Lead Them To The Cross
Many heart-touching stories were circulated after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. None seems more spiritually significant than that of ironworker Frank Silecchia. As he was helping to recover bodies, Frank noticed two steel beams in the shape of a cross standing upright in the middle of all the debris.
Where Was God?
Was God sadistically absent? That’s what Robert McClory, professor emeritus of journalism at the Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, asked after Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area of the US.
Inner Peace
How do we react to hostile criticism? If it causes us to strike back angrily at our critics, we need to learn from colonial preacher Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758).
Limited But Useful
Suzanne Bloch, an immigrant from Germany, often played chamber music with Albert Einstein and other prominent scientists. She said that Einstein, though an accomplished violinist, irritated his fellow musicians by not coming in on the beat. “You see,” Bloch explained, “he couldn’t count.” Einstein could project revolutionary theories about the cosmos, but he had difficulty with rhythmic counting. Despite his limitation, he remained an enthusiastic musician.
Heart Trouble
What’s the most common affliction that plagues people in the US? Heart trouble. More than any other ailment, it’s the disease that causes an early death.
The Comeback King
We admire anyone who makes a comeback after failure and defeat. In 2001, Sports Illustrated magazine featured an article on the greatest comebacks of all time. Surprisingly, they selected the resurrection of Jesus as number one. It was stated this way: “Jesus Christ, 33 ad. Defies critics and stuns the Romans with His resurrection.”
Mistaken Confidence
A successful businessman made this statement: “Almost every religion talks about a savior coming. When you look in the mirror in the morning, you’re looking at the savior. Nobody else is going to save you but yourself.”
What Money Can’t Buy
Money is a necessary part of living. Without it, we couldn’t secure the necessities or luxuries of life. But there are things money can’t buy. As preacher W. A. Criswell said, “Money will buy luxuries, but it will not buy spiritual power. Money will buy advancement and preferment, but it will not buy the recognition of God. Money will buy . . . favor and accolades, but it will not buy soul respect.”
“Dead Is Dead”
Do you ever think about your inevitable death? Or are you like the influential theater tycoon Bernard Jacobs, who said, “Of all the things in the world I think least about, it’s what happens after you die. Dead is dead.”
An Atheist’s Witness
Aware that love of God and neighbor is a central teaching of Scripture, I did my doctoral dissertation on “The Concept of Love in the Psychology of Sigmund Freud.” I learned that though this influential thinker had no faith in God, he stressed the supreme importance of love.
