John Woodward
Saved From Public Opinion
During the time we served with Peoples Church of Montreal, I had the opportunity to speak at some chapel services for some National League baseball teams. I enjoyed getting to meet some of the popular players during the mid-eighties. One of the lasting impressions from my fellowship with those Christian athletes was the stress of…
Read MoreWhy Christians Get Sick, Part 2
. We’ve been considering the complex question, Why do Christians get sick? Having discussed the cases of sickness unto death and sickness unto chastisement, we now focus another possibility. 3. Sickness unto the glory of God The concept of God being glorified through our sickness may sound strange. How can something as negative as…
Read MoreWhy Christians Get Sick
Do you ever wonder why people get sick? And in particular, Why do Christians get sick? Although spiritually healed by Christ’s stripes of crucifixion, believers get sick in ways that almost parallel nonbelievers (1 Pet. 2:24). I say the ways almost parallel non believers. In his book, None of These Diseases, Dr. S.I. McMillen gives…
Read MoreDefusing Anger
Flying home from a ministry trip I once sat next to a woman on the plane who gave me a vivid illustration of the damage anger can do. Her brother and his wife had an argument a few weeks previous and when he turned to walk away, his wife angrily hit him with a metal…
Read MoreInspiration and Illumination
The Revelation of God – Part 2 A father was approached by his young son who proudly said, “I know what the Bible means!” His father replied, “So son, you know what the Bible means?” “Sure,” the young fellow confidently answered. “It means Basic Information Before Leaving Earth” (B.I.B.L.E.).” That’s a pretty good way to…
Read MoreThe Revelation of God
The meaning of revelation “What does ‘revelation’ mean? What is the meaning of ‘inspiration’? And how would you define ‘illumination’? Can you have revelation without inspiration? Or inspiration without illumination?” These were questions raised in a Bible class in Philadelphia School of Bible years ago. I was visiting the college for a day and found…
Read MoreA Higher View
When I consider a higher view, I’m reminded of my visit to the C.N. Tower in Toronto. Overlooking Lake Ontario stands this tower which is the world’s tallest building and free-standing structure (1,815′ or 555.3 meters high). We took the glass elevator up to the 360 degree observation deck. Not only is the panorama of…
Read MoreHow to Have True Assurance, Part 2
In each issue of Readers’ Digest magazine, there is a feature article identified as “Drama in Real Life.” The stories are exciting adventures of near-death mishaps and heroic rescues. What a relief to follow the narrative to the point where those in danger are delivered. It reminds me of an illustration used by one of…
Read MoreHow to Have True Assurance, Part 1
When I embarked as a high school graduate from Atlanta, Georgia to Florida Bible College, one of my main concerns was to gain the assurance of my salvation. On my parent’s recommendation and sponsorship I planned to get a year of biblical training as a foundation for my future career–whatever that might be. Although I…
Read MoreSpiritual Navigation: How to Discern God’s Will
One of the challenges of longer roads trips is navigation. These days maps are being replaced by our ever-increasing reliance on a GPS–either a special devise or a cell phone app. But even with that facinating techology, we sometimes end up on less than ideal routes. Spell that L O S T ! 🙂 The…
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