This coming Saturday 10 youth and 3 adult leaders will be going to St. Catharines (otherwise known as Niagara Serve) for a weeklong youth service event. I am excited, and thankful to be a part of this team. This is my 15th SERVE experience, and I have seen God work in amazing ways in all…
the boomerang effect
SCRIPTURE: Esther 7 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided. [Esther 7:10] For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. [Matthew 7:2] The bible repeatedly warns that there is a…
those God honours
SCRIPTURE: Esther 6 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: So Haman took the robes and put them on Mordecai, placed him on the king’s own horse, and led him through the city square, shouting, “This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honour!” Afterward Mordecai returned to the palace gate, but Haman hurried home dejected and completely humiliated….
pride
SCRIPTURE: Esther 5 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Then Haman added, “And that’s not all! Queen Esther invited only me and the king himself to the banquet she prepared for us. And she has invited me to dine with her and the king again tomorrow!” Then he added, “But this is all worth nothing as long as I see Mordecai…
for such a time as this
SCRIPTURE: Esther 4 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” [Esther 4:14] Though Mordecai does not mention God (in fact…
the risk of beliving
SCRIPTURE: Esther 3 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is…
that’s all there is?
“Some people think that a spiritual quest of any kind is a colossal waste of time. For them, the only things that are real are those that can be proven or measured. They might think, Life boils down to earning and buying and selling… eating and drinking and having fun… respiration, digestion, elimination, ovulation, ejaculation,…
dual citizenship
SCRIPTURE: Esther 2 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Esther continued to keep her family background and nationality a secret. She was still following Mordecai’s directions, just as she did when she lived in his home. [Esther 2:20] We recently celebrated Canada Day, I am a citizen of Canada, and I am loyal to the nation, the government and the people; but…
how headship should be
SCRIPTURE: Esther 1 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: He sent letters to all parts of the empire, to each province in its own script and language, proclaiming that every man should be the ruler of his own home and should say whatever he pleases. [Esther 1:22] The king hosts a lavish feast to reveal his generosity [Esther 1:7]. But apparently his generosity…
the christian atheist?
Yesterday I wrote about being a practical atheist, and then discovered there is a whole book about the subject – The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel. A look at the index shows what this involves: When You Believe in God but Don’t Really Know Him When You Believe in God but Are Ashamed of Your…