Active Faith

My God Story

The Good News
15 Nov 2022
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God

There I sat alone in my office at the college on a Friday night 15 years ago this December.  I’d work late and then head home to try to relax and forget the questions which still bothered me. I had acquired so much knowledge, yet I was certain that I lacked the answers to the most important questions. I had achieved worldly success but felt like a failure. No matter what the world offered, it was always a temporary and ultimately empty solution. I asked myself “Is this all there is to life?” in terms of the earthly things I’d […]

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The Pilgrims Gave Thanks – Despite a Multitude of Difficulties

Jerry Newcombe
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Thanksgiving is such a great tradition in America, and it’s an annual reminder of our nation’s Christian roots. Our Thanksgiving tradition goes back to the Pilgrims who founded Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. It is amazing how many setbacks the Pilgrims endured and how they thanked God through it all. All they wanted was the freedom to worship Jesus in the purity of conscience. Historian Rod Gragg wrote The Pilgrim Chronicles: An Eyewitness history of the Pilgrims and the Founding of Plymouth Colony (2014). I thought I knew a lot about the Pilgrims, but this book added greatly to my knowledge. […]

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pilgrims

Giving Thanks in All Circumstances! Really?

Tommy Boland
10 Nov 2022
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giving thanks

Because Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I thought this would be a good time to sharpen our focus on living a life marked by thanksgiving to God, a life grounded in these words from the apostle Paul to the church at Thessalonica and all believers everywhere: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). On the surface, this seems far easier said (or written) than done. So, let’s go below the surface to see exactly what Paul is actually saying. There are two very important things to notice in […]

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Living Legacies of Thankfulness and Faith

Lisa May
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“Circle of Life” is a song from Disney’s 1994 animated film The Lion King. It’s the story of Mufasa, king of the Pride Lands and the father of Simba. During his reign, Mufasa was killed by his envious brother Scar. Mufasa taught his son Simba how past kings lived in the stars and would always be there to guide him in times of need. Despite his death, Mufasa endures in the memories of his loved ones. We can all see Mufasa sitting on the top of the mountain overlooking the kingdom as Elton John is singing the following lyrics.   […]

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living

Eternity Is Written on Our Hearts

Grace Coleman
9 Nov 2022
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eternity

“Everybody has their thing,” my pastor said during our staff meeting one particular Tuesday as we were going over prayer requests that had been turned in the previous Sunday. A look around the table, I knew we, the staff of our church, were each carrying our own concerns as we met to lift up the burdens of others. We read off each request – failing health, unsaved family members, divorce, job changes – so many heavy weights, each a jumbotron scrolling the same headline: This is not how it’s supposed to be! Eternity and Unity I think that’s part of […]

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Franklin Graham: Our Unchanging God

Franklin Graham
2 Nov 2022
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It was a distinct privilege to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ this summer in London, where my father first preached in 1954. Thousands came to hear the Word of God, and His Spirit worked to bring hundreds to saving faith. We praise God! While in England, I was invited to appear on the TV program “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” broadcast by the BBC to a large audience. I have been with Piers in the past when he was with another network, and he certainly can ask some penetrating questions. Among the topics we discussed was a Gallup poll […]

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God

The Second Mile

Dr. O.S. Hawkins
10 Oct 2022
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second mile

“Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two” (Matthew 5:41 NKJV). The phrase going the second mile has found its way into our modern vernacular. Its roots are found all the way back in first-century Palestine. The Romans had conquered most of the Mediterranean world. One of the marvels of their conquest was a vast system of superhighways that they had built for travel to and from their conquered territories. There were more than fifty thousand miles of these Roman roads throughout the Empire. At each single mile was a stone marker. These mile markers pointed directions, […]

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The Mission and The Storm

Stephan Tchividjian
6 Oct 2022
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I was falling asleep the other evening and thinking about all the “storms” we have been facing over the past few years. Many of the storms have caught national and international attention. Some of the storms are personal and private. However, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and depressed…. perhaps a bit exhausted with the relentless waves of heavy and painful stories. I ,once again, like to reflect on a very familiar story that has been with me all my life (I originally published this a few years ago…..so, I guess it’s as relevant today as it was then). Jesus […]

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Liberated from the Incarceration of “IF ONLY”

Tommy Boland
5 Oct 2022
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“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3).   We all have an inner critic that must be kept in check if we are going to live lives for the glory of God and the good of others, including ourselves. Because we are broken people living in a broken world with other broken people, our lives will inevitably be marked by brokenness, personally, professionally and relationally.     Our inner critic One of the favorite focal points for our inner critic comes under the heading of If only. Satan loves […]

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Grateforgetfulness

Stephan Tchividjian
21 Sep 2022
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Imagine with me that you are experiencing some type of chronic pain.  The pain is excruciating and without cure. The pain has affected every aspect of your life. You are no longer able to work, except in some very limited capacity and your dream job is gone. The pain has affected every relationship you have, including your marriage and family. You are unable to embrace your loved ones and feel their touch. Loneliness has become your constant companion. Your loved ones and best friends make every effort to live up to the expectations you have of them, but they have become weary […]

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