“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14 NIV). “You need to go upstairs and talk to Stephen. He’s really upset.” Robin informed me as she came down the steps from putting the kids to bed. She had a look of
Author: Gary Combs
Glad my Mom didn’t read Spock
“Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die” (Proverbs 23:13 NIV). “Spanking teaches children that the larger, stronger person has the power to get his way, whether or not he is in the right. Some spanked children then feel quite justified in beating up on
Hearing the heart
“Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out” (Proverbs 20:5 KJV). “What were you thinking?” I asked my middle son, Jonathan, after reading the note he brought home from school that day, banning him from the bus for two weeks. “I don’t know.” He
The sincere faith of my mothers
“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5 NIV). The church of my youth had annual revival services. We would often have an evangelist come and share how God had miraculously
Of geek power, a robotic pancreas, and renewed passion
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11 NIV). The cover story of this month’s issue of Wired is entitled “Geek Power” and the whole issue follows that theme. One of the “geeks” that they write about in an article entitled, “The Robotic Pancreas,” is Jeffrey Brewer. Brewer
Do you feel powerless to restore broken relationships?
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. …For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (Romans 5:6,10 NIV). Do you ever feel
Where did you get your identity?
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18 NIV). We tend to let our sufferings and longings identify us, but Christ’s resurrection means that we can follow Him into our true, glorious identity. When we suffer, it leaves scars. Many of us find
Power for us?
“I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT). God’s incredibly great power is
Go back to your oikos
“They replied, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with your entire household’“ (Acts 16:31 NLT). “Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’” (John 4:28-29
What stops momentum?
“And they spread among the Israelites a bad report” (Numbers 13:32 NIV). In nature, the following factors affect momentum negatively: Inertia – The resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion. As Newton observed, “An object at rest tends to stay at rest.” Friction – The resistive force acting between