Have you ever been faced with a choice between two good things? It’s not easy to make a decision when faced with two good options. We see Paul in Philippians found himself in a situation where, if the choice were left to him, he’d have a difficult time deciding what to do.
To Live is Christ – Philippians 1:21
Dwight Moody was traveling by boat on one of the Great Lakes when a really bad storm developed. The passengers cowered in fear starting an impromptu prayer meeting for deliverance, which Moody didn’t join. When asked why not he said, “I have a sister in Chicago and one in heaven and I don’t care which […]
Joy In The Face of Uncertainty – Philippians 1:20
An inventor once said (and sometimes I think we should have listened to this fellow), Theoretically, television may be feasible, but I consider it an impossibility — a development which we should waste little time dreaming about. (Lee de Forest, 1926, inventor) The chairman of the board for IBM in 1943 said, I think there […]
Paul’s Assurance – Philippians 1:19
Kevin A. Pierpont Higgins Lake Baptist Church 7/18/04 “John Paton was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station, intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed […]
Joy in the Midst of Difficulty – Part 2 – Philippians 1:15-18
Mike Yaconelli, in The Wittenburg Door shared this insight… The problem with the church today is not corruption. It is not institutionalism. No, the problem is far more serious than something like the minister running away with the organist. The problem is pettiness. Blatant pettiness. (Mike Yaconelli in The Wittenburg Door (Dec./Jan. 1985). Christianity Today, […]
My Bad Back Tire
A couple of weekends ago Kevin and Taylor, my two oldest boys, and I were preparing to take our canoe for a trial run on nearby Marl Lake. It was a beautiful day to be outdoors. Cool but not cold, breezy and clear blue skies. We had not been out with this canoe before and […]
Joy In the Midst of Difficulty – Philippians 1:12-14
In our study of Philippians we’ve been talking about how we can have true joy as followers of Jesus Christ. But when it comes to the times in our lives when we face troubles and trials how can we have joy then? How in the world are we to have joy in the midst of […]
In the Dark
I was feeling my way through the family room in the dark. It was pitch black as I walked through the room moving my arms in front of me in a crisscross pattern. I was trying to find the supporting pole in the middle of the room with my hands to avoid bumping into it. […]