Consider this

            Maybe I am a bit of a control freak, but I do not like uncertainty in my life.   I want to know what is coming.   Waiting for situations to resolve themselves usually just gives me more time to imagine the worst outcomes.    Maybe that is why I like the words of the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk.   He said,   “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength” (3:17-18).             Though nothing looks right and all is seemingly lost, Habakkuk is still hopeful because he believes that God is in charge and is doing something even if he does not see or understand it.   He does not...

“People (including yourself) will be more interested in spiritual things when they have more information.   The more they know, the more they will do.”                     Do you believe that? Obviously, teaching is important.   Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God”.   However, I do not think that “lack of instruction” is always the issue.   I think that if you want people to be interested, you have to give them what Peter gives his audience in Acts 2. Interestingly, Peter’s sermon does not give his audience any new information.   He starts by quoting the prophet “Joel”, but his audience knew the words of the prophets.   Next he talks about King David.   His audience would have grown up with the stories about this great man of God.   Then he mentions Jesus, his death and the empty tomb.   They knew this part too....

               Amelia Earhart never suggested that her 1932 solo flight from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland to a farmer’s pasture in Ireland was going to be easy.   However, she likely never expected it to be as harrowing as it became.                 Less than two hours into the flight, her altimeter (the gauge that measures altitude) quit working.   Not long after that, she encountered fog, then darkness and then a storm.   When she climbed to a higher altitude to escape the storm, ice formed on her wings forcing her back down.   Without an altimeter and being unable to see, she could only guess how close she was to the surface of the water.   Soon, she was uncertain as to whether she was on or off course and she had no idea how far she had flown.            ...