10 Lessons From the Death of John Chau
Would you be willing to die for the Gospel?
“If you haven’t heard yet, a young man who had been praying about a specific unreached tribe on the North Sentinel Island in India, was killed as he went ashore with the hopes of bringing the Gospel to them.” Would you be willing to die for the Gospel? That’s a question every Christian needs... Continue Reading
Jackie Hill Perry’s “Gay Girl, Good God” Is a Book You Shouldn’t Miss
Having struggled with same-sex attraction (SSA), Perry recounts her story with humility
I first heard Jackie Hill Perry at the Canvas Conference in Portland a few years ago, where we both spoke. Jackie writes like a word artist, which is exactly what she is. She does “spoken word,” as in the video [below], where every word counts. Her book is poetry of sorts, at times with a... Continue Reading
Young Love: What Are You Waiting For?
There is no one-size-fits-all scenario for when to get married; here are some reasons to consider marrying young.
When the Lord gave Eve to Adam, He said, “The two shall become one flesh”. I’ve already suggested that bringing two lives together in their 20’s is easier than their 30’s. It seems to softly mold an “us-identity” instead of trying to reshape a harder “me-identity”. If you are single, between the ages... Continue Reading
The Day Jesus Said “I’ve Got This”
I’m grateful for the grace expressed down the years by my mother.
In the midst of all of that pain, with my father gone out of her life seemingly for good, and now having more children with his second wife, there was always one thing mum did. She prayed for dad. Every day. I gotta confess I didn’t pray for him much, if at all. It felt awkward. ... Continue Reading
Argula Von Grumbach – When the Stones Cry Out
If the men were silent, she had to speak out.
Argula knew her limitations. She was not trying to become a Reformation “star.” She described herself as a humble writer, one of the foolish the Lord had made wise. Being a woman, she didn’t have the kind of theological training the faculty had received. She didn’t know biblical languages and could only quote the Coburg... Continue Reading
Living Out Lord’s Day 1: A Cuban Story
We make plans, many plans and yet God has other plans for us
We asked every one if they knew Luis, the man with the broken back. It took us three trips to Cuba before we met someone who remembered him and took us to his “forgotten prison.” He was overjoyed with his glasses and asked for his Bible to loudly read to us. His dirty mattress had... Continue Reading
Family of U.S. Missionary John Chau: We Forgive Tribe For Killing Him
"I have never known a more courageous, selfless, compassionate man," one friend said. "John lived and gave his life to share the love of Jesus."
John Allen Chau, 26, an avid outdoorsman from southwestern Washington state, was killed Saturday after visiting North Sentinel Island. Its protected inhabitants are among the last in the world to have resisted contact with the rest of humanity. Friends of the evangelical adventurer said he was determined bring Christianity to the Sentinelese tribe — which... Continue Reading
George Wishart – A Willing Martyr
Knox mourned him as “a man of such graces as before him were never heard within this realm, and are rare to be found yet in any man.”
Like Christ, Wishart went willingly to his death, as if he had been foreseeing the repercussions of his sacrifice. Wishart was not wrong in thinking that his death would be of benefit to the Scottish Reformation. In fact, the reaction to his execution was so extreme that some critics have ventured to say he and... Continue Reading
Elisabeth of Brandenburg – Staunch Reformer, Heartbroken Mother
Elisabeth, aided by Philipp von Hessen (one of the main leaders of the Schmalkaldic League), introduced the Reformation in her lands.
A prolific writer, she also wrote several hymns for the church and a long letter to the nobility, explaining that their rank matters little if not accompanied by piety. She then proceeded to give an example of piety by emphasizing pure worship and the preaching of the Word, by ministering to the needy, and by... Continue Reading
Prayer and Comfort in Sachsenhausen
This is the story of my paternal grandfather’s last year on earth. He was a man of unwavering faith despite suffering arrest, incarceration, indignity, illness, and death.
You ask why there were so many Reformed people active in the resistance movement? This came about because of the outstanding education they had received in catechism classes and youth societies. Church, also as a body working in society, ranked first. The school was an extension of the family. You could rely on that community.... Continue Reading
