Thought For the Week

Dear Friends, Today’s “thought” is the true story of a young girl and the unexpected encounter she had with a Christian man who wanted something for her, and not from her. The man is Steve Campbell, who started a ministry to homeless people in 1986 with his wife Wanda in one of the roughest sections of Columbus, Ohio. This is just one of many unexpected ministry opportunities he had over a 30-year ministry. It was a seed-planting opportunity. “I sowed the seed,” said the apostle Paul in I Corinthians 3:6-7, “and Apollos watered the seed, but God made it grow.” That’s our calling – to plant seeds. And in this particular case, God alone knows if the seeds Steve planted grew to bear fruit. It is found in his book, “He Went a Little Further.” Enjoy. The Girl at the Dumpster It was early Christmas morning, 2:30 a.m. to be exact. I awakened and slipped out of our home – unnoticed. At last, I was alone. Christmas is supposed to be a time of great joy and celebration, but fo...

Dear Friends, Today’s ‘thought’ is summarized like this by the author herself: “As a leftist lesbian professor, I despised Christians. Then I somehow became one.” I know this personal testimony is long, but some stories simply suffer too much from leaving parts out. The curious will, I trust, read on. And those who are not curious… well, you will miss out on a very insightful (and true) story of grace and transformation - though I know that some of the 500 or so from many countries who receive these thoughts weekly, will not all receive it in the same way. It is by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield and it is entitled, “My Train Wreck Conversion.” It is found in Christianity Today Magazine, February 7, 2013. For whatever reason, it popped up on my feed today – so I share it. Enjoy. “The word Jesus stuck in my throat like an elephant tusk; no matter how hard I choked, I couldn't hack it out. Those who professed the name commanded my pity and wrath. As a university professor, I wa...

Dear Friends, This week's "thought" has to do with being spiritually “revived” – a loaded term precisely because it's so often misused, misunderstood, or equated with a type of raw, uncontrolled, and sometimes questionable emotionalism. Interestingly the Bible has very few passages that speak about "revival." Yet, one of the more well-known is Isaiah 57:15, where we read: "This is what the high and lofty One says – He who lives forever, whose name is holy; 'I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.'" Today’s “thought” from Nancy Leigh DeMoss, in her book "Brokenness - The Heart God Revives" speaks to that topic. We would do well to listen to what she has to say. Enjoy. "Our culture is obsessed with being whole and feeling good. That drive even affects the...