In Defense of the Christian Faith

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 "...Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil." Today, I'd like to focus on the first point of fearing the Lord that I mentioned last week (I plan to continue this series until I have tackled all of the points): IF YOU FEAR THE LORD, YOU DEPART FROM EVIL. I am aware that this is a rather broad statement, but there are SO MANY Scriptures to substantiate this that I wanted to bring some of them to your attention. In my opinion it is a rather interesting study, and it serves to narrow down just what it means to depart from evil. We started off with Proverbs 3:7 being our foundation, so... "Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil." So, if we fear the Lord, we are not wise in our own eyes. What does this mean? Well, Proverbs 12:15 clarifies it a bit: "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise." In other words, don't think that becaus...

Beth Guckenberger, a missionary to Mexico, describes how she and her husband reach out to Mexican orphans with the love of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and how this has inspired her book Reckless Faith ... And this is a particular story that Beth shared which I found very inspiring; it gives new meaning to the phrase "childlike faith," and it is so neat to see how God orchestrates things... For More Inspiring Story Paricipants, check out the following blogs: As In A Mirror Jay's Music Blog

Many of you know about the ongoing battle to remove the phrase "Under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. In this short, hilarious video, comedian Rich Prator says, "What are they going to replace it with?" He gives his own suggestion: evolution. Most of you know how I feel about evolution, so this pretty much sums it up! In my opinion, it is hilarious because it is so true! Enjoy!                           If this purposed amended version of the Pledge of Allegiance is ever excepted, I wonder if it will make the students stop and think about what they are being taught in school -- "Do I actually believe that I evolved from slime? Did all of this really just happen by chance?" But of course not! We don't want the students to actually think... the horror! There goes that idea! Hmmmm...

"...They hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord..." (Proverbs 1:29) Today, I'd like to talk about the fear of the Lord. You'll notice that in the above Scripture, it says that they did not CHOOSE the fear of the Lord; in other words, it is our choice. So what is the fear of the Lord and do you have it? Well, for today's WFW, I thought it would be fun to give you a quiz. The Bible asks us to "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? --unless indeed you are disqualified" (2Co 13:5). Examining ourselves can be challenging, because we can find some things that we aren't doing that we should be doing; therefore, some of the Scriptures in this quiz might be just that for some of us. But it's my hope that if you see any area in which you are lacking, you will fix it, as the Scriptures command us to do (James 4:17); that is the purpose of studying ...

The wait is over, folks! ;) I'm FINALLY getting around to posting this weeks Inspiring Story... thanks for your patience. Today, I'd like to focus on Angus Buchan, a Scottish-African who resides in South Africa. A man of extraordinary character and faith, his is a very interesting story, and I could go on and on about how much I admire him. Therefore, I will say this much: he is best known for his book and movie " Faith Like Potatoes " (which was the best video I have ever seen). His website tells a brief version of the story, for those interested. (If you click on the movie title above, you can also see a trailer.) Some of my readers have already seen the movie (and if you haven't, I highly recommend it), so today, I'm going to focus on a recent newsarticle pertaining to Angus Buchan... According to the local news, News24 , on April 6, 2009: The popular South African evangelist, Angus Buchan, collapsed on Saturday, shortly after his morning service at ...

Due to a very busy weekend, I regret to inform my readers that I am going to postpone this week's Inspiring Story meme to Monday (possibly Tuesday). However, I encourage those of you have not yet read all of the featured inspiring story entries to do so by clicking here . Thank you for your understanding.

The following is a "debate" that took place during a professor's lecture. I had heard this story before, but I just learned that it was a true story and found out who the student was that drove home the point. But that is the reward of reading the WHOLE thing... ------- "Let me explain the problem science has with religion." The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand. "You're a Christian, aren't you, son?" "Yes sir," the student says. "So you believe in God?" "Absolutely." "Is God good?" "Sure! God's good." "Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?" "Yes." "Are you good or evil?" "The Bible says I'm evil." The professor grins knowingly. "Aha! The Bible!" He considers for a moment, "Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and...

2 Pet 2: 9-10, 12 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.... Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds, and praise your Father in Heaven” (Matthew 5: 14 -16). We should be lights to those around us, especially to non-believers. We should not hide our light from them. Jo...

I was looking for a particular quote today and I found these (all credit goes to Brian )... I think they are not only interesting, but they also provide us with some food for thought... "Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand." - St. Augustine of Hippo I thought of that one in light of the Bible: Proverbs 4:4-7 states, "He also taught me, and said to me: 'Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.'" Also, Proverbs 2:4-11 says, "If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God. For the LO...

Last week, I shared Gladys Aylward's story . This week, I'd like to focus on her quote: "...But God looked down and saw Gladys Aylward and said, 'She's willing." This reminded me... there was once a preacher who was attending a Kathryn Kuhlman meeting. As he sat there observing the meeting, he asked the Lord, "God, why do you use her ?" In response, God spoke to him and said, "Tell that couple that they're living in adultery." The man argued with God; he just couldn't do it. As he was debating it in his mind, Kathryn Kuhlman said, "There's someone living in adultery..." God then spoke to the preacher and said, "That's why I use her." She was willing and she obeyed. That is what today's featured Inspiring Story is about: Obedience. This story is from the book To China and Back by Anthony G. Bollback (pages 109-110). Anthony had started a rooftop chapel in Hong Konk, called Simpson Chapel and Primary...

In this portion of a message entitled "How Great is Our God," Louie Giglio speaks of the wonders of Laminin. What is Laminin? To find out, watch this video, and be amazed!

The following is a study I did as a result of reading Amy Carmichael's biography, A Chance To Die (which I have not finished reading yet). For a better understanding of what I will present here, see " Every Man's Work ," by my good friend, Alice. Something that struck me was that even though Amy was doing all these wonderful things for God, she still felt like her work was wood, hay, and stubble, as it says in 1 Corinthians. I began to ponder this, and I wondered, "How do I know that my works will last?" Thus, today's WFW. I am not a Bible scholar, but this is what I found. If there are any Bible scholars out there who have something to add, feel free do leave a comment. Thanks. ------------- Proverbs 17: 3 The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts. tries -- to test (especially metals); generally and figuratively, to investigate:--examine, prove, tempt, try (trial). Example -- Abraham's heart...

Think you know a lot? Yeah, right... The Psalmist said, "Your Word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you." Have you committed that much to memory? My friend Renee has posted an amazing challenge called Memorization Marathon. For those of us who want to hide more of God's Word in our hearts, she challenges us to memorize a chapter a week for a total of 26 weeks! Of course, if that is too much, one can do less -- whatever goal you want to set. But the ultimate goal is to have 26 chapters memorized in 26 weeks! Each week, the participants can post their progress. This a fun and innovative way to memorize God's Word, and to "water" our faith , as the it says in Psalms, "But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law he meditates day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither..." (Psalm 1:2-3). Visit Renee's blog ...

Today, I'd like to share a small portion of Gladys Aylward's story. For those of you who may not have heard of her, here is a little background (from the back cover of the book Gladys Aylward: The Adventure of a Lifetime ), before we begin: "As improbable as it seemed, Gladys Aylward was certain God had called her to China as a missionary. But now, at age twenty-seven, she was being dismissed from missionary school for failing her Bible class. Without formal education or a missionary organization to back her, Gladys raised her own finances for the overland trip that would bring her to the country and people that God had etched so deeply on her heart... China!" Our story begins after Gladys had applied for a job as a housemaid in hopes of raising some money for the trip to China. She had already used up most of her money by paying her way to the home where she was to serve as housemaid. Gladys lifted her cardboard suitcase onto the bed. Inside it was everything sh...