Consider the example of Chang Ta Pao, an illiterate Chinese peasant who became a leader in the Red Guard, the brutal youth army that rose up in response to Mao's teachings. Chang's story is told by Niu-Niu, a victim of Mao's Cultural Revolution. She was only a child...
"You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." (Ps 51:16-17 NIV)What is the first thing we do when injustice...
What would you do if you were plummeting to your death from a high-rise building? Would you look towards heaven with hope, or would your eyes be on the fast-approaching ground below?No matter what, we look at something. Just ask the poor window cleaner when he fell...
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be...
"If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there . . . (Ps 34:18 The Message)When I was much younger, I attended a church where grace was unknown and legalism was the rule. Although I could never accept certain aspects of my church's doctrine, I believed that...
"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." (John 12:24 NIV)Have you ever noticed in nature that there is beauty in brokenness?One kernel of wheat (or any seed...
Just before World War II, Iceland was going through a harsh economic time known as "the Depression". Many were unemployed and in despair.As Iceland is a nation consisting largely of Christians, many were praying to God for relief, but "not my will, but Yours will be...