Church History

Gaining and sustaining God’s favor

1 Comment / Church History, Growth & Development, Relationship with God /

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us–yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17

One of the buzz words we often hear is sustainability. Sustainability is the capacity to endure. We hear it mentioned in talk about the use and abuse of the earth’s resources. And we hear it in the context of discussions about the pace of life both in the corporate world and in the lives of individuals.

A biblical word for sustainability is the favor of the Lord. When God’s favor or blessing rests on someone or something it is endued with the power not only to endure but to flourish even in the face of adversity. God’s favor upon an individual’s life is of inestimable worth and more to be desired than any measure of riches or success. God’s favor protects us, provides for us and prospers the work of our hands.
One of the remarkable modern day examples of God’s favor resting upon an individual and sustaining the work of his hands is the story of Billy Graham. Looking back over the 60 year history of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association most insiders would agree that the secret to God’s favor dates back to what has come to be known as the Modesto Manifesto.

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3 monastic commitments we all must make

4 Comments / Church History, Growth & Development, News & Reflections, Relationships /

Yesterday, Susan and I along with several other members of the family made the trek from the Twin Cities up to Saint John’s Abbey located at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. We went there to attend the first vows monastic profession of my nephew, Michael-Leonard who has become a Benedictine Monk. I was deeply impressed that the commitments my nephew and three other young men made, are commitments every true follower of Jesus must make if we are to follow Christ whole-heartedly.
The abbot’s message centered on an explanation of the three commitments each of the novices were about to make: Obedience, Stability, and Conversion.

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5 reasons why no one should miss the Dead Sea Scrolls

2 Comments / Check this out!, Church History, News & Reflections /

I recently spent an afternoon at the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul visiting The Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit now on display. It was a deeply impacting time for me. My wife Susan and I visited Israel and toured its length and breadth several years ago. Although we saw the caves of Qumran on the Northeast coast of the Dead Sea we were unable to visit the Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem where the scrolls are housed because the museum was closed for renovation. I was disappointed at the time in not seeing them first hand.

Now after visiting the exhibit available here through October 24, 2010, I would strongly recommend everyone taking advantage of this amazing opportunity right in our backyard. You will not regret it.
Here are my 5 reasons why no one should miss the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit.

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Finding the light in a darkness of doubt

Church History, Overcoming, Relationship with God /

In 1949, just months before the breakthrough crusade that launched Billy Graham’s remarkable evangelistic career he went through a personal crisis of faith that could have taken him out. Billy’s crisis of faith was not unlike the crisis of faith that every Christian at one time or other must go through. The crisis of faith at its core is wrestling with the question, “Can I trust God to be who He says He is?” And that is intricately tied to the question “Is the Bible true?”

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