When I lived in rural Japan many years ago, I often saw elderly “oba-san” (grandmothers) who were permanently bent over, their backs virtually parallel with the ground. Decades of bending over in the rice fields made these women literally unable to straighten themselves out. I thought those women must have led a hard life. And…
In our adult Sunday School class we’ve been studying eschatology, which is the doctrine of the last things. We’ve looked at what the Bible teaches concerning the return of Christ, considering the various signs that indicate his return and the events surrounding his Second Coming. It would be a vast understatement to say that Bible-believing…
“I am the greatest!” When Muhammed Ali declared these words to the world, he gave voice not only to the boast of his heart, but to the sentiment that lies deep within all our hearts. We may not actually be the greatest at anything (at least Ali was the best boxer in the world!), but…
With the election looming (but now over), I thought an appropriate subject for the Sunday morning sermon would be sovereignty of God. The passage I chose was one that we had looked at a couple of years ago, Daniel 4. This is the letter written by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, recounting his humiliation at the hands…
I wrote out some thoughts on this topic, posted them here, and then decided to move the post to my personal blog. Here is the address for that: https://pastorscottjohnsonblog.wordpress.com/2016/10/12/what-to-think-of-the-election/
The Olympics were a treat to watch but I felt a little discomfort and even some sadness when in both the opening and closing ceremonies the speaker declared the hope that sports might bring unity to the world. I suppose the Olympic organizers feel the need to attribute some sort of transcendent meaning to the…
Embed from Getty Images Like much of the world, we’ve been watching the Olympics at home these past couple of weeks. One of the great appeals of the Olympics, and of any sports for that matter, is that we can vicariously exult in the triumphs of others. We Americans are spoiled in that, thanks to the truckloads…
Do you have family devotions in your home? Does your family read Scripture and pray together on a regular basis? If not, I urge you to start a routine of family worship. Don’t just relegate the worship of God to Sunday at church, but bring a little bit of church into your home. It’s one…
Apart from faith in Jesus Christ, there is no hope of salvation (Acts 4:12; 16:30, 31). Yet Christians in this life will struggle with unbelief – unbelief in the world, in the church, and in our own hearts. “Secularism” is the word for the unbelief our society. A secular worldview takes account only of the…
If you were President of the United States, how would you choose to travel? In the official limousine, surrounded by dozens of armed Secret Service officers, and with a fleet of security and police vehicles leading the way, their blaring sirens and flashing lights signalling your importance? Or would you rather be carried through the…