“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” The Lord to Joshua, after the death of Moses (Joshua 1.9) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Ephesians 6.10
A few weeks ago a congregation of more than 300 gathered for a church service in Germany – with a twist. The service was AI-generated; the sermon was written by ChatGPT, and delivered by a virtual avatar. Of course, a computer can’t do anything on its own: 29 year-old theologian Jonas Simmerlein from the University
Years ago I was driving through a rural area when I came upon a country church. I don’t recall the name of the church, but it sounded good – perhaps something like “Grace Bible Church.” As a pastor of a church in a town less than an hour away, I wondered if this church and
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And clever in their own sight! Isaiah 5.20-21 The children’s story entitled The Emperor’s New Clothes is a humorous
In a few days, we’ll all have the opportunity to exercise one of our most precious freedoms – the right to vote. We will elect school board members, judges, and state and federal leaders. This is a God-given privilege, which many people in the world do not have, and every Christian should therefore seriously consider
This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth. 1 Timothy 3.15b (NLT) The Church of Jesus Christ was established in 30 A.D., meaning that this spiritual organism is nearing 2000 years in existence. Jesus declared that He would build His church, and said that “all the
“For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” ~ Jesus before Pilate “What is truth?” ~ Pilate before turning over Jesus to be crucified Last month, the federal government announced the creation of a
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1.27 In his classic Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis famously described a lunatic as “on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg.” In my wife’s nurses’ training,
When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. Psalm 56.3 We are living in a day of fear. COVID fears consume many; some Christians are so exercised about it that they divide from other Christians who feel differently than they do. There are fears of the encroachment of evil into our
One hundred years ago, pundits dubbed the second decade of the century “the roaring twenties.” World War I was over, and America entered a decade of unparalleled expansion in everything from industry and technology to culture and crime. Prohibition reflected our desire to promote morality; bootlegging and a huge rise in organized crime exposed our
