I. The Early Years: Prayer as Superficial Discipline For three decades, prayer has served as both a spiritual anchor and a recurring challenge in my Christian walk. During my formative years as a believer, I approached prayer with the mechanical precision of a novice musician practicing scales—repetitive motions devoid of emotional depth. My petitions often…
As I rock my youngest granddaughter to sleep, humming “Jesus Loves Me,” I’m struck by the weight of Deuteronomy 4:9: “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to…
Location：In Toulouse, France (43°36′11.7″N 1°29′44.7″E). Opening Hours：Typically open from 8:30 – 18:30.
Excerpts:“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”“Try to exclude the possibility of suffering which the order of nature and the existence of free-wills involve, and you find that you have excluded life itself.”“Pain insists upon being attended…
A year ago, as I was looking through the endorsers of a well – known decade – old book about the gospel, I was startled to discover that, out of 17 prominent Christian leaders, six had stepped down or been removed from their ministry positions. That’s a more than one – third dropout rate in…
Last spring, during the Good Friday service, I mentioned a passage from the book of Hebrews in my message, and it really struck a chord. It was one of those unexpected moments when a Bible verse cuts through the busyness of life, making us hit the brakes and take notice. In Hebrews 4:15, the writer…
I eagerly clicked on her Facebook page, looking forward to seeing her husband, an old friend of mine, and their two children. I imagined that the kids were all grown up by now, probably with families of their own. Years ago, our two families were among the emerging leaders in our church. I saw them…
Excerpts:“The Spirit will lead you to the way of the cross, and that is definitely not a safe or pretty or comfortable place to be.”“The truth is that the Spirit of the living God is guaranteed to ask you to go somewhere or do something you wouldn’t normally want or choose to do.”“We are most…
A study by Faith Communities Today indicates that 33 percent of the members in the surveyed churches are over 65 years old. The 2020 census also revealed that 10,000 baby boomers reach the age of 65 daily. Our world is growing older, and so are the congregations within it. When we look at the increasing…
Excerpts:“The Bible is full of ordinary people who did extraordinary things because they trusted in an extraordinary God.”“When you have nothing left but God, you realize that God is enough.”“The Lord didn’t call us to be successful; He called us to be faithful.”