The Periodically

This year I've been walking and with a non-traditional ICC student, Evelyn. She is from the Philippines, and I met her through a student ministry at ICC. She and I have been walking and covering different topics such as her grown daughter who's living in Japan, her job, growing flowers, her marriage, and reading the Bible. During one walk I told her that being a Christian is not about a religion, but a relationship with Jesus. She seems very interested in learning more, so I'm hoping we can have more great conversations--if I can just get over how cold it is outside so I can continue the walks. We’re planning our next walk soon. Jesus said, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel..." In light of that, I am compelled to ask myself this: "But what about when they come to you? Are you willing to do the same? Are you willing to go into their world and share Christ?" Shari Pittenger

I scan the headlines. Word begins to filter in. A virus in China. It is spreading. People are dying. It is far away. But … then it is not. Pandemic, coronavirus, quarantine… who would have thought those words would be in my 6-year-old grandson’s vocabulary. People around the world die. We are in lockdown. We have been exposed. We quarantine. People we know are getting sick. People we know die. Governments plan and pass mandates. A tiny little virus. Not even the most powerful governments on earth can stop it. People lose jobs. Businesses are destroyed. Conflict erupts. “Our rights are being stripped from us!” “You don’t care about people!” One day I wear a mask into a store. No one else is wearing one. I think people are looking at me. I hear their unvoiced accusations, “You are a political liberal. You don’t care about freedom. You live your life controlled by fear.” A little piece of cloth that says so much and draws such lines. Disease that disrupts and destroys. Sorrow and loss. Hu...

Tim Challies’ post regarding his grieving from the loss of his son’s recent death pointed me to this theme. He quoted Pr. 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. As I thought of “the fear of the Lord” as being a non-negotiable, foundational element of our heart’s respond to the person and work of our God, I began to think about the ramifications of the lack of or diminished fear of God. The fallout is staggering .  Sodom’s culture was a result of refusing to fear God (Gen. 20:11). Amalek’s lack of the fear of God (Deut.25:18) resulted in his ultimate destruction (Ex. 17:13-14). Israel and Jerusalem were devastated because they did not fear God (Jer. 5:24), instead they chose to trust in “lying words” (Jer. 7:4,8) and suffered great loss. Foundational Element #1 is “THE FEAR OF THE LORD”. Then consider the absolute necessity of faith in the LORD. Hebrews makes a statement that I believe is so familiar to the average person i...

So that title might have been a little intentionally worded to grab your questioning mind… =)  I don’t know where your family stands on the “Fat Man”… love and encourage your kids to love him, tell people the other person with those same letters in his name is “Satan”… wherever you land, his presence has inundated our culture as a part of our Christmas reality. In thinking about him some, it has led to me thinking a lot more about our God and His work we celebrate at Christmas time so I thought I’d share some of my ponderings with you. Ways Santa is similar to God The words of the now famous Bruce Springsteen song come to mind… (feel free to hum along like I’m doing while I write this =) ) “He sees you when you're sleeping He knows when you're awake” 1) Santa is ascribed an almost omniscient (all knowing) character like our God. “But I know your sitting down And your going out and your coming in…” (Isaiah 37:28). “He knows if you've been bad or good You better be good for g...

I recently had a parent email me about getting a good full text Bible for their child and thought our correspondence might benefit other parents as well in search of  a Bible for their child this Christmas.  Here are my suggestions of a few options that should be applicable for kids from younger early readers all the way through middle school and all of which will hopefully encourage your child to grow in their love for and reading of God’s Word. A lot of your decision will be around desired translation first, then looking at the cool added stuff inside to see what you think will most connect with your child. #1 - ESV Seek & Find Bible - ideal for reading while at church since BCC uses the ESV which will be more and more beneficial in the older grade levels Christian Books - ( Here ) Amazon - ( Here ) #2 - CSB Big Picture Interactive Bible - company is very focused on parents’ interaction with their children & has tried to also bring cool spin on technology to their ...