After WW1, the French built a seemingly impenetrable defense against German aggression, the Maginot line. A technological marvel, it nevertheless failed. With a false advance, the French were lured north while the bulk of the German forces simply went around the Maginot line and into the heart of France. The technical strength of the Maginot line gave the French a false sense of security, and they became complacent. Their enemy had changed tactics, and they were unprepared. Do we have a … [Read more...] about Our True Defense
Obstacles
Conflict Resolution
We can’t get around the fact that in this world we’ll have conflict. How many times have we said the wrong thing or displayed the wrong attitude, knowing that it has caused offense? Conflict stems from a lack of understanding the different things that motivate each of us: “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” (James 4:1 ESV). God’s Holy Spirit can’t come to its fullest when we’re divided, and that disunity corrupts … [Read more...] about Conflict Resolution
Hear The Voice
In the midst of the coronavirus disaster, we are hearing many voices. The fact that the virus at the center of the crisis has many unknowns increases the cacophony. We hear experts contradicting each other, politicians leveraging the situation and the world’s top medical professionals doing their best to inform the public. All of this is natural as nations struggle to come to terms with something they were unprepared for and are uncertain as to how to respond. What are we to believe? … [Read more...] about Hear The Voice
Getting Out of the Mess We’re In
There is one thing we have in common with everyone else. And it’s not just something we have in common with people who are just like us or our friends, but it’s something we have in common with people we don’t even know—with people very much unlike us. Make no mistake; we all have a mess in our lives. And even if you’re lucky enough to be between messes right now, you’re still just a decision away from creating a brand-new mess. We are all good at hiding our messes. In fact, we usually are … [Read more...] about Getting Out of the Mess We’re In
Anger
The American Civil War, like all wars, was a brutal one. More Americans died in it than in all the wars our country has been involved in from that time forward, up through the Korean War. That is hard to believe, isn’t it? All we have to do to confirm it is to consult the historical record. 623,000 American lives were lost in the war between the states. How does that make any sense, given the far greater destructiveness of the weapons used in the ensuing century with its rapidly evolving … [Read more...] about Anger
Choose Life
As God prepared Israel for its occupation of the land of Canaan – the land He had promised them – He firmly reminded them of the centrality of His law to their existence. He told them that His commandments were near to them – in their hearts (Deuteronomy 30:11-14). God’s law set two clear and distinct ways of life before them. On the one hand was life and good, while on the other was death and evil. The law defined these two ways, so they were clearly discernable. The assault on God’s law … [Read more...] about Choose Life
The Importance of Godly Respect
Job made an interesting observation when he was answering his friends’ accusations as to why so many bad things had happened to him: “A lamp is despised to the thought of one who is at ease; it is made ready for those whose feet slip” (Job 12:5). While the structure of this verse might at first appear confusing, it is simply warning of the dangers of being “at ease.” It is a mental/spiritual condition of being self-satisfied. The connection between being at ease and feet slipping is made in … [Read more...] about The Importance of Godly Respect