William the Conqueror was born a long time ago, in 1027, in a town called Falaise, Normandy, which is now a part of France. He was the son of Herleva, the daughter of a local trader, and Robert, the Duke of Normandy. Everything seemed good. Except for the tiny fact...
"So because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you from being king." 1 Samuel 15:23 NLTRejection is never pleasant, and Robert knew all about it.Robert was a member of the first church I pastored. He and his family were faithful members as well as...
They were told not to move, but what if moving would quell another's loneliness and feelings of rejection?Lunch room rules state a student must remain in the same seat. No getting up or changing places. New students often feel uncomfortable regardless of where they...
"He was in the world, the world was there through him, and yet the world didn't even notice. He came to his own people, but they didn't want him." John 1:10-11 (MSG)The Son of God, the One who created our world, was among us, in our own neighborhood. He came to show...
John 9:35 "Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?' NIV My neighbours were going away and asked if I would drop in daily to feed their cat Riley. I told them I would be happy to look after him.The...
"But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you - from nothing to something, from...
It took the writings of a Japanese novelist named Shusaku Endo to impress on me that the phenomenon of reversal lay at the very heart of Jesus' mission.In a country where the church comprises less than one percent of the population, Endo was raised by a devout...