Peter: An Unlikely Hero of Faith
He was a relatively successful businessman -- a tradesman, heartily plying his craft with a small fleet of fishing boats that he shared with his brother and his friends. He knew the sea, his boats, his friends, his family -- and as a God-fearing Jewish man, he knew his religion. But religion was more for the formative years. It was for his wife and his children. It's not that he didn't believe, but he was a busy man, trying to earn an honest living and put bread on the table.
The Pigeon and the Pothole
What an unpleasant scene I witnessed one day. Right outside the door of our church a small pothole had developed. Some people don't notice potholes until they are large enough to cause alignment problems. Normally I don't either, but this one was slowly expanding in a precarious place. Being the associate pastor, my job was to make sure that everything was in order around our building. A pothole right outside the door was definitely out of order, no matter how small. An alley
Are You Driven or Called?
In his famous book, Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald contrasts being "driven" by negative or selfish motives, verses being "called" by God. He declares that being "called" should provide our motivation. He explains that yielding to God's call brings great peace and rest to our lives. In my life and ministry experience I have been both “called” and “driven.” I believe there is a positive side to being driven – Jesus was “driven” into the wilderness by the Holy Spi
Three Keys To Answered Prayer
And I say to you ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you (Luke 11:9). Prayer is an essential part of our relationship with God. Yet, too often we neglect this vital bridge of communication with heaven. In many cases, we don't pray because we don't know exactly how to pray -- or how often. Jesus' disciples clearly saw the effect that prayer had in His life. He spent large amounts of time in prayer, often by Himself. The
Relationship with God - Task From God
You and I were created to have a relationship and to worship God. But we were also created to fulfill a certain role or task in the Kingdom of God. We see this in the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus taught his disciples: “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored.” Relationship. But he went on to teach them: “May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven.” Task. (Matthew 6:9-10, NLT) We see the balance between relationship
Joy ... In His Presence
It was a major time of transition in my life, and things didn’t appear to be working out. I was working for a ministry, but was having a hard time making ends meet. I was getting by month-to-month, but just barely. I was having a hard time maintaining my joy. I grew up in a Christian family and learned at an early age that joy was not dependent on circumstances. “Joy,” I was taught in Christian school, “came from having your priorities straight: Jesus, Others, then You (J.O.Y
Craig's Video Teaching: Jesus Wants You to Know Him
Video teaching: Craig teaches on Jesus' passion for you to know Him -- from the CBN.com spiritual gifts webcast with Marguerite Evans. Watch now. More video from Craig von Buseck #teaching #BibleTeaching #Bible #DrCraigvonBuseck #CraigvonBuseck #Jesus #JesusChrist #Relationship #Christianwalk #pray #prayer #worship #soakingprayer #Temple #Jesusdrivesoutthemoneychangers #CourtoftheGentiles #Isaiah #EthiopianEunuch #PhiliptheEvangelist
A Heart of Compassion
Jesus was having what we, in the natural, would call a ‘bad day’. He had just received the news that the person who most understood him, his cousin, the prophet John the Baptist, had been wantonly murdered to fulfill a shallow promise by a lustful king. Jesus, though he was God, was also human, with human emotions. When he received this tragic news he just wanted to get away from it all. Matthew tells us: Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a
How St. Nick Became Santa Claus
The story of our modern Santa Claus begins with a real person named Nicholas, who was born during the third century in Patara, a village in what is now Demre, Turkey. His wealthy parents raised him as a Christian. But they died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young, and he was left with their fortune. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his inheritance to assist the suffering, the sick, and the poor. Read the full
How Saul Became The Apostle Paul
“The best and the brightest.” The same phrase could have been used to describe Saul of Tarsus; a child of the best upbringing; a student of the vaunted teacher, Gamaliel; a Roman citizen; trained in the best Jewish schools; groomed, perhaps, to even become chief priest. And this pious man was bent on the destruction of the believers in Jesus. In order to understand Saul of Tarsus it is important that we put him into historical context. Only a few short years had passed from t
