The motion picture “Faith Like Potatoes” tells the true story of Angus Buchan, a South African farmer who learns what true faith really is. Angus comes to South Africa in the middle of racial turmoil and economic disruption to begin a new life for himself and his family. The hard work of reclaiming an…

The ship may not need an anchor in calm waters; when upon a broad ocean a little drifting may not be a very serious matter. But there are conditions of weather in which an anchor becomes altogether essential. When a gale is rushing toward the shore, blowing great guns, and the vessel cannot hold her…

Do you see what I see? Purpose: To walk circumspectly, being aware of the traps that seek to draw us from God's goal in our lives. 2 Kings 6:17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was…

What is the worst thing that may happen to us because of our faith? In our current culture we may face ridicule or perhaps some form of censure, but for many in our world, the cost of following Jesus is paid in the blood of martyrdom. The mother of an Egyptian Coptic who was among the 21 Christians beheaded…

From Paul Boatman's sermon on "Purity" @ OCC (can be applied to overcoming any addiction/sin problem). 1. Prayer—Paul challenges the Thessalonians to continual prayer. The beginning of victory over impurity is the recognition that you cannot do it without seeking God’s help. 2. Regret—The hormone driven…

The Ambulance Down in the Valley ‘Twas a dangerous cliff, they freely confessed, Though to walk near its’ edge was quite pleasant. Over the side slipped a duke and a prince, And it had fooled many a peasant. “Something had to be done,” the people all said. But their projects did not at all tally. Some…

Men who trap animals in Africa for zoos in America say that one of the hardest animals to catch is the ringtailed monkey. For the Zulus of that continent, however, it's simple. They've been catching this agile little animal with ease for years. The method the Zulus use is based on knowledge of the animal.…

“SPIRITUAL SLEEPING PILLS” EASY DAYS When your nest is well feathered you are then most likely to sleep; there is little danger of your sleeping when there is a bramble bush in the bed. When all is downy, then the most likely thing will be that thou wilt say, “Soul, soul, thou hast much goods laid up…

In his book, Shaped by God, Max Lucado writes ”When God sets out to shape us in His image, he often uses the heat and pressure of our daily lives to temper us and craft us into beautiful instruments He can use.” Shaped by God, 175 James 1:2 (HCSB) “Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience…

During his courtship with Sarah. "When I am violently beset with temptation or cannot rid myself of evil thoughts, I do sum in arithmetic or geometry or some other study, which necessarily engages all my thoughts and unavoidably keeps them from wandering." Source: /God Entranced Vision of All Things,…

Had Abraham stopped in Ur of the Chaldees with his friends and rested there and enjoyed himself, where would his faith have been? He had God’s command to leave his country to go to a land that he had never seen, to sojourn there with God as a stranger, dwelling in tents, and in his obedience to that…

John Bunyan, in Pilgrim’s Progress, tells us that Christian, by the light of day, looked back on the Valley of the Shadow of Death, which he had passed through in the nighttime, and saw what a narrow path he had kept and what a bog there was on one side, and what a miry place on the other, and where…

There was once a square piece of paper put up into George Whitefield’s pulpit, by way of a notice, to this effect: “A young man who has lately inherited a large fortune requests the prayers of the congregation.” Right well was the prayer asked, for when we go up the hill we need prayer that we may be…

Want a picture of how this works? Consider Darlene Dieblier Rose. In her autobiography, Evidence Not Seen, she tells of her career as a missionary in the Asian Pacific during WW II. She was imprisoned along with her husband by the Japanese. He died and she suffered horribly. She was infected by the food…

I remember talking once to a lady who assured me again and again that she prayed daily for me that I might be kept humble. I told her that I would pray the same prayer for her. When she said, “Oh, I am never tempted to be proud,” I replied, “Well, dear friend, I am afraid you are very far gone in that…

The man that has seen affliction, when he is blessed of God, has the disposition to cheer those that are afflicted. I have heard speak of a lady who was out in the snow one night, and was so very cold that she cried out, “Oh, those poor people that have such a little money! How little fuel they have,…

One reason God has a poor people is so that He may display more the power of His comforting promises and the supports of the gospel. “There,” says the architect, “this building is strong.” Yes, but it must be tested: Let the wind blow against it. There is a lighthouse out at sea, but it is a calm night—I…

Charles Durham, a pastor from Kansas, begins his book Temptation: Help for Struggling Christians with an interesting illustration. Several hundred years ago on the island of Cape Hatteras, off the shore of North Carolina, there were men whose business it was to get ships to run aground on the shoals…

HARDSHIP/PERSEVERANCE I don't think it was the worst thing that could happen at a concert, but it wasn't good. On November 18, 1995, a string on Itzhak Perlman's violin snapped as he played at Avery Fisher Hall, at the Lincoln Center in New York. Really, the word snapped doesn't convey what happened…

Hardships For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground. [7] Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. (Job 5:6-7 NIV) I'd like to think that calamity will visit everyone but me, but I know it isn't true. Calamity will visit your home, and it will…

Preachers have their own set of temptations – a fact which can be illustrated from the life of John Bunyan. Having preached a commanding message, Bunyan was greeted by a layman who exclaimed “That was the most powerful sermon I have ever heard!” Bunyan replied with brut honesty, “Man, you need not tell…

The way to spiritual life and vitality is to live by the Word of God. In the Australian bush country grows a little plant called the "sundew." It has a slender stem and tiny, round leaves fringed with hairs that glisten with bright drops of liquid as delicate as fine dew. Woe to the insect, however,…

A comparison of Gallup poll results and employment data from the Labor Department may indicate a unique correlation between the nation’s employment rate and belief in the Bible. The relationship could be coincidental, but compiled data from both organizations indicate that as unemployment rises, belief…

In the olden time when the gospel was preached in Persia, Hamedatha, a courtier of the king, having embraced the faith, was stripped of all his offices, driven from the palace, and compelled to feed camels. This he did with great content. The king passing by one day saw his former favorite at his ignoble…

Could it be true that Mike Tyson has finally realized his shortcomings? After his four-year-old daughter died in a treadmill accident, Tyson was emotionally touched by the people who reached out to help him. He realized “The first stage of my life was just a whole bunch of selfishness. I thought I was…