“And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there.” (Joshua 2:1) We often name our children after some of the heroes in the Bible: Joshua, Caleb, Ruth, Sarah. Yet we never hear of a child named Jezebel or Rahab for obvious reasons. Who in the world would name a child after a prostitute? Interestingly, Rahab was an Old Testament harlot who […]

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2) I remember when I first got saved, a friend of mine referred to me as a “Baby Christian”. I didn’t like that characterization and have become very careful about how I use labels, especially when I use one to describe a new Christian. They can be judgmental and damaging, neither of which […]

“He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.” (John 8:44-45) What image comes to mind when you think of the devil? For me, I conjure up the picture that I had from childhood of a dark red, two-legged man with a goatee on his chin […]

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) For the last couple of months, I’ve been running some of my favorite columns that I had previously written for this newspaper. It has not been because I needed a vacation. I have been very sick. In February of this year, I succumbed to the reality that I could not control my weight without some help. Over the last 10 years, I had ballooned to 320 pounds and felt as if I had no […]