And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13.3)   Living in a world of disease, famine, persecution, and war, it’s often hard to comprehend the depth of misery. Complicating our perception

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4.4 We’ve all said it or heard it a hundred times: “Happy New Year!” It’s a seasonal greeting, a way of acknowledging that according to the Gregorian calendar, we’ve just begun a new numbered year – in this case, 2024. But for most of

Hugh Martin wrote “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” for Judy Garland to sing in the 1944 film Meet Me in St Louis. It wasn’t a happy time. The fate of the world hung in the balance: World War II raged in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Millions were dying in Nazi death camps.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Attributed to George Santayana   At the end of World War II, Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower was stunned by the discovery of death camps. No one was prepared for piles of dead bodies or survivors looking like living skeletons. Such inhumanity seemed

At the end of last month, NBBCers took turns manning a booth at the Comal County Fair, giving a “Religious Survey” to people and – when the opportunity presented itself, telling them about God’s love for them, and the good news of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Thousands walk by each year without

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! The Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 5.20)   The Apostle Paul prophetically wrote that “in the last days perilous times will come” (2 Tim. 3.1). He goes on to

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

God gives his gifts where He finds the vessel empty enough to receive them. C.S. Lewis And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12.9a Self-sufficiency is a dangerous thing, because it is a deceptive thing. We have made idols out of independence,