Thought For the Week

Dear Friends,  Many have heard of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, but some may not know its founder – the Massachusetts-born evangelist Dwight Lyman Moody (D. L. Moody) (1837-1899) after whom it is named. (The next two paragraphs are a short bio which helps explain his heart, but you can skip them if you simply want to read his thoughts!) Despite having no more than a fifth-grade education, Moody gained world renown later in life for his very successful evangelistic tours in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Midwest, and the Eastern seaboard of the United States. He had left the family farm in Northfield, Massachusetts, at the age of 17 to seek employment in Boston. There his uncle, Samuel Holton, hired him to work in his own retail shoe store. However, to keep young Moody out of trouble, his employment was conditioned upon his attendance at the Mt. Vernon Congregational Church, where he joined a Sunday school class taught by Edward Kimball. On April 21, 1855, Kimball visited...

Dear Friends, How does a “giant” in the faith deal with the untimely death of one of his much-loved children? The answer? With honesty and transparency, not denying their inner struggles. Today’s selection is about the great Reformer, Martin Luther, who lost his beloved daughter Magdalena to death at the age of 13. During that time, he shared his struggle of waffling back and forth between faith and grief. It is found in the “One Year Book of Christian History,” by Michael and Sharon Rusten – the entry for today – September 20. I found it good (at times tearing up). I pass it on to you so that you might see the humanity of this man of God. Enjoy. “Martin Luther, the father of the Reformation, married Katharina Von Bora, a former nun, in 1525. Luther and Katie, as he called her, had six children, Hans, Elizabeth, Magdalena, Martin, Paul and Mararetha. When Hans was sixteen (in 1542) the Luther’s sent him to Torgau to school, because Wittenburg did not have an appropriate sc...

Dear Friends, Today I offer you a collection of 20 compelling “thoughts” from many different people! You may agree or disagree – but each is worthy of your consideration. I chose them because I felt they were wise, insightful, helpful, and true! Enjoy. “Keep company with the more cheerful sort of the godly, for there is no mirth like the mirth of believers.” Richard Baxter (1615-1691) “If, as the Bible says, “laughter is good medicine’ (Proverbs 17:22), and God has ordained that there be in this world, ‘a time to laugh’ (Ecclesiastes 3:4), then no mind can be thoroughly equipped, and no heart can possess a full complement of virtues, if it is deficient of a sense of humor.” “If you’re not allowed to laugh in heaven, I don’t want to go there.” Martin Luther (1483-1546) “The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.” William James (1842-1910) “Life becomes filled with meaning once it starts to be lived...

Dear Friends, The founder of the Moravians (Nicholas von Zinzendorf) was converted in a museum in Dusseldorf, Germany, while staring at a painting of Jesus in his sufferings. At the bottom of the painting the artist had written in Latin, "Ego pro te haec passus sum, Tu vero quid fecisti pro me." (This I have suffered for thee; Now what will you do for me?) It is hard to consider what Christ suffered, realize why He suffered it, and not be led to ask ourselves that same thing, regardless of the age in which we live. I myself wrestled with that question in my teens and early 20’s. I have asked other people that question ever since. Zinzendorf contemplated that question in 1719 (when he was 19). Domenica Feti (the painter who added that tag line to his painting) did so around 1610. And in my selection for today, entitled, “Responding to What Christ Has Done For us,” Gregory of Nyssa asked it of his congregation in his day – around 375 A.D. Enjoy. “To Him who suffered...

Dear Friends, Today’s “thought” is about forgiveness. Not the forgiveness we receive as a gift of grace through faith in the redeeming work of Jesus on the cross, but the forgiveness we are called to offer to others for the wrongs they have done to us. It's the forgiveness spoken of by Jesus when he says, “If you do not forgive men their sins, the Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:15). A forgiveness which can (for many) be the hardest type of forgiveness. This helpful selection comes to you from Martin Copenhaver, in his devotional book entitled, “The Gospel in Miniature.” Enjoy. Forgiving and Forgetting “In my experience when someone says, “I will forgive, but I will not forget,” I always wonder if they are truly ready to forgive. Forgiveness requires something that is not forgetfulness in the strictest sense, but is akin to forgetfulness. In his masterpiece ‘City of God,’ Saint Augustine says that… in the world to come, we will still remember ...

Dear Friends, Today's selection is by Greg Koukl, and is entitled, "The Irony of Intolerance." In this excerpt he shares his thoughts regarding "tolerance" and "civility" in a culture where civil dialogue has all but disappeared from the public forum. A culture where simply disagreeing with someone (even if respectfully) can be met with accusations of "bigotry" "hate" and "intolerance." If you've noticed that, and are wondering why, and would hope to help bring change, you may find his insights helpful. Enjoy. "In today's world, one word is invoked as the No. 1 rule of civil behavior in conversation: "tolerance." And while most people think they understand what it means, a recent discussion I had with high school students exposed some fuzzy thinking on the subject. I began by writing two sentences on the board. The first, "All views are equally valid," expressed a popular un...

Dear Friends, Today I’d like to share a selection of quotes on a variety of topics from both well-known and not so well-known people. I share them because I agree with them. They ring true to me. They challenge me, convict me, make me look at something in a way I had not before, or put words to things I’ve known but could never have phrased as well as they do. They may resonate with your soul too, or maybe not! Yet if they get you to think, they have accomplished their purpose! I offer you twenty. May you find at least one that strikes home. Enjoy. “If you believe in the Gospel only what you like, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.” St. Augustine “If I were called upon to identify the principal trait of the entire twentieth century, I would be unable to find anything more precise than to repeat once again, “Men have forgotten God.” Alexander Solzhenitsyn “He does not believ...