In Acts 6 Luke tells us this: The Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn …
A few Sundays a month, I have the privilege of standing on the sanctuary stage at Grace Redeemer Church and looking out into our congregation. This always reminds me of how much I treasure the Church (and I don’t mean 21 Harristown Road). I love the Capital C Church and how God designed it for our good and for his …
What is a mother? Obviously, a human mother is a woman who gives birth to a child. But sometimes a mother is a person who does what a mother ought to do—protect, defend, nurture, and love—whether that person is the biological mother or not. I’ll refer to this second sort of mother in italics (mother). Consider the mothers in Moses’ …
“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16b) This statement from God’s Word is a fitting theme for this year’s National Day of Prayer. We all recognize that, despite the many blessings of living in this country, there is much that is broken and should be the focus of our prayers, and as followers of Jesus …
Denise* is a single mom raising two sons ages eleven and nine. With earnings from a part-time job, child support, food stamps, and Section 8 vouchers for reduced rent, she is able to pay her rent and bills. However, her hours at work were cut recently, and an illness made her miss several weeks of work causing a reduction in …
On the staircase in our home is a broken baluster, which is the vertical wooden pole between the railing and the staircase. It’s been broken since we moved in three years ago. Sometimes when guests come over they accidentally bump it. They apologize and we apologize. When young children come over, sometimes their little hands find it and play with …
Hello GRC! I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions, but occasionally, to “detox” or to regain some health-discipline, I cut out carbs from my diet. That sounds so simple but the reality is sad, inconvenient or even dreadful to a guy who loves his white rice! (Replace with your own comfort food/starch of choice, whether bread, pasta or potatoes). …
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”– John 6:9 This story of the boy with five loaves and two fish is mentioned in all four gospels (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15). Here is Andrew’s question to Jesus in John 6:9, and I love how Jesus responds …
After the devastating air raid on U.S. forces at Pearl Harbor in 1941, Japanese sailors and airmen celebrated on the deck of the battleship Nagato. Amid all of the enthusiasm and revelry, only Admiral Yamamato Isoruku, Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Imperial Navy, observed soberly and grimly: “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant.” That observation …
Colossians 3:16Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. After a two-year hiatus, almost 70 of us (55 youth, plus 14 volunteers) recently attended the Great Escape Youth Retreat at beautiful Lake Champion, …