Imagine for a moment that God is speaking to you… right now. But instead of hearing a profound morsel of wisdom, He simply tells you to leave everything you know and head in a direction that isn’t even particularly clear. You’re allowed to take your immediate family, as well as one of your brother’s sons, […]
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
Pick up any well-known fairy tale and you’re likely to read this concluding line: “…and they lived happily ever after.” Usually the line refers to a beautiful maiden and her handsome prince who has saved her from some unenviable life. In a life filled with inconveniences and setbacks, it’s no wonder that many of us […]
HARBOR HOUSE
Since 1972, Harbor House has worked with over 100,000 individuals in the San Antonio community of Oakland, California. The ministry began with a single person—schoolteacher and First Covenant Church member, Olive Freeman. Freeman began offering assistance to her students and their families, providing books, food, clothing, and educational tutoring out of the trunk of her […]
PLUGGING INTO FAITH AND COMMUNITY ON YOUR COLLEGE CAMPUS
It was Saturday morning and I awoke to an empty dorm room. My roommate had gone to meet her family for the big football game. Realizing that I was alone was absolutely terrifying. After completing the finishing touches on my room, I spent the rest of the day counting down the hours until my roommate […]
ARE CHRISTIANS TOO POLITICAL?
In the last issue we covered the fourth perception mentioned in the book UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity: And Why It Matters by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons (2007). In the book, Kinnaman and Lyons, with research from the Barna group, highlight the ways Christians are viewed in a negative light, […]
SAVING SEX FOR MARRIAGE
Most people have a viewpoint or opinion on premarital sex, abstinence or “waiting to have sex after marriage.” Christians are no different. The generally accepted Christian viewpoint is that premarital sex is a sin. But why? As one of the Ten Commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” drops from Moses’ lips in Exodus 20:14, the […]
FROM THE LAND OF THE DEAD TO THE LAND OF THE LIVING
I don’t know if my father was the first in our family tree to commit suicide, but what I do know is that when it’s my time to leave this earth, it will not be by my own hand. At one point though, I felt differently. I wanted to take my own life. It was […]
SIN
I don’t know about you but all the English grammar that I learned in elementary school has leaked out of my brain. The English language is so complex. Some words in English can be verbs and nouns. Take for instance the word sleep. You can sleep the night away and someone can ask you if […]
SPRING CLEANING OUR HOMES AND LIVES
After snow and stormy weather for months, spring arrives with a feeling of renewal and refreshment. Windows are opened, dust is swept outside and the sun quenches new life for more hours in the day. Along with the change in weather, comes the cherished tradition of spring cleaning. The desire for freshness, cleanliness, rejuvenation, and […]
THE VIBE AT EASTER
Easter time is a hard time to get excited about. Besides the fact that it is loosely connected to spring break, you just don’t see much hoopla about it. As we head into the dry days of spring, there aren’t any decent holidays until summer, unless you’re on the edge of your seat for President’s […]