Pastor Timothy Keller discusses Mark’s account of Jesus healing a paralytic (Mark 2: 1-5) in Chapter 3 of King’s Cross. He calls attention to Jesus’ immediate response- to forgive the paralytic’s sins. While a casual observer might think that Jesus first would have responded to the man’s condition by healing him, Jesus knew the paralytic […]
In Chapter 2 (“The Call”) of King’s Cross, author Timothy Keller cites a children’s book written by George MacDonald entitled The Princess and the Goblin. The protagonist is 8-year-old Irene. One day Irene’s grandmother gives her a ring with a thread attached to it that’s too fine for Irene to see. The thread leads to […]
Timothy Keller, founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, describes the spiritual awakening of French-born theologian Emile Cailliet in the introduction to his book King’s Cross. Cailliet was an agnostic during his college days prior to World War I. After graduation, he served in the army. Cailliet not only witnessed a buddy killed while […]
We all know what it’s like to anticipate something- Christmas, a birthday, visits with special friends. In the last chapter (“Anticipating God’s Plans”) of Fear Not Tomorrow, God’s Already There, Ruth Graham provides 8 descriptors of anticipation: 1. God created us to anticipate- we’re hardwired for it. 2. Anticipation must be cultivated through forward thinking. […]
“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”- Psalm 42:11 At the conclusion of Chapter 12 of Fear Not Tomorrow, Ruth Graham relates the Biblical account of Mary’s arrival at the tomb of Jesus in […]
In the life-altering aftermath of our ministry downsizing or position loss, the emotional and spiritual darkness that threatens to envelop us may make it difficult for us to envision avenues of future ministry. Ruth Graham (Fear Not Tomorrow) offers these words of encouragement: “If you just can’t see how God would ever want to affirm […]
We’ve always heard the phrase “let go and let God”. In our transitional, desert Land Between times following our ministry downsizing or position loss, letting go can be particularly difficult. Ruth Graham (Fear Not Tomorrow) describes our problem: “When we are fearful about tomorrow, we have a hard time hearing God, obeying Him, and letting […]
In Chapter 11 of Fear Not Tomorrow, Ruth Graham uses the Biblical account of the Feeding of the 5000 to underscore our human tendency to limit God by going full-speed ahead with our own plans or by playing to our inadequacies. As Ruth notes, we impatiently rush ahead of God with our own agenda. Yet all […]
Near the beginning of Chapter 11 of Fear Not Tomorrow, God is Already There, Ruth Graham contrasts human affirmation with God’s affirmation: “The way God affirms us can be very different from what we expect. We expect pats on the back or encouraging words from others, but God will turn around and say, ‘I am […]
Following the devastation of our ministry downsizing or position loss, we yearn for restoration of our ministry as well as our personal lives as we journey in our Land Between. While we often define the word restoration as a return to the way things used to be, author Ruth Graham (Fear Not Tomorrow) notes that […]
Ruth Graham weighs in on the topic of “The Freedom of Forgiveness” in Chapter 9 of Fear Not Tomorrow. Forgiveness, or the lack thereof, is a critical issue to be dealt with in the aftermath of a ministry downsizing or position loss. While Ruth’s topic specifically is discussed in the context of one’s personal sins, […]
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”- Proverbs 3:5 (NIV) Commenting on the Biblical account of Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish, author Ruth Graham (Fear Not Tomorrow) observes that following Jesus’ appearance […]