These were the white words displayed on a black t-shirt that the head coach of the NBA championship Boston Celtics wore during the celebration ceremony following the team’s victory. In speaking on his emotions following his championship win Coach Joe Mazzulla said, “First of all, the most important thing for us, for me, is our faith, and we have the number one fans in the world.” He also noted that being in this position to coach this team was “a blessing. I don’t deserve it but because of grace I’m here.”

These types of actions that are focused on Mazzulla’s Catholic faith are not new if you’ve been following his journey. So much of his words and actions are centered on God. The country, the world and his team have taken notice. In November 2022, after a game in Boston attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales, a reporter asked him if was able to meet “the royal family.” Mazzulla responded, “Jesus, Mary and Joseph? I’m only familiar with one royal family. I don’t know too much about that one. But hopefully, they’re Celtics fans.”

Mazzulla has consistently been a man who is upfront with his faith and the Celtics organization and players know this to be the case as well. He also recently said, “If we win the championship this year, we’re flying to Jerusalem and we’re walking from Jericho to Jerusalem.” He noted that his trip there several years ago had radically transformed his faith.

There are many other faith moments and actions that we could reference for the head coach. What is amazing is that he also seems to have influenced his players. There is no way we can say this for certain, but it is interesting that so many of the Celtics players would be so open about their faith in God directly following their championship victory.

The virtues of faith, hope and love appear to be a part of the way they speak and carry themselves. Several important contributors to the team spoke freely and clearly about their love of God and seemed to immediately praise their teammates and coaches over themselves.

Jayson Tatum, the leader of the team and top scorer, said, “First of all, God is the greatest. Not because we won but to put me in positions to maximize my God-given ability. To surround me with these guys and my family. This is an incredible feeling.”

Tatum wasn’t nearly referencing the phrase, “I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” This is something many players say and is a great way to be upfront about one’s faith. However, Tatum was different. He was more specific. God is not good because he won the game but because God enables Jayson to be the man and athlete that he is. God is the source and center, along with his family and team.

Jaylen Brown, another key start for the Celtics said the following in his post-game interview: “For me, my faith is most high and in just believing in my teammates and my coaching staff and just being grateful.”

Again, Brown focused on others instead of himself. He also noted that being thankful for all that he has been given is critical. His relationship with God is the clear number one. Placing that relationship where it needs to be gives him the vision of gratitude, no matter what happens.

Finally, Al Horford, the Celtics veteran, chanted “Gloria a Dios. Gloria a Dios. Glory, glory, glory to the Lord,” to the crowd and reporters following the Celtics championship win. Amid all of the confetti and celebration, he was smiling and gave God the notice. All of this should bring one to see that God is real and he is everything. Horford’s words were the shortest but were given with such power.

The Mazzulla effect was so clear to me watching all of these players be vocal about their faith.

During the postseason last year, the Celtics were knocked out of the playoffs and did not meet their championship expectations. When they were down in their series, Mazzulla was honest about how he spent some of his time. In a press conference, he said that he had visited three girls under the age of 21 years old who had terminal cancer. He wanted to be with them and spend some time with them. He said that being with these girls and seeing them still smile gave him a new perspective on life. He saw that the game was not the most important thing. At the end of our lives, it is faith and love that remains.

It sounds like this head coach has got it right. Keep God first and everything else will fall into place. It also appears that he has transmitted that truth to his players. Now, they follow his faith lead.

We should as well.

Author: Thomas Griffin; Source: National Catholic Register

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Small People

The story that comes just before this one is about a great man, a highflier, a Very Important Person: Naaman, the commander of Syria’s army (2 Kings 5). And the passage that immediately follows is about an even more important person: Naaman’s boss, the king of Syria himself (2 Kings 6:8–33). Both men have corner offices, fly first class, and live in gated communities. They’re big deals.

But not the people in this story. They’re referred to as “the sons of the prophets,” a group gathered around a prophet such as Elisha, learning from him and serving him. These are the guys who work in a cubicle, fly economy, and live where the houses are small and close together. They’re not famous or important — in fact, we’re not even told their names.

And yet this passage tells their story. In between the internationally significant narratives of a great military leader and a famous political leader is an episode about no-names involved in a purely local affair. This surprising interest in small people seems to have been a recurring feature of Elisha’s ministry (see the stories in 2 Kings 4). It’s also a hallmark of the larger biblical story (notice, for example, the focus on unnamed minor characters throughout the Gospel of Mark).

What’s more, the Bible doesn’t just show an interest in small people for whom things are going well — people who might be a net gain, even in their own small way. Rather, it demonstrates genuine care for small people with problems. That’s certainly the case for the sons of the prophets in 2 Kings 6. In fact, they have two problems.

Small Problems

The first problem is a housing issue. “Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, ‘See, the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us’” (2 Kings 6:1). I get this. Several years ago, with our kids getting older, our house felt cramped, so we moved to a larger one. I wouldn’t deem our housing needs worthy of inclusion in Holy Scripture. Maybe the sons of the prophets felt similarly. But here’s their story — in the Bible. Apparently, the small problems of small people matter to God.

In this case, the sons of the prophets come to Elisha not just with a problem, but with a proposed solution. “‘Let us go to the Jordan and each of us get there a log, and let us make a place for us to dwell there.’ And he answered, ‘Go’” (2 Kings 6:2). Sometimes God meets our needs through miraculous means (he’ll do that in this very story). Other times he helps us through our own activity. Elisha doesn’t make a new house appear out of thin air. Instead, the sons of the prophets mount a logging expedition and build a house.

God often works this way. According to Jesus, God feeds the birds of the air — but as one of my seminary professors used to say, you don’t see birds lying on their backs, waiting for God to drop worms into their beaks. He feeds them through their own worm-finding efforts. Yes, God can provide manna from heaven and bread by raven (1 Kings 17:3–6), but his normal means of provision is our own hard work (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

The second problem involves a lost axe head. “But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, ‘Alas, my master! It was borrowed’” (2 Kings 6:5). Of course, this is a tiny issue in the grand sweep of things. But when a problem happens to us, we don’t feel that way about it. When it’s our injured leg, our dented car, our negative job review, our extended sickness, the comparatively small problem can feel big. The unnamed man in verse 5 “cried out” — a term connoting real distress. He cries out, “Alas!” He can’t afford to replace that borrowed axe head.

Yes, it’s a relatively small problem — but not to him. Will God even notice? Look what happens next.

Small Miracle

“Then the man of God said, ‘Where did it fall?’ When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. And he said, ‘Take it up.’ So he reached out his hand and took it” (2 Kings 6:6–7). The description of Elisha as “the man of God” reminds us that Elisha, though a prophet, is a man. He needs to ask where the axe head fell (apparently, the miracle doesn’t include actually locating it!). But the term “man of God” also reminds us that Elisha represents God, speaks for God, does miracles by the power of God. God himself, in the person of his prophet, is involved in this small miracle.

Elisha throws a stick into the water; the axe head floats. We’re not told why a stick is used, but this is undoubtedly a miracle. Iron doesn’t float. As miracles go, it’s a small one. No one is raised from the dead. The fate of a nation doesn’t hang in the balance. There are few witnesses. Even the ending of the story is undramatic. “And he said, ‘Take it up.’ So he reached out his hand and took it.” That’s it. End of story.

So, here’s a summary of this little story: Some small people have a couple of small problems, and God meets their needs — in one case through their own planning and effort, and in the other through a small miracle. Maybe the story doesn’t seem all that important, yet I’m glad it’s in the Bible. It demonstrates that God cares about us and our everyday problems. He acts on our behalf. If we’re attentive, we’ll see that in our own lives.

No Prayer Too Small

I’ve seen God act this way in my own life. I’m a pastor, and a few years ago, I agreed to lead a graveside service for the deceased brother of a friend who lives in town. My friend isn’t a follower of Jesus, so this seemed like a great opportunity to serve him and deepen our friendship. The service was scheduled for 1:00, but somehow, I got it into my head that it began at 1:30. That day, I drove to the cemetery and arrived at about 1:20, thinking I was early. But as I walked toward the grave, I saw many cars and a crowd of people. I looked at my notes, discovered I was in fact twenty minutes late, and felt sick to my stomach.

Surprisingly, though, as I neared the grave, I saw pallbearers pulling a coffin out of a hearse and carrying it toward the grave. My friend greeted me and told me what had happened. An out-of-town funeral home had driven the coffin to the wrong cemetery in our town. A grave had been dug at that cemetery for a different funeral the same day, and they had lowered the coffin into that grave. It took time to discover the error, get the coffin out of the grave and back into the hearse, and drive it to the right place. In fact, it took them twenty minutes. Which meant I arrived right on time. I believe that was the work of God. He knew every little detail, cared for me, and prevented an unintentional offense against my friend. God did a small miracle for a small person (me).

Psalm 147:3–4 says that God “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.” God does big things (like creating and naming the stars) and little things (like binding up the wounds of sad people). So, here’s an invitation: Ask God for his help. Give him your burden. Surrender your problem. He wants you to ask. He sees and cares, no matter how humble and hidden the issue. God took on flesh and came to earth as a tiny, fragile, helpless baby born to a manual laborer. By doing so, he was saying, loud and clear, “I care about small people. I was one myself.” Let’s bring our problems, big and small, to him.

Source: Desiring God

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Biden has given no indication that he intends to exit the race, and his campaign has flatly dismissed the suggestion. But that has done little to silence critics who are openly questioning whether Biden is the right person to take on Donald Trump, a figure the president – and his party – view as a grave threat to American democracy.

In the unlikely scenario Biden decides not to run, the most obvious choice to replace him would be his 59-year-old vice president and running mate, Kamala Harris. But it would not be automatic – and other candidates would likely challenge Harris, who has suffered her own low approval ratings, for the nomination.

Already some Democrats are looking past the vice-president at other possible contenders – Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois governor JB Pritzker, California governor Gavin Newsom and Maryland governor Wes Moore.

It’s a sign that Democrats have yet to fully embrace Harris as Biden’s heir apparent.

“To even discuss Biden stepping down while COMPLETELY IGNORING THE VP … is a serious look into how we see the importance, capacity and seriousness of women of color,” writer Tanzina Vega, said on X.

Harris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, is the highest-ranking female elected official in US history and the first Black and first Asian American to serve as vice president.

Democrats, traumatized by Hillary Clinton’s loss to Trump in 2016, rallied behind Biden in 2020 over a younger, more diverse and progressive field of candidates that included Harris. As a candidate, Biden promised to be a “bridge” to the next generation of Democratic leaders, which many interpreted as commitment to serve one-term and before passing the baton to Harris.

But when the time came to make a decision, Biden argued that he was still the Democrat best-positioned to beat Trump.

For the past three and a half years, Harris’s barrier-breaking vice-presidency has divided Democrats. Negative press, some of it self-inflicted, compounded by sexist and racist attacks, and a challenging policy portfolio weighed on public perception of the former California senator. Nearly 50% of voters have an unfavorable view of Harris, according to 538’s polling average, compared with the roughly 40% who view her favorably, figures that are comparable with Biden’s.

Despite a rocky start to her tenure, Harris has eased into the role, especially since becoming the administration’s leading voice on abortion rights. On Monday, Harris marked two years since the second anniversary of the US supreme court decision that overturned Roe v Wade with a fiery warning that Trump would not hesitate to further restrict women’s reproductive rights in a second-term.

Nodding to her background as a prosecutor, the vice president declared: “In the case of the stealing of reproductive freedom from the women of America, Donald Trump is guilty.”

Harris’s clear defense of abortion rights, by far Democrats’ strongest issue, stands in stark contrast to Biden. During Thursday’s debate, Biden fumbled an attack on Trump over Republican bans on the procedure, pivoting bizarrely to immigration and raising the case of a young woman murdered in Georgia.

Moments after Biden finished the debate, it was Harris who came to his defense first in a pair of interviews. On CNN and MSNBC, Harris spun his performance, saying voters must look at the last three-and-a-half years of accomplishments and not just at the 90-minute debate. Harris conceded that Biden had a “slow start” but insisted he finished “strong.”

“I’m talking about the choice for November,” she said on CNN. “I’m talking about one of the most important elections in our collective lifetime.”

In a sharp back-and-forth, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper pressed Harris about calls for Biden to step aside.

“I’m not going to spend all night with you talking about the last 90 minutes when I’ve been watching the last three-and-a-half years of performance,” she said, emphasizing his legislative and executive achievements he’s pulled in his first-term.

At a rally in Las Vegas the following day, Harris doubled down on her support.

“In the Oval Office, negotiating bipartisan deals, I see him in the situation room keeping our country safe,” she said, adding that the election would not be decided by “one night in June”.

The Atlanta debate was the first of the election cycle, with a second scheduled in September. The Biden campaign has agreed to a vice-presidential debate between Harris and Trump’s eventual running mate, but the terms have not yet been to confirmed.

In a hypothetical matchup against Trump, Harris performed roughly on par with Biden, trailing the former president by six points in a February Times/Siena poll. Biden trailed Trump by five points in the same poll. Meanwhile, the poll found Harris ran stronger than Biden with Black voters, though worse with Hispanic voters and men.

Biden’s age has long been an electoral challenge. But his shaky debate performance shocked even his staunchest supporters. At a rally on Friday, Biden acknowledged his stumbles, but insisted he was still the best candidate to defeat Trump.

“I know I’m not a young man, to state the obvious,” he said at a post-debate rally in North Carolina. “I know I don’t walk as easy as I used to, I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to, I don’t debate as well as I used to, but I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth.”

But mounting concerns about Biden’s mental acuity have drawn even greater scrutiny of Harris, particularly from the right. Republicans have sought to make Harris a boogyman, with Nikki Haley warning during the GOP primary a vote for Biden was a vote for “a President Harris”.

With the convention scheduled for mid-August in Chicago, and the formal nomination process to take place virtually at some point before that to meet an Ohio ballot deadline, many Democrats have said there is not enough time to replace Biden at the top of the ticket.

Former South Carolina lawmaker and Democratic commentator Bakari Sellers, who endorsed Harris in the 2020 primary, said wishing for an alternative to emerge at this stage was futile.

“You’re not nominating Gretch or Gavin or Wes over Kamala. Stop it,” he wrote on X, adding: “Choice is Trump, Biden or couch. I choose Joe.”

Posted by: Christian Fellows; Source: TheGuardian

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“This is an unbelievable blessing. I’ve lived a blessed life, but this is just a start for some big things.”

Kansas State’s, Jerome Tang, is the reigning college basketball coach of the year, after taking the Wildcats to the Elite 8 in his first year as head coach. His journey is unique, marked by faith in God, a love for basketball, and the bible.

TANG: “At one point in time, I could quote up to close to sixteen books of the Bible.”

DAWSON: “In their entirety?”

TANG: “Yeah.”

In 1989, while on a bible quiz scholarship at North Central Bible College, Jerome became the bible quiz coach and in multiple years took his team to nationals. “That was the foundation of my coaching and God knew what He was doing because it also really established me as a man of God,” recalled Tang.

Still, his desire was to coach basketball, an opportunity he would receive in 1993 as the head coach of Heritage Christian High School in Cleveland, Texas. While he led the team to four state titles in ten years, financially, times were tough. “Making ends meet,” said his wife, Careylyen, “I don’t know how I stretched money for us for the week.”

In 2003, the couple was expecting their second child and learned their insurance had lapsed. His wife, Rey, called Jerome to tell him the news. “I just remember sitting in the car, just crying and I called and told him,” Rey recalled, “and he said, ‘Don’t worry about it. God will provide.’”
 
DAWSON: “Were you ever worried about your life situation or did you just have a faith that you knew everything was going to be okay?”
 
TANG: “I have this like crazy faith. I always believed that I was God’s favored. And I tell people they should feel the same way because Scripture says that we’re the apple of His eye. Your faith just grows as God shows Himself faithful to us.”
 
Just a few days later, Jerome was offered an assistant coaching role at Baylor University under Christian head coach, Scott Drew. With it came a significant raise and insurance, affirming Jerome’s faith. Jerome recalled, “He said, ‘The job is yours.’ That was incredible.”

Baylor was a basketball program, not necessarily known for their winning tradition. However, Jerome was convinced that they would not only succeed, but that they would eventually win it all.

“I didn’t know how long it was going to take,” said Tang. “But I knew we were going to win because we just had great people around us, hard workers, and we followed the direction of coach being led by the Lord and the Holy Spirit.”

Under Coach Drew and Coach Tang, Baylor lost nearly 70% of their games in their first four years. Slowly they began turning things around and in 2021, after 19 years together, Baylor won the national championship.

DAWSON: “How special was it when the final buzzer sounds and you’re the national champions?”

TANG: “Oh my goodness. You know, God is so good and His timing is perfect. It’s never perfect for us in our minds, but it’s perfect for us and our journey. And had we won it before that, I think that would have been the pinnacle for me. When we won it, it was nice, but I had already come to a point in my life where my walk with God and who I am in Him was fulfilling and satisfying.”

The next season, Jerome was offered his first head coaching position at Kansas State. In the media’s mind, Jerome had an uphill climb.

DAWSON: “You were doubted. Kansas State was picked dead last in the preseason Big 12 standings. Did that deter you at all?”

TANG: “No. I saw our team when we put the collection of guys together, I saw them. I was like, ‘If this is the last team in the Big 12 then all ten teams are going to the NCAA tournament.’ I felt we had an NCAA tournament team.”

Not only did the Wildcats make the NCAA tournament, that first season, Tang took them to the Elite 8, and just three points shy of the final four. He was unanimously voted, by the Associated Press, the national coach of the year.

“I realize that it’s another platform that God’s given me in order to bring honor and glory to Him,” says Tang. “But also to really be able to talk about the great men that I live life with.”

DAWSON: “What is the rest of this journey look like for Jerome Tang? What would it take for it to be a success for you?”

TANG: “We’re going to win the national championship.”

DAWSON: “Do you believe that?”

TANG: “Yeah. Yeah. That’s going to happen. We’re going to win a national championship. And more importantly, I believe Jesus is really clear when He says, ‘By this all men will know that you’re My disciple. If you have love towards another.’ Not if you love those who look like you and those who vote like you, those who dress like you, but just love people. And I believe that the ministry that God has really stirred in my heart that He wants us, me as a follower of Jesus, to show what it’s like to love everybody.”

Source: cbn

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Biden and Trump won their respective primaries in California, Virginia, North Carolina, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Colorado and Minnesota.

The two candidates sparred in statements and speeches after polls closed. While Biden warned that Trump was “determined to destroy democracy”, Trump leaned heavily into nativist rhetoric about migrants, falsely claiming US cities are “being overrun by migrant crime”.

Biden also saw an unusual loss – in American Samoa. In the US territory, little known candidate Jason Palmer garnered 51 votes to Biden’s 40.

In the Republican primary, 874 of 2,429 total delegates were up for grabs, and the winning candidate will ultimately need 1,215 delegates to capture the nomination. Nikki Haley won the Republican primary in Vermont – her second victory of 2024. Her campaign declined to signal next steps amid mounting pressure from within her own party to step out of the race.

A Hitler-quoting candidate, Mark Robinson, won the North Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary. He’ll will face Democrat Josh Stein in what is expected to be a heavily contested race in November.

In the Democratic contest, 1,421 delegates, representing roughly a third of all delegates, were up for grabs on Super Tuesday, and Joe Biden will need 1,968 delegates to officially win the nomination.

In California, centrist Democrat Adam Schiff and Republican ex-baseball player Steve Garvey advanced in the open primary for US Senate. Garvey, who was initially seen as a long-shot candidate, was boosted by Schiff, whose ads focused on the Republican rather than fellow Democratic challengers Katie Porter and Barbara Lee.

Source: theguardian & cbsnews; compiled here by: Christian Fellows

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Here’s a question I see often in the inbox, but we’re just now getting to it. Why does God threaten to end the lives of some Christians? Today’s email comes from a baffled listener named Mike. “Hello, Pastor John! Every time our church celebrates the Lord’s Supper, the appropriate warnings are sounded. It’s not for non-Christians. It’s not for Christians harboring resentment. But I remain rather confused about 1 Corinthians 11:27–32, a text that appears to be delivered to true Christians so their abrupt discipline will prevent their eventual condemnation. Why would God physically kill one of his children and end their earthly life early? Couldn’t he sustain them to the end just as easily? Can you explain the merciful judgment on believers that Paul is talking about here?”

Weakness, Illness, and Death

My guess is that this question will seem strange to some of our listeners. Why would God physically kill one of his children? That’s what he’s asking. Or even if we soften it and avoid the word kill, why would God take one of his children home as a means of discipline to prevent condemnation when he might have prevented it another way? That’s the gist of the question. It is a very good question, and it’s demanded by 1 Corinthian 11:27–32. So, let me read that, so everybody is with us on this question. We’re not making this up.

It says, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord [meaning the Lord’s supper] in an unworthy manner [I take this to mean a cavalier, minimizing, unbelieving, careless way] will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:27). In other words, if you treat lightly and disrespectfully and irreverently the precious emblems of the Lord’s crucifixion, you’re showing that you don’t cherish and tremble at the horror and preciousness of the real crucifixion. I think that’s the logic.

He continues, “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body [that is, without seriously distinguishing this bread from a breakfast biscuit] eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died” (1 Corinthians 11:28–30). So there are three levels of severity, it sounds like: weakness, sickness, and death. “But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord [that is, judged with weakness or sickness or death], we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:31–32).

So weakness, sickness, and even death are the Lord’s discipline to prevent his people from being condemned to hell. There’s the reality that raises the question. The question is not whether God has the right to take life. Mike is granting that the Lord gives, the Lord takes away, and our response is “Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Job said that, and Mike is believing that.

God’s Work in His People

The question is “If God is taking the life of one of his children so that they will not be condemned to everlasting destruction, couldn’t he have spared them another way — namely, by causing them to eat the Lord’s Supper more respectfully? Why wouldn’t he do that?” That’s the question. The answer to the question is that God could indeed prevent the desecration of the Lord’s Supper by restraining the desecration. Yes, he could.

For example, in Genesis 20:6, when Abimelech the king was about to defile Abraham’s wife, Sarah, God kept him from doing it. It says, “It was I who kept you from sinning against me.” So, he can do it for a pagan king; he can do it for his children. He can keep them from sinning at the Lord’s Table.

In the New Testament, God works in his people to keep them pursuing holiness, at least to the measure that they have (1 Corinthians 15:10; Philippians 2:12; 2 Thessalonians 1:11; Hebrews 13:21; 1 Peter 1:5). God works in his people to restrain from them sin and lead them in holiness. So God could have prevented the desecration of the Lord’s Supper and, thus, the discipline that he brings on those who desecrate it. So why doesn’t he?

Loving Discipline

Now, before I try to answer that, let’s be sure that we see how sweeping this question is. The question really is a specific instance of asking, “Why is there any divine discipline in the Christian life?” The question is not just “Why does God use the final discipline of taking a life?” but “Why would there be any physical or mental or relational difficulties brought into the Christian life as a way of preventing their sin and advancing their holiness?” Why not just prevent the sin and create the holiness by faith and by a clear sight of Jesus and by the ordinary means of word and prayer? Why should there be any form of painful discipline in the life of God’s children? That’s the larger question implied in this specific one.

Let’s be sure that we know God does discipline his children with more or less painful things in their lives. We know that because of Hebrews 12:4–10. It says,

In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. . . . My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?. He disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. (Hebrews 12:4–7, 10)

1 Corinthians 11:30 is one description of that discipline that we just read from Hebrews 12. It happens at different levels. For some, it’s a weakness. For some, it’s an illness. For some, it’s death. Don’t forget the words “the Lord disciplines the one he loves.” If he makes us weak, he’s loving us. If he makes us ill, he’s loving us. If he takes our life, he’s loving us.

Trust His Ways

Now, why does God do it this way? Why not just perfect us all overnight? That really is what the question boils down to. Why doesn’t he bring us to the greatest holiness with no painful discipline? Why doesn’t he just say, “Read your Bible and pray and be holy” — and no painful discipline at all?

My answer goes something like this. God knows the best way to bring about in his children (1) a love for his absolute holiness, (2) a hatred of our bent to sinning, (3) gratitude for his amazing grace and patience in our lives, and (4) a passion to trust him in every circumstance of life. He knows the best way to do this.

So, let’s be careful that we don’t decide what’s best and tell him how to do it. We watch him and learn what’s best. He knows best how to produce these great wonders in his church. We shouldn’t second-guess him.

Source: John Piper (desiringgod.org)

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We resemble, in some small measure, the Maker who built his world from a six-day blueprint. We share a likeness with him who “planned from days of old what now I bring to pass” (2 Kings 19:25). We embody in creaturely form the ways of him who acts beyond whim, against randomness, and always according to a “definite plan” (Acts 2:23). We are made in the image of a planning God, and those who plan act a little like him.

But wait a minute. As a type-A, calendar and to-do list kind of person, I need to remember something else too: sometimes, those who plan act a little too much like God.

Sometimes, we plan as if we were not vapor and mist, flower and grass, here by morning and gone by night. Sometimes, we reduce planning to prayerless reason and pro-con lists, tools of self-reliant minds. Sometimes, we don’t even say under our breath, “If the Lord wills . . .” (James 4:15). We are made in the image of a planning God, and those who plan sometimes take the image and forget the God.

So, as another calendar closes, and a year of blank days falls open before us, how might we reflect our planning God without planning as if we were God?

1. Plan like a mortal.

Whenever we plan, whether for next year or next week, we bring something of tomorrow into today. We run ahead on the trail of time, charting courses and planting flags, considering what we might do now to reach goals then. In the process, however, our imagined tomorrows can feel more real than they really are; we can find our hearts already inhabiting our future plans. But as James reminds us, we “do not know what tomorrow will bring.” We are “a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14). We are mortal.

Partly because eternity rests in our bones, and partly because lingering folly does too, we often fail to plan like mortals. We are mists who dream like mountains, lilies who plot like oaks. As we mentally walk the trails of tomorrow, deciding where we’ll go and what we’ll do, we forget that such trails may never be. Humility gives way to type-A “arrogance” (James 4:16).

Rightly felt, a sense of our mortality does not discourage planning, but it does chasten and reframe planning. When eternity presses close, we live (and plan) more wisely in time. We also remember what our best plans really are: drawings and rough drafts, penciled sketches at the mercy of God’s eraser. So, even as we think and scheme and dream as if we may have months or years ahead, we stamp every plan with mortal wisdom: “If the Lord wills” — and not otherwise — “we will live and do this or that” (James 4:15).

2. Plan like a child.

Pride can take several shapes in our planning. It can appear in our quickness to say, “I will . . .” rather than “If the Lord wills . . .” It can appear also in a prayerless reliance on our own reason.

I often need help remembering that Christian planning is never a matter of mere common sense. Of course, common sense holds great value (as much of Proverbs testifies), and most of us could stand to have more. But our world is too complex a place for pro-con lists to master. More than that, God’s own priorities are often too counterintuitive for worldly wisdom to trace.

Planners like me would do well to heed the words of John Newton: “It is a great thing indeed to have the spirit of a little child, so as to be habitually afraid of taking a single step without leading” (Letters of John Newton, 184). We are not only mortals — our time short, our days numbered. We are also children — our wisdom small, our foresight fallible. So, as those who know our own ignorance, who sense our utterly limited perspective and our proneness to plausible folly, we plan in the presence of God. We saturate planning with prayer.

We might, for example, root our planning in Paul’s prayer for the Philippians:

It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. (Philippians 1:9–10)

Rightly done, planning is a way of looking at the competing claims for our time and attention, and approving not only what is good or worthy, but “what is excellent,” what is best. And approving what is best calls for more than common sense. We need nothing less than abounding, discerning love, a gift that comes from the Spirit in response to prayer.

3. Plan like a worshiper.

Praying as we plan may guard us from the pride that James warns so strongly against (James 4:16). But what about the next day, the next week, the next month, when we wake up with plan in hand, calendar filled, to-do list ready? How will we protect ourselves, in an ongoing way, from acting like immortal adults rather than mortal children? We can plan like worshipers.

Worshipers remember that, among all priorities, “one thing is necessary” (Luke 10:42). Among all requests, “one thing have I asked of the Lord” (Psalm 27:4). Among all ambitions, “one thing I do” (Philippians 3:13). Sit at Jesus’s feet. Behold his beauty. Press on toward heaven.

Worshipers not only saturate their planning with prayer; they also plan to saturate their days with prayer (and God’s other means of grace). Pursuing God becomes one of the main parts of their plans. What will Bible reading look like this year? When, where, and how will I commune with God in prayer? In what ways will I deepen my fellowship with brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers in my local church?

When we daily pursue God according to a prayerful, thoughtful plan, we will have a harder time taking our to-do lists too seriously. God’s providence, not our plans, will seem like our great unshakable guide. We will also find ourselves more attuned to when our priorities should change. As we seek him, the discerning love of God will often lead us to approve some excellence other than the one we had planned.

So, above all priorities, prioritize worship. At the heart of all plans, plan to pursue God.

4. Plan like a dreamer.

Can creatures of dust craft five-year visions? Can mists like us dare to imagine not just tomorrow but a thousand tomorrows? As long as we live like mortals, pray like children, and pursue God like worshipers, yes, we can. And indeed, sometimes love will compel us to do so. God created us “in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10), and some good works are so wonderfully audacious, so beautifully complex, they reach beyond the pages of this year’s calendar.

Consider a remarkable passage near the end of Romans, where Paul outlines his travel plans:

I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. (Romans 15:24–26)

In a time when traveling from Achaia to Jerusalem to Rome to Spain would have taken months and perhaps years, Paul outlines a surprisingly complicated, long-range plan. Of course, we know from Acts that Paul remained sensitive to God’s redirecting hand (Acts 16:6–10, for example), but he did not for that reason stop planning. With Christlike love burning in his heart, he set his sights across years and seas.

Some good works call for far-seeing vision, bold ambition, and the willingness to embark on a path whose end lies over the horizon. Global missions and church planting are two such good works. We could mention many others: adopting children, evangelizing a city, starting a God-glorifying business, ending abortion, even raising a child in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Often in Scripture we find the wicked laying wicked plans (Esther 8:3; Psalm 21:11; 33:10; 62:4). Will not the righteous lay counter-plans for righteousness? Will we not think on our beds, and dream with open calendars, and dare to fill future days with penciled plans for good?

5. Plan like a sub-planner.

Perhaps the best test of a planner’s heart comes later, outside the moment of planning, when we realize that God’s plans were different from ours. “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand” (Proverbs 19:21). And sometimes, even often, the purpose of the Lord undoes our plans.

Our God is the great intervener, the great redirector, the one who “frustrates the plans of the peoples” (Psalm 33:10) and who sometimes, for kind and wise reasons, frustrates our own plans as well. Our wisdom in such moments is to receive the frustration of our plans without frustration, to hold our torn to-do lists with humble, trusting hands — and in the more trivial cases, maybe with even a self-deprecating laugh.

Every ruined plan is an opportunity to remember that we are sub-planners, planners with a lowercase p. God gives us the dignity of dreaming — and sometimes too the gift of seeing dreams come true. But above that dignity, he gives the assurance that even when our plans fail, he folds the failures into his own plans for our good (Romans 8:28).

So far as we know, Paul never made it to Spain. And so with us, some of our most seemingly God-glorifying plans will not come to pass. But those crossed-out hopes, those unchecked boxes on our to-do lists, have the potential to push us deeper into our mortal creed: “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:15). They can bid us to say with more sincerity, “Not my plans, but yours, be done.” Best of all, they can teach us to receive God’s interruptions as better than our best-laid plans.

Source: Desiring God, Author: Scott Hubbard

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Recorded in the midst of a tense situation, the video showcases individuals harmonizing in a collective act of worship, standing resolute in their determination to protect themselves. This blending of self-defense with spiritual expression serves as a powerful testament to the complexity of human responses in the face of crisis.

The unique way in which these Israelis navigate the complexities of conflict underscores the impact of faith. The melodic affirmation of their beliefs not only provides comfort to those involved but also symbolizes a collective resilience that transcends the immediate challenges posed by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

As the video continues to circulate, it sparks discussions about the diverse ways individuals draw strength during times of adversity in conflict zones. Faith emerges as a unifying force, offering a sense of purpose and connection even in the face of danger.

In a historical reflection, the Raid on Entebbe in 1976 stands as a defining moment in Israeli history. As contemporary events unfold, the Hebrew verse “Hine ma tov u’ma nayim, shevet achim gam yachad” echoes through time, becoming an anthem of unity and hope.

As Israeli forces face unprecedented challenges, the soldiers find strength in the timeless words of Psalm 133:1. “Hine Ma Tov,” translating to “Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity,” becomes a source of inspiration, symbolizing the resilience and determination of the Israeli people in the face of adversity during both historical and contemporary conflicts.

Decades later, the Raid on Entebbe remains a testament to the indomitable human spirit and the power of unity, offering a historical perspective on the strength derived from communal bonds. As the world reflects on these instances, the unique blend of self-defense and spiritual expression sheds light on the intricate ways people cope with adversity during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Author: Christian Fellow

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Renowned Oxford mathematician, philosopher of science, and Christian apologist, Professor John Lennox, has declared his belief in God while asserting the compatibility of science and faith. In a thought-provoking presentation filmed on November 8, 2012, Lennox expressed his frustration with the prevailing notion that individuals must choose between belief in God or a commitment to scientific inquiry.

“I am not ashamed to be both a scientist and a Christian,” stated Lennox, highlighting the misconception of a forced dichotomy between God and science. According to him, the driving force behind scientific exploration is the belief that the universe and the human mind originate from the same intelligent divine source.

Lennox argued that while science can provide answers to numerous questions about the universe, it may fall short in explaining the ultimate purpose or reason behind its existence. The mathematician posited that such profound existential questions are more suitably addressed through faith, asserting that only God can reveal the purpose behind creation.

“For me, the proof for the existence of God comes in the form of Jesus Christ, God in human form,” Lennox asserted. He presented the idea that God is not a mere theoretical concept but a personal reality, with Jesus Christ serving as the embodiment of this divine presence.

The Oxford professor emphasized that science and faith can coexist harmoniously, with each providing valuable insights into different aspects of human understanding. While science explores the mechanics of the universe, Lennox sees faith as a source of answers to the deeper, more existential questions that may lie beyond the scope of scientific inquiry.

As debates about the relationship between science and religion continue to captivate minds, Professor John Lennox’s perspective adds to the ongoing discourse. His viewpoint encourages individuals to recognize that, far from being mutually exclusive, science and faith can complement each other in the pursuit of a comprehensive understanding of the world and our place in it.

Author: Christian Fellows

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This Sunday we will stand together, an imam and a rabbi, at the vigil Building Bridges, Together for Humanity. We will stand alongside religious, civic and political leaders from different faiths and parties and with bereaved families scarred by the Israel-Hamas conflict.

With us will be representatives of the Parents Circle – Families Forum, a grassroots organization of more than 600 bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families working together for a shared future of justice, peace and hope for everyone. Their leadership and their bravery humbles us. But so does their insight. Robi Damelin, whose son was killed in the conflict, said this week: “As bereaved Palestinian and Israeli families we urge you not to import our conflict into your society and create further hatred. As families who have lost loved ones we refuse to give in to vengeance and retribution. Instead, we choose to work side by side in partnership to build a better future for everyone.”

In our work as an imam and a rabbi we have each stood alongside grieving parents, witnessed in heartfelt silence countless tears, and endeavoured to bring whatever comfort human kindness and faith in God can offer.

We have seen the misery and anguish the death of loved ones brings in the ordinary days of peacetime. This is all the more terrible amid the uncertainty, fear and terror of war. We are deeply distressed by the horror being suffered, even as we write, by so many civilians in both Israel and Palestine.

At moments like this it is easy for that pain to spill over into anger and for that anger to blind us to the plight of others. We too feel deep ties of loyalty to our respective faiths and communities. But we also feel the bond of universal humanity that unites us. We share the belief that every person is of infinite value and that every life is an entire, unique and irreplaceable world. Therefore, we are resolved to pray and work together for a future that brings dignity, security, enduring peace and hope to everyone.

As spiritual leaders in the UK, we are witnesses to the shocking rise in attacks on Jews and Muslims in this country. Many in our communities feel isolated, surrounded by walls of silence, harassed and afraid. Sadly, this applies in many schools, universities and workplaces, as well as on the streets of London and other cities. Such division and hostility only exacerbate our traumas.

Alongside civil and political leaders of all faiths and none, we are determined to do our utmost not to bring the conflict in the Middle East into this country. Rather, we are united in our commitment to upholding the values of respect, inclusion and the honoring and celebration of diversity that form the basis of our shared society.

We do not have to see eye to eye in order to treat one another with decency and consideration. We do not have to agree with each other for us to acknowledge each other’s hurt. We do not need to hold identical views to reach out and take responsibility for one another’s safety and wellbeing.

Amid the anger and anguish of these cruel times, we call instead for compassion, understanding and love. We know the difference that ordinary acts of kindness and decency can make.

That is why we call on you to stand with us and join the vigil on Sunday if you can. But even if you are unable to, we ask you to take your own small steps to bring us together. That can be as simple as reaching out to someone you disagree with or acknowledging someone else’s pain.

Despite, perhaps even within, the very trauma of the current situation, we seek to find opportunity. We see in this moment a key time to recognise each other’s anguish, express our solidarity in the face of suffering, and work alongside one another for a more compassionate world.

• Imam Monawar Hussain is the Muslim tutor at Eton College, Windsor. Jonathan Wittenberg is rabbi of New North London Synagogue

Source: The Guardian

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