(February 25, 2025) Daniel Corado shares…
Nadalla Alrajo grew up in a strict Muslim family; his father is a sheik. As a three-year-old, he went to the mosque to learn about his religion. At age six, he asked if Jesus was God because he heard about his resurrection and ascension to heaven. (The Koran affirms Jesus’s resurrection but holds Him to be only a prophet, not the Son of God).
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(January 15, 2025) Mama Lava challenges…
Can a recipe be tweaked and still considered authentic?
How many tweaks do you think I need to make to a recipe before I call it mine? If I change a few things, is it still the originator’s creation, or is it now my own? Have you ever thought about this?
Tweaking Online Recipes
When I read online recipes, I often read the comments also. Most of them say something along the lines of ‘Great recipe! I substituted this for that, or used this other kind of pan, or adjusted the cooking time this way.’ And I often think those comments are unfair to the author, who was gifting the community with their original recipe.
(November 12, 2024) Dr Richard Winter challenges…
A reality so often overlooked is this— we have no excuse for wrong decision-making regarding God, His wishes and invitations!
Luke 14 tells that one-time Jesus went to a prominent Pharisee’s home for a meal and someone at His table commented, ‘Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God’ (v15).
The eyes of all the other guests were on Jesus (v1) and He immediately took the opportunity to tell a parable of a great (megas… exceedingly big!) banquet…
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(September 02, 2024) Dr Jim McClure shares more about The Greatest Story…
Following the prophet Malachi’s death there were no further prophetic revelations about Israel. For over 400 years the nation went into spiritual decline, and lost its independence first to the Greeks and then to the Romans.
Throughout the centuries the prophets consistently challenged the moral and social corruption which the Bible describes as ‘darkness’ — but also revealed that God had not turned His back on humankind. While they had strongly denounced humanity’s rejection of God, they also affirmed that this had not resulted in God’s rejection of humankind! They also revealed that the message of the Old Testament was not the whole story but just the beginning of a much bigger story.
They further indicated that a new chapter would begin when God Himself would personally get involved on planet earth — a chapter revealing God’s loving plan to reach out to a fallen, broken world by becoming personally involved!
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(April 24, 2024) Dr Jim McClure shares and explains an important truth…
When touring in Southern Ireland many years ago, Jean and I saw a signpost pointing to the place we wanted to visit. We turned onto that road and drove, drove, and drove… The road’s condition gradually deteriorated until it ceased to exist in the middle of nowhere! Driving back to where we had seen the signpost, we discovered that someone had deliberately pointed it in the wrong direction!
The lesson is obvious – you won’t arrive at the right destination if you travel on the wrong road! So I’m sharing about a road specifically named in the Old Testament – ‘Way of Holiness’, or the ‘Holy Road.’
It’s graphically described in Isaiah 35:8-10, ‘A highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.’
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(March 25, 2024) Dr Jim McClure shares Easter truths…
There is a major difference between fantasy and reality. Fantasy is based on fiction while reality is based on truth! One of our major problems today is that fiction and deception has replaced reality in many areas and truth is being discarded in favour of falsehood.
This is not new. Throughout history evil has sought to overcome good as moral social values have been reversed and lies have replaced truth. About 2700 years ago the prophet Isaiah’s description of his own nation at that time strongly resembles much of what is happening in our world today – ‘Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight’ (Isaiah 5:20-21).
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Every December I pray for a word and a verse to hold on to for the coming year. I call such a scripture My Handle Verse and my New Year’s handle verse is One for More in 2024!
* That is to say, I’m one who’s going for more this year – more truth this year – and I trust you are too.
And my word for 2024? It’s John 17:17… ‘Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.’
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(November 05, 2022) Richard Winter highlights that there is no excuse for concealing wrong actions!
On the spur of the moment one day, my good friend Ray and I decided to ditch school and play golf. It was an easy decision; the golf course was behind a pine forest right that was itself behind our high school and we wouldn’t be seen from the school.
So Ray and I rode our bikes through the pines, retrieved some old clubs and balls from the golf shed, and took off our school blazers and ties that identified our school – and away we went.
We had only played five holes when conscious struck us, and we decided we’d better go to school. So, ties and jackets back on, we cycled down the hill and joined others who were going into the next class, hoping that no one had missed us.
What we didn’t know was we were seen ditching school by a passing driver who went to our school office and reported us! Suddenly an announcement came through: ‘The two boys seen riding through the pine forest this morning – come to the office.’
Well, Ray and I stood up and off we marched. But not bravely, we were really scared and everyone was watching us. What could we say, as we were ushered into the principal’s office – we were completely rumbled.
‘Excuses’ don’t excuse!
There it got scarier. The principal kept doing whatever he was doing, writing apparently. Occasionally he would look up, glare and start writing again. Minutes went by and soon we were perspiring!
(November 30, 2021) Dr Jim McClure, noted theologian, shares a warning …
Can you imagine what your attitude would be if you went on a short holiday and returned to find that your next-door neighbour had expanded his block of land by moving the fence separating his property from yours?
You would not be at all pleased! Your relationship with your neighbour would become hostile and significant personal and legal argument would begin!
Fences are ‘landmarks’ that determine limitations and if they are ignored the consequences can be quite severe at many levels.
When the Israelites entered the Promised Land following their wandering in the wilderness, God assigned particular areas to each tribe and an allocation of land was made to each family. The boundaries of the land were marked by stones that were required to be recognised and respected. To move or remove those stones was a major offence.
In the Old Testament we are told that such boundaries established by God were definitely not to be violated. This was such a serious injunction and it is mentioned in a number of passages in the Old Testament (for example, Deuteronomy 19:14, Deuteronomy 27:17, Proverbs 23:10, Hosea 5:10).
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(July 25, 2021) Dr Jim McClure, straight shooting theologian, dares every Christian to be a Daniel today…
Have you ever played the party game Truth or Dare?
It can be very funny or very embarrassing! Some ‘Truth’ questions could be, ‘What is the most embarrassing thing you have ever done?’ or, ‘When did you last tell a lie?’ If you do not like those questions, you may choose ‘Dare’ instead of ‘Truth’ and may, for example, be dared to ‘Eat a really hot chilli’ or ‘Try to touch your nose with your tongue.’ Consequently you can be confronted by all kinds of humiliating and challenging tests.
I have chosen that title for this article because I want to draw attention to something which is vitally relevant and challenging to Christians today. We are, I believe, at a time in history which is quite unlike any other. And I’m not referring to the Coronavirus but to something that is significantly more serious and invasive and dangerous – especially for Christians.
In so many ways we are at a crossroads today religiously, socially and morally.
Connecting with You! 