heroic people who deal with real challenges every day, of course—nothing like my wimpy one. The difference … [Read more...]
HINKLE: Don’t let envy be our poison ivy
I love yard work. I never lack amazement at the grandeur of God’s creation – even in my rocky backyard. But amidst the beauty of it all, I do not understand it all. For example, I have yet to discover any value in poison ivy. Once I get a little, it quickly turns into a lot – of misery. The spreading blisters and itching can last for weeks. I’m itching now, just thinking about it. It is the same way with poison envy. I say poison because envy is just that to our lives. Once it gets on us … [Read more...]
Questions for Proof of Heaven’s author
Christian apologetics is more than being ready to give an answer to anyone who asks a reason for the hope in us (1 Pet. 3:15). Sometimes it means asking tough questions of those who deny – or sincerely misunderstand – the Christian faith. A case in point is Eben Alexander, a celebrated neurosurgeon who recently granted an interview with FoxNews.com’s online magazine. Alexander knows a great deal about the human brain, and for years he used that knowledge to refute claims by those who said … [Read more...]
‘Says who — using words of grace’
Whenever someone is working really hard to make a solid argument on an issue they’re passionate about, it’s easy to get frustrated. I always advise against trying to turn the argument around with “I’m rubber and you’re glue.” “Says you” doesn’t really do much for a person’s believability either. And anytime I’m trying to defuse a heated discussion, I try to remember that “I know you are but what am I” is not the best way to go either. I might opt for “takes one to know one” except that I … [Read more...]