Phil Congdon, NBBC, June 1, 2019Last month in this space I wrote that the most significant decisions we make in life are spiritual decisions. These decisions affect everything we do, and dictate how we respond to things which happen that are beyond our control. Spiritual decisions not only determine where and how we will spend
Phil Congdon, May 3, 2019 The unexamined life is not worth living. About 399 B.C., the classical Greek philosopher Socrates was tried for impiety and corrupting youth. He was sentenced to death, and given the option, chose death rather than exile. It was at this point that he supposedly said, “The unexamined life is not
Spring is the season of resurrection – as the whole world seems to come alive from its winter hibernation and burst forth with new promise. Here in Texas, the profusion of bluebonnet, Indian Paintbrush, verbena, and a host of other wildflowers is a vivid reminder – resurrection time is here! For Christians, the word ‘resurrection’
Phil Congdon, NBBC, March 1, 2019 Recently in my study, I was reading Hebrews 12.14, which exhorts Christians to “pursue…holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” The author’s idea is this: One day we will stand holy in God’s presence – not because of our own merit, but because of Christ’s sacrifice for
Phil Congdon, NBBC, February 1, 2019 As I write this article, I’m bouncing along at 32,000 feet above the north Pacific Ocean on my way to Tokyo, and from there on to the Philippines. The pilot warned us before departure that we would have turbulence, and he wasn’t wrong. It can be unsettling at times.
Some of the most gripping drama is found in true stories of soldiers fighting on the front lines. Movies like Apocalypse Now, Saving Private Ryan, The Hurt Locker, and Zero Dark Thirty capture the life-and-death conflict that war is. I can’t watch movies or read books about combat without deep gratitude and admiration for those
Phil Congdon, NBBC, December 4, 2018 Christmas is a season anchored in history. The coming of Christ was first foretold the day Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3.15), at the dawn of creation, and through signs and revelation progressively came into focus throughout the Old Testament. The New Testament chronicled
Such lovely words – “Thank you!” We say it at the grocery check-out, when we’re served at a restaurant, or when an usher hands us a bulletin as we arrive on Sunday morning for worship. We hardly give it a thought – it’s almost obligatory. Like saying “Fine” when someone asks “How are you?”There are
One of the big stories in the news in recent months has been the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The lack of collegiality among political leaders has been graphically displayed during these proceedings. Based entirely on political and ideological bases, senators have virulently attacked the character of a man for purely partisan
When I was growing up, America was immersed in the war in Viet Nam, and we had a military draft. When you finished high school, you were enlisted in the armed forces and served for two years. (While conscription ended after the war, 18 year-old men must still register with Selective Service.) Some countries still
