There was a study recorded in a publication called “Outsmart High Blood Pressure” in which people were told to think about a time when they were hurt by someone and imagine two different endings, one in which they forgave the person who hurt them and one in which they held a grudge.  The study found that heart rates and blood pressure levels…

This month’s readings, from Joshua 7 through 1 Kings 7, will take us from the establishment of the Israelites in the Promised Land to the establishment of Solomon’s kingdom. We’ll read of heights of success when God’s Word is obeyed and honored, as well as humbling defeats when it is ignored or compromised. And midmonth, there is the beautiful story of Ruth.…

Acts 2:46 describes the “glad” hearts of the Jerusalem church.  This was a happy and positive congregation.  One reason was their great relief and sheer joy in receiving God’s promises.  Those who responded to Peter’s sermon were “cut to the heart.”  Recognizing their sins against the Messiah, they knew they were in trouble.  In reply to their desperate plea, Peter commanded, “Repent and be…

Was God with Paul during his ministry? “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.  Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own…