Isaiah 49 is a mountain-peak passage. Once you’ve climbed it, you just have to pause at the top and take in the view. So I want us to look at the summit of this passage, verses 14–16, because it gives us the most wonderful assurance that nothing in life could ever make God forget us. Of course, that’s not how the exiles in Babylon feel. God has just spoken of his coming servant who will restore...
Over the past few years, something about our culture has changed. We all sense it, though we can’t always put it into words. Some say we’ve moved from a world that’s neutral toward Christianity to a more “negative world.” Others say we’re living through the slow death of Enlightenment liberalism. Still others assert that Western society is now fully post-Christian. Whatever you call it, what we...
Nehemiah has never been short of admirers, as a man and as a leader. Consider these representative quotes from those who have studied his story: From the book of Nehemiah, I learned how to plan my work, organize my time and resources, integrate my duties into the total operation of the company, motivate others, and measure the results. I learned the importance of setting realistic goals and found...
Several years ago, I was interacting with a friend in his mid-twenties who was troubled about his lifestyle and his future. He had grown up reading the stories of missionaries from centuries past who had left everything for the gospel. He had recently heard of Christians who had sold their homes and took other radical steps to avoid wealth. My friend told me that he did not want to settle into an...
All parents want their children to whine less, but few notice that they might have a problem with whining too. In Sam and the Sticky Situation: A Book About Whining (part of the Teaching Children to Use Their Words Wisely Series), Ginger Hubbard and Al Roland help families think about whining with a silly story that will not only make them laugh but will also encourage them to see how whining...
