Every country in the world has its own set of traditions, but the United States, however, seems to rank at the top of the charts. You can find a holiday or tradition to celebrate almost anything of interest in today’s society. Because the US has opened its arms to all sorts of global influences, we are obsessed with generating festivities to bring people universally together. This is accomplished ...

As a sophomore in college with a history minor, I took a world geography class.  I enjoyed my somewhat animated professor who liked to remind us that when studying geography, we need to have our mental map out and ready for use in class.  I will admit that some days, my mental map was blurry and fuzzy, but his words stuck with me as I realized the value of a mental map.  Like that world geography ...

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!Isaiah 52:7 NLTMy earliest recollection of reading this verse is when I was in my late 20s or early 30s, and I still remember being so intrigued by it. The word beautiful really struck me and has stuck in my mind all these years. To this da...

Am I willing to trust God with the consequences of my obedience?As a high school junior growing up in a Christian home, I watched my father ask himself that very question as he wrestled with the prospect of taking his family to Africa. A family physician with a thriving practice in Greenville, SC, he had been asked by a medical missionary to consider filling a critical need for a doctor during the...

In today’s fast-paced world, we often feel overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of global needs. When the word “missions” comes up, many might assume that it’s the work of career cross-cultural missionaries—extraordinary people who travel across the world to spread the gospel. However, missions, the act of sharing Jesus with the world, is not just for career vocational missionaries. Every follower o...

Jesus not only gave the Great Commission, but He was a living example of doing the Great Commission. Our Lord was on “mission” 24/7. He was always about the Father’s business. For instance, we read in Mark 1:16-18, ““As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send...

Yes, you read the title correctly; your eyes are not playing tricks on you.  Sometimes, the minuscule, pointless, and most aggravating things in this life have spiritual value.  Really, any part of God’s creation has immense value to us, whether we consider it significant or insignificant.  For example, consider the vast heaven above us.  We consider the exploration and discovery ......

Nestled in the icy embrace of two miles of glacial ice at the Earth’s southernmost point, the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is one of the most isolated locations on the globe. With over 800 miles separating it from the nearest human inhabitants, it stands as a testament to human resilience and curiosity.This remote outpost is home to a small, dedicated community of 50 to 150 in......

“But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: 2 that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; 3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discree......

The Passion Week of Christ is the single most important week in all of human history. Christ’s sacrificial act on the Cross provides meaning to everything in the universe. John said it best in Revelation 13:8: “…the Lamb who was slain before the foundations of the world.” Before the universe was ever created and its boundaries fixed, the plan was always for the Lamb to be sacrific......