Consider this

The church in the city of Corinth was a mess. People were fighting with one another. Some were taking others to court. Sin and dissension had crept in so far that they could not even agree on what their worship times should look like. They even fought during a friendly meal that they called “The love feast” (ironic huh?). It is no wonder then that as we read the letters that we call 1 and 2 Corinthians, we see the apostle Paul, guided by the Holy Spirit, trying to sort out one issue after another. The surprising part, though, is the problem that Paul deals with first. In the first ten verses of 1 Corinthians chapter one, the name of Jesus is used ten times. In these verses, Paul reminds them that they have been “called by Christ” (verse 2) and they have received “grace” and “mercy” from Christ (verses 3 and 4). He underlines the fact that Jesus is the one who will keep them “strong to the end” and that he is the one who m

Over the years, people have often compared the Bible to a map or an instruction book, because it is something that gives you information and tells you how to get home. While I understand that, I have two problems with those analogies. First, maps and instruction books are boring! You only use them when you are lost or in trouble and you do not use them every day. Secondly, the Bible never calls itself a “map” or an “instruction book”. It does, however, give us some other, much more useful, pictures. 1. The Bible is a Light. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). Lights are powerful. They allow us to see and understand what is around us and, strangely enough, they give us courage! My Grandparents used to live about four blocks from our house and the quickest way to get there was to cut through a cemetery. I was never scared of the cemetery in the daytime, but nighttime was a differ

It was supposed to be a day to remember and it was, for all the wrong reasons. Two 10-year-old best friends convinced their dads to take them to a soccer game at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. The big attraction was soccer star David Beckham. The boys talked about the day, dreamt about it and even made a sign for Beckham. After the game, Beckham walked over to where the two boys were sitting, removed his jersey and threw it over the fence to them. Eric Kerr’s son was holding the sign and Wilfred Ho’s son who caught the jersey. That is where the trouble started. The Kerrs claim that Beckham saw the sign and intended their boy to have the jersey. The Hos claim that their son caught it, so it belongs to him. On April 10, the Hos received a letter from the Kerrs’ attorney demanding the return of the shirt. In turn, the Hos attorney responded that they were the rightful owners and that they were not giving the shir