Loving God and Loving People

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37, 39 The God of love gave to Frank Laubach (1884-1970) a large capacity to both love God and love people. A former editor of The Wesleyan Advocate once heard Frank tell his story. “Frank Laubach was a Methodist missionary in Mindanao, Philippines and was trying his best to serve Christ and the Methodist Church. One day, he realized that he could not minister to the people because he did not … Continue reading “Loving God and Loving People”

“God Revived Me” / Barry Shoemake

Barry Shoemake has been the senior minister of Whitesburg Christian Church, Whitesburg, Georgia, since 2006. Prior to his Georgia pastorate, Barry was pastor of the First Christian Church in Borden, Indiana for 22 years. Barry and I, with two other ministerial colleagues, met weekly for prayer and fellowship for a number of years until the Lord led us to a change in our respective fields of service. We will long cherish those special times together. The following is an account of how Barry experienced a deep life-changing encounter with God. One church member remarked on Barry’s pulpit ministry before and after his … Continue reading ““God Revived Me” / Barry Shoemake”

Resurrection Power

“That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, . . .” (Phil. 3:10). In making a comparison between the love and power of God in the salvation events, F. F. Bruce says, “If the love of God is supremely demonstrated in the death of Christ [‘but God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’ [Rom. 5:8], his power is supremely demonstrated in the resurrection of Christ, and those who are united by faith with the risen Christ have this power imparted to them.” It is this power, says Bruce, … Continue reading “Resurrection Power”

Walking and Running

But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 NKJV When I was a much younger man, I did quite a bit of running. However, I gradually changed to walking for exercise and have been a walker for years. The Scripture often employs these two forms of mobility as metaphors for particular aspects of the Christian life. We frequently see “walk” and its cognates used as descriptions of a quality of conduct a Christian should be engaged in. … Continue reading “Walking and Running”

Deepened by Deserts

“For I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:20 Deserts are neither for novices nor tourists. Deserts are for maturing saints. A desert is a place—both geographically and spiritually—which is essentially barren. It is a region with very little or no rainfall. The vegetation, if any, is sparse and rarely does one see any species deserving of the name tree. Deserts are usually uninhabited. Normal people don’t choose to live in deserts, unless of course, there is a ready supply of air conditioning by day and heat by night. Deserts can be tough—tough on bodies, tough … Continue reading “Deepened by Deserts”