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The Road to Jerusalem is in Your Heart
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. Psalm 84:5 The heart is often under attack in the church. It seems that one verse in Jeremiah stands for the whole of scripture’s stand on the heart. “Your heart is deceptive and desperately wicked,” preachers tell me, but then I am told to guard my heart, for out of it comes the wellsprings of life, according to Proverbs. Seems contradictory. The New Testament is kinder to the heart, telling me to love others from the heart, to love God with a pure heart, and not to lose heart. And if my heart condemns…
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God’s Miraculous and Timely Intervention
I suppose I was prepped to believe that God’s intervention can happen miraculously by a youth spent devouring the books of evangelists. These men and women of God proved over and over how He can and does aid those who for whatever reason find themselves caught in unforeseen and overwhelming circumstances. For instance, the story of Nora Lam gave me an understanding of God’s care of the widow and orphan. Her story of staying pregnant for nearly a year while she worked in a hard labor camp in Communist China is gripping. Though I did not expect to need rescue, I was prepared to accept intervention when it came. The…
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The Power of Delight: Four Ways to Experience It
When I think of the power of delight, I think about my mother’s mission trip to China. In 1980, China opened its doors to the Western world to tourists. My mother took part in the first Christian envoy into China after decades of exclusionist policies. The difference in the quality of life between the Chinese and the Americans was striking. Of course, this phenomenon is still not unusual when one travels. The little group was only the second American group allowed in; the first honor going to Bob Hope, the late actor, and his entourage. The Wretched Power of Complaint: The Minister of Tourism, Mr. Woo accompanied each group, presumably…
Healing Through Art & Words
