Author: S&P

Peeking out from behind the orange pumpkins and overflowing cornucopias, you may have already begun to spot cinnamon red candles, thick green garlands and an array of ornaments.  TV commercials present snow-filled scenes, roaring fires and busy elves making toys in Santa’s workshop. The sights and sounds of the season are upon us.  They quietly whisper:  Christmas is coming. In just...

In an early 2014 Pulse Opinion poll, 78 percent of 1,000 evangelicals surveyed believed that the biblical command to “love the stranger” means “to treat the stranger humanely while applying the rule of law.” Only 11 percent felt that the biblical command to “love the stranger” means to offer work permits or citizenship.  Does this imply that evangelicals are unkind? No, to the contrary this i...

“The duty of the grand jury,” read the St. Louis County Prosecutor carefully, “is to separate fact from fiction.” Following the August 9th shooting death of 18-year old Michael Brown, jury members met twenty-five days. They reviewed seventy hours of testimonies. They compared eye-witness accounts against physical evidence. They heard from medical examiners and were instructed on the law. Their dec...

How healthy are you going into this holiday season? While you can try to steer clear of germs, pump up the antioxidants, and even get your flu shots, one of the healthiest habits you can cultivate is to express a grateful heart. That’s right. Numerous studies exist showing a direct relationship between a positive attitude and improved health (and even a longer life!). To be positive, in shor...

Although we often caricature them—imagining them in ridiculously tall hats with enormous buckles—the story of the Pilgrims’ “First Thanksgiving” is rich with insight and inspiration.  The Pilgrims were human and bore the imprint of the Fall with all its attendant sinful consequences.  They were sometimes judgmental and intolerant, prone to bickering, and tempted by materialism.  The...

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in June 2013 to reverse the Defense of Marriage Act, same sex marriage has become legal in over thirty states. The momentous shift in the U. S. has ignited religious groups worldwide to think about and define (or rethink and redefine) marriage and the family.  Within the past four weeks, three major religious conferences have concentrated on the the...

“Preach the gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words.“ This classic quote, misattributed to Saint Francis of Assisi, is both clever and catchy. It just isn’t biblical. Evangelism—communicating the good news of King Jesus—always requires words. As believers we are called to “adorn” the gospel with our actions (Titus 2:10), to be sure, but our actions are not themselves the gospe...

Thanksgiving is approaching, and before we turn on the football game or rush off to the mall, the more traditional among us will honor the day by reminding our families of the story of the Pilgrims.  And in keeping with tradition, we’ll get much of the story wrong.  Most of the inaccuracies will be trivial.  In our mind’s eye, we’ll remember the Pilgrims decked out in black suits an...

All the World’s a Stage “All the world’s a stage,” Shakespeare famously wrote, “And all the men and women merely players” (As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII). He was right, but he wasn’t the first to say that. Forty years before Shakespeare penned those words, John Calvin had called the universe God’s “majestic theater.” So the world isn’t just a stage; it’s God’s stage where all things showcase t...

While spending a Sunday in London, five college students went to the Metropolitan Tabernacle to hear its famous preacher, Charles Spurgeon. As they waited for the doors to open, the students were greeted by a man (who they would later learn was Spurgeon himself), who offered, “Gentlemen, let me show you around. Would you like to see the heating plant of this church?” They were not particularly int...

Scripture commands parents to teach their children God’s Word (Deut. 6:6–9; Eph. 6:4). Yet the potential obstacles to teaching the Bible to children, especially small children, are nearly endless. How do you hold their attention? How do you communicate the great mysteries of the faith in a way they can understand? How can you make this a habit when your time is pulled in so many directions? I’ll a...

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, hostilities between Allied forces and Germany ceased, bringing an end to World War I.  In 1938, November 11 was made an annual holiday; in 1954, the observance became known as “Veterans Day.” There are currently more than 1.4 million Americans on active military duty around the world, and another 850,000 on...