My Life in Churches by James R. Coggins

Posted on September 24, 2025 by jrcoggins

Recently I was reflecting on my experience with the various churches I have attended.

I grew up in a small town attending a Baptist church. The Sunday school was largely staffed by men and women with limited education and mediocre teaching skills. They taught because they were devout Christians and believed that it was crucial to pass on the Christian faith to the next generation no matter what, demonstrating G.K. Chesterton’s assertion that “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.” They taught me the Bible, but above all they taught me that following Jesus was the most important thing to do. We had a variety of pastors, but the pastor who was there during my crucial high school years taught clear biblical and theological principles that have remained with me. I had some profound spiritual experiences in that church that established my personal faith in Jesus and laid the foundation for my life. I gained a little experience presenting biblical meditations in the youth group.

When I went off to university, I found another, slightly larger Baptist church. Here I discovered deep expositional Bible preaching and teaching (careful examination of the meaning of a Bible passage and its application). This came from the pastor and the adult Sunday school class teacher and the college and career Sunday school class teacher. Many of the families in the church welcomed university students into their homes for Sunday dinner, which was a blessing in many ways. I made lifelong friends among the other students there. When I was asked to give a short testimony at a Sunday evening service, I described a spiritual renewal that had grown out of a year-long depression. This led me to being asked to take over teaching the college and career class. It was a great honor and a great challenge as I tried to meet the standard for expositional teaching that people in that church were used to.  

A couple of years after graduation, I moved across the country to work. My next-door neighbor and I went looking for a church and ended up at a small Baptist church, and about a year later I married her there. This church was very warm and welcoming. I didn’t contribute much there, we received much more than we gave, but we did start a small Bible study group.

After two-and-a-half years, we moved back east so I could pursue further studies. We joined a moderate-sized Mennonite Brethren church, founded a few years earlier by a group of dedicated laypeople. We were in a care group and made enduring friends there. A number of the founding members of the church invited us for dinner on occasion, and we sometimes hosted younger, unattached people. After I told a joke at an evening talent night at the church, the pastor asked me if I would preach. This was not unusual as up to a dozen lay members of the church preached there in addition to the pastor. I served on the church council and preached quite often, in that church and other churches. Preaching was the most fulfilling and also the most demanding work I have ever done, because it was a heavy responsibility and also required me to do serious soul-searching as I pondered how to first apply the Bible passage to my own life before declaring it to others.

After four years, I was hired as an editor with the Mennonite Brethren denominational magazine, and we moved to Manitoba in the center of Canada. For the first year, we attended a fairly large and traditional church, where we did not fit well. Most of the people our age went home for Sunday dinner with their parents, and we were not invited. We were part of a care group, and I preached, once, in an evening service.

The next year, we moved to a church plant meeting in a school. The congregation was mostly composed of middle-aged couples such as ourselves. There were no older couples to invite us younger families to dinner, but we had good fellowship with each other. We participated in care groups. This is probably where I was most active in church, serving as elder on the church council and preaching fairly often.

After six more years, my work transferred me back to the west coast. We again spent a year at a good church where we didn’t quite fit in, before settling into a large, multi-staff church near our home. This church’s strength was a vibrant adult Sunday school program, where most of the fellowship took place. We participated in care groups and made enduring friends. I taught occasionally in adult Sunday school and care groups. I still preached occasionally, but never in this church. Preaching is now often restricted to professional clergy. The church had vibrant children’s and youth ministries, which greatly benefited our children.

After about a dozen years, I found myself increasingly out of step with the direction of the church and the denomination. We left both, as well as my job. The next half-dozen years feel like a lost time. We attended a number of churches, three of them in particular, but never found a church where we felt we belonged.

We finally settled into a moderate-sized Alliance church. The strength of this church was a group of strong laypeople who had founded the church. This group, now in late middle age, scheduled a surprising range of fun social activities, from laser tag to mini-golf and bike riding. We participated in care groups but did not find many other places to serve. We made no enduring friends there. In time, the founding members moved on, and the congregation lost its identity and focus.

After a few years, we decided we were in need of a change and moved to another small city about twenty-five miles away. Here, we have been attending a moderate-sized Baptist church. It is a good church with sound doctrine, good preaching, and a clear vision. Although we are relatively healthy and active, we are old and are not expected to contribute much, although some of that might be our fault—we have not gotten around to officially joining. This is a friendly church, but we have a good number of acquaintances and only a few friends. We are leading a care group because we took the initiative to start one. If we left the church, I am not sure it would make much difference to the church. As with other churches in our recent experience, I do a lot of my ministry outside the church.

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Trip to Canada by Tara Randel

Posted on September 22, 2025 by tararandel

At the beginning of September, my family and I took a weekend trip to Halifax, Canada. Halifax, you might ask. Why there?

Well, about an hour away is Oak Island. If you’ve ever watched the Curse of Oak Island on the History channel, you know that they’ve been searching for treasure there for about ten years. When my husband was a kid, he read an article in Readers Digest about the curse and the treasure. He’s been fascinated ever since and enjoys watching the show. When my daughter, who also watched the series, found out they had resumed tours of the island, she booked a date and off we went on an adventure.

To be transparent, I always tell them that no treasure will ever be found. Needless to say, I wasn’t allowed on the tour. Which is good because they had the best time.

But since I was tagging along, we went a day early to visit the city. We spent an entire day walking around and soaking up the history. First, we started at the Citadel, a fort located on the highest point of the city. What a view! And we learned about the fort that has been around in one form or another for hundreds of years.

We walked all day long, from the fort down to the harbor. It was a beautiful day. We visited many museums and even learned about a Titanic connection to the city.

The next day, while my family was on the tour, I stayed behind and went on my own trek. First, I visited the botanical gardens. I walked around the Victorian inspired grounds, taking pictures and simply enjoying the day.

Next, I went to the Halifax Library, because…how could I resist? I’d heard it was a cool place, and it did not disappoint. The building itself is modern and interesting, five floors of books and activities. On a Saturday afternoon, it was crowded with programs taking place. I even slipped into a panel of authors and enjoyed that immensely.

On the top floor is a cafe and outdoor patio. I went out to take pictures and on the way back inside, noticed letters on the glass.

The final night we walked the boardwalk where there were shops and food and lots of people having a good time.

If you ever have a chance to visit Halifax, go! It’s a very friendly city, there’s a lot to see and do, and the food is amazing.

Now, I have to go back to finish my manuscript because my deadline is fast approaching!

Tara Randel is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author. Family values, a bit of mystery and of course, love and romance, are her favorite themes, because she believes love is the greatest gift of all. Look for her Harlequin Heartwarming romance THE SURPRISE NEXT DOOR, available now. For more information about her books, visit Tara at www.tararandel.com. Like her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TaraRandelBooks. 

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The Fragrance of Christ

Posted on September 18, 2025 by dtopliff

Years ago while in Jerusalem I was privileged to meet Pastor Richard Wurbrand and his wife Sabina and hear them speak three times. Wurmbrand was tortured and imprisoned for fourteen years in Communist Romania for his Christian witness. The Wurmbrands were unforgettable. The excellent testimony of their lives spoke to us as loudly as their words. On one occasion as we shook hands, Richard kissed my cheek in that place I hate to wash since that meeting.

We lost Charlie Kirk a week ago in a senseless act that is creating a growing groundswell that may not crest. This quote from Wurmbrand’s Tortured for Christ seems uncannily applicable.

“A flower, if you bruise it under your feet, rewards you by giving you its perfume. Likewise Christians, tortured by the Communists, rewarded their torturers by love. We brought many of our jailors to Christ. And we are dominated by one desire: to give Communists who have made us suffer the best we have, the salvation that comes from our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Corinthians 2:15 describes believers as the “fragrance of Christ” spreading the “sweet aroma of the knowledge of him.” Ephesians 5:2 describes Christ’s own sacrifice as a “fragrant offering.” We’re experiencing that crushed fragrance with the death of Charlie Kirk. May that also be our testimony every day when bruised and in every circumstance.

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Singing the Songs of the Lord in a Foreign Land by James R. Coggins

Posted on September 17, 2025 by jrcoggins

Psalm 137 begins: “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept” (NIV). It is a psalm full of pain. The Jews had experienced their nation over-run by the Babylonians and their capital city Jerusalem destroyed after a brutal, three-year siege. Many of the Jews had been slaughtered, and most of the rest had been sent into exile in Babylon, months away from their homeland. These exiles were shocked by what happened next: “There our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’” (Psalm 137:3). This demand was either a way of mocking the defeated Jews or maybe just a demand that their Jewish captives serve them by providing entertainment. The Jews refused. The hung their harps on poplar trees and cried, “How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?” (Psalm 137:2,4). The Jews felt so overwhelmed by the disasters they had experienced that they did not have the heart to sing. Singing is an expression of joy, and they had no joy. Moreover, their Jewish songs did not seem to fit in this foreign land.

Added to this was the real fear, expressed in verses 5-6, that the Jews would be in exile so long that they would forget their songs, lose their love of their homeland, lose their national identity, and lose their faith in their God: “If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.” There was a real danger that the Jews would be overwhelmed and absorbed into Babylonian culture, just as the northern kingdom of Israel had earlier been exiled and absorbed into Assyrian culture. The Jews affirmed that they would rather lose the ability to play and sing if they could not and did not use those gifts to worship the true God.

The Jews also felt immense anger against their neighbors, the Edomites, who had rejoiced in the destruction of Jerusalem, hoping to take over at least some of the Jews’ land: “Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell” (Psalm 137:7-9). They understandably expressed the desire that the Edomites would suffer the same fate that the Jews had suffered. It was a call for just retribution.

And yet that is not how things worked out.

In the first place, this psalm was likely written by one or more of the temple musicians (worship leaders). They had expressed the impossibility of singing the Lord’s songs in a foreign land—and ironically they had expressed this by writing a new song. They were musicians, and they couldn’t help but make music.

Further, “singing the songs of the Lord songs in a foreign land” is exactly what the Jews in exile in Babylon did. Jews such as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego made a profound impact on Babylonian society, declaring their knowledge of the true God and converting many of their captors. In exile, they developed the synagogue system that enabled them to preserve the Scriptures that God had revealed to them, not just in exile in Babylon but also when they were later scattered throughout many other nations for thousands of years. The synagogue system provided the model for Christian churches, which have also preserved and taught God’s Word throughout the world. Like the Jews in Babylon, most Christians throughout history have lived in pagan societies. It is the duty and calling and joy of Christians throughout the world to “sing the songs of the Lord in a foreign land.” It is our responsibility to declare God’s revelation also, and especially, where we think it least likely to be heard and accepted.

The Edomites were eventually conquered but not as brutally as the Jews had been. And later on some of them became Christian believers, as the Lord’s song was also sung among them.

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Grave Clothes by Nancy J. Farrier

Posted on September 15, 2025 by Nancy J. Farrier
Photo by Claire Mueller on Unsplash

My ten-year-old grandson called me, wanting to talk. While we were chatting, I asked him about church and what he’d learned. 

“Nana, we studied Lazarus. You remember that story?”

Of course, I said I did after he gave a me a pretty complete rundown of the Biblical event.

He went on to tell me that he was one of the volunteers to get “dressed in grave clothes.” For that, the other kids wrapped the volunteers in toilet paper and when Jesus called Lazarus from the grave, the volunteers broke out of the toilet paper and were set free.

In the middle of telling about being wrapped, my grandson paused the story to say, “Nana, the toilet paper was all new, not used.” 

I struggled to hold back my laughter and didn’t say, “Thank you for the clarification.” 

His story had me pondering the account of Lazarus—especially the part where Jesus approaches the grave.

“When Jesus saw [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.” John 11:33-35

Everyone was weeping at the loss of Lazarus. Jesus wept, just as he wept over Jerusalem. Just as we all should mourn or weep for those who are lost in sin. When a person we know is separated from God, we shouldn’t judge, but instead we must mourn over their sin and bring their name before God in the hope they will turn their life over to Jesus.

All those who were crying over Lazarus still had doubts. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Mary said the same thing when she came to Jesus at Martha’s bidding. Many of the Jews who followed Mary to Jesus said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man, also have kept this man from dying?”

When we see people we love following a worldly path, we often have doubts about whether they will ever come to know Jesus. Can God reach a person who is this awful—a person who has this many problems? But, it is not for us to know, it is our gift to pray for them and see what God can do.

Jesus followed Mary to the tomb and had them roll away the stone, over their protests that the body would smell. Then He prayed asking that the people there would believe. Then He called Lazarus:

“When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.”The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”” John 11: 43-44

Perhaps the greatest work Jesus gave us is found in the words, “Unbind him, and let him go.” Lazarus came out from the tomb still bound by the grave clothes. He couldn’t break free on his own. He needed the help of others.

This is not always a pleasant business. There is a stench involved, the hanging on of some of the old lifestyle. It must be removed with care. 

When someone we know gives their life to Christ, we must come alongside them. While it isn’t good to be intrusive or judgmental, an encouraging word, an invitation to coffee, a prayer with them or for them, is always a positive step. Don’t shy away from them just because some of those old grave clothes are hanging on—old habits are hard to break and may take time.

While my grandson’s remark about the toilet paper was funny, in reality it might have been more realistic to use dirty toilet paper. It is the stinky stuff that we have in our lives that needs removed. Jesus has called us to Him. We can break out of those grave clothes. And we have the privilege of helping others to put off the old and put on the new.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

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A Week of Sadness, A Call to Remember

Posted on September 14, 2025 by Author Mary Alford

This past week has felt heavy. The loss of Charlie Kirk was heartbreaking. For his family and friends. For the family of God. For our country.

Sometimes sorrow seems to hang in the air, not because of one single event, but because of many moments of grief that remind us how fragile life truly is.

Since 2001, September has carried with it the memory of 9/11. Even after all these years, the images and emotions remain close to the surface. We remember where we were, what we felt, and the way our world seemed to tilt on its axis that day. It is right to pause, to honor the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the bravery of those who stepped into danger to help others. And now, we mourn the loss of Charlie Kirk.

But sadness isn’t only tied to history—it touches our present too. Whether it’s the loss of someone we admired, heartbreak in our communities, or personal struggles we carry quietly, grief has a way of reminding us how deeply we long for a world made whole again.

As believers, we don’t grieve without hope. Scripture tells us: “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4, KJV). The Lord draws close to the brokenhearted, and in our tears He whispers that He is still God, still faithful, still holding us when we can’t seem to stand.

So as we walked through this past week of sadness, let us remember together. Let us lift up those who are hurting, speak life and kindness into the lives around us, and most of all, cling to the hope of Christ. Because even in our sorrow, His light is never extinguished.

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A New Mentor by James R. Coggins

Posted on September 10, 2025 by jrcoggins

Years ago, I was accepted into the PhD program in History at the University of Waterloo. When I arrived (after a long drive from the other end of the country), the departmental secretary directed me to go to the house of Dr. John F.H. New, who was the graduate student advisor. It was late summer, and the fall classes had not yet started.

I arrived at his modest house and was invited in. After we had talked for a few minutes and he had learned more about my background and interests, he stated that he thought he should be my primary advisor, rather than one of the other professors in the department who had been recommended to me. I had never met Dr. New before and didn’t know much about him, but I accepted his advice.

It was a wise decision. Dr. New was a brilliant man who had earned his doctorate in two years at the University of Toronto, Canada’s most prestigious university. It took me six-and-a-half years. I did not know it then, but Dr. New was well suited to my learning style. Rather than give close supervision, he encouraged questioning and creative thinking in his graduate students. He did not tell me what avenues of research to pursue, but he could open up new vistas for enquiry and contemplation with a single insightful question. He was an encouraging and stimulating scholar to work with. He must have done a good job because I was eventually granted my degree.

Dr. New’s specialization was Tudor/Stuart History (the 16th and 17th centuries in England). This was an era when religious controversies were front and center in English life. The period is also known as the English Reformation.

One remarkable aspect of my education is that, although he was an expert in Puritan and Anglican theology, Dr. New was an agnostic. But, unlike many current professors, he was a true academic. He was open to discussing all ideas and viewpoints. He allowed me to maintain my own Christian perspective in studying historical events.

Although he was agnostic, Dr. New had a genuine appreciation for Christianity. “Christianity,” he said, “asks the most important questions.” He also offered this insight: “Protestants are manic-depressives. They are deeply depressed about their own sinfulness, but they are ecstatic that they have been saved by grace.” In my view, that is a pretty good synopsis of the gospel.

Looking back, I am very grateful to have known Dr. New. I am grateful for his tutoring, his questioning, his inspiration, his tolerance, and his encouragement.

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Prayers for the Fruit of the Spirit by James R. Coggins

Posted on September 3, 2025 by jrcoggins

A friend of mine was facing a series of difficult issues—finances, employment, relationships, health, and so on. He asked me to pray for him. I said I would, but I also said that I would pray that he would be filled with God’s Spirit and have all the fruit that goes with that.

Of course, the response from someone in those circumstances might be, “Never mind that. I’ll work on my spiritual life later. I need help with these urgent issues right now.” It is hard to think of spiritual issues when we have other pressing concerns. It is hard to consider God’s agenda when we are wrestling mightily with our own agenda.

But the two areas are not mutually exclusive. Imagine someone who is overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, forbearance (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control (Galatians 5:22-26). Any employer would be thrilled to have an employee like that in the workplace. And anybody would be thrilled to be in a relationship with such a person. As well, such a person would have no inner stress, which is often a factor in many health issues. We are told not to be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. That is a useful reminder. Yet, often it is the people who are heavenly minded who do the most earthly good. Jesus taught us to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” and promised that if we do that, “all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

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The Blessing of Interruptions

Posted on September 2, 2025 by Author Mary Alford

As a writer, I usually have my day all planned for me long before it begins with a list as long as my arm. Deadlines staring me in the face, and the determination to get it all done. Then the knock came.

A neighbor stopped by, just needing to talk. My first instinct? Frustration. This wasn’t on my list, Lord. I don’t have time for this. But as I set my to-do list aside and listened, I realized the conversation wasn’t an interruption at all—it was an appointment. A reminder that God’s plans often look different from mine.

Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” I love that verse because it reminds me that while I’m busy drawing up charts and schedules, God is busy weaving people, moments, and grace into the fabric of my day.

Not long ago, I had one of those days where everything seemed to go “wrong.” A call I wasn’t expecting, the power flickering out just as I sat down to write. Yet looking back, each “interruption” carried a hidden blessing. The flat tire put me in touch with a kind stranger who offered help. The unexpected call reconnected me with someone I’d been meaning to check on. The power outage gave me an unexpected quiet moment with my Bible by candlelight.

What felt like chaos was really God redirecting me—reminding me that His hand was steady on the day even when mine wasn’t.

So maybe interruptions aren’t accidents at all. Maybe they’re gentle nudges from God saying, “Slow down. Look around. I’m here.”

Warmly,

Mary

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Playing the Percentages by James R. Coggins

Posted on August 27, 2025 by jrcoggins

I have always been intrigued by athletes who claim to continually be giving “a hundred and ten percent.” When sports are your priority and you’ve suffered repeated hits to the head over the years, it’s probably no surprise that math is not your strong point.

I am not an athlete. I understand that sometimes we perform above expectations. (This is sometimes evidenced by politicians during election campaigns, but rarely by politicians after they are elected.) This can usually be explained by luck. Or maybe coffee or an usually good night’s sleep or something that put us in a good mood. But it can’t be sustained.

I thought of this recently when someone asked me how I was doing. I did not say a hundred and ten percent. Sports analogies are not appropriate for someone whose “best before” date was passed some time ago.

Instead, I reached for a technological metaphor. As batteries age, they tend to slowly lose their ability to recharge. No hundred and ten percent for them. After a while, about the best they can achieve when “fully charged” is eighty percent.

So, when I was asked how I was doing, I gave it some thought. I was not sick. I was relatively well rested. I wasn’t feeling particularly stressed about anything. I was at church after a particularly encouraging service, surrounded by people who love me.

“A hundred and ten percent,” I answered, “of eighty percent.” That answer was confusing, but my questioner let it go. After all, what can you expect from somebody who has passed his “best before” date?

A hundred and ten percent of eighty percent is eighty-eight percent, by the way. Unlike athletes, I am good at math.

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Working for God by Nancy J. Farrier

Posted on August 25, 2025 by Nancy J. Farrier
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

I was reading in Jeremiah the other day and stopped when I read this verse: “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness…” (Jeremiah 48:10) That partial verse caught my attention and I had to pause to consider what God was saying to me—to us.

I realized God was chastising the Israelites for their behavior, but being cursed for their negligence in their work for God startled me. What does that mean for us? If we’re lax in completing what God has called us to do, is the punishment as harsh? Does a curse even have power over our lives, given Jesus’ grace extended to us?

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” From this verse we know that God has a work, or works, He’s prepared for us to do. If God went to that trouble, doesn’t it make sense that He expects us to carry through that? His desire is for us to follow Him and to complete what He’s given us to do.

We all have a calling on our life, something God has assigned us. Every calling is different, just like every person is different. Just like we are all parts of the body of Christ, but we each have different jobs to fulfill. 

It’s important to seek God’s will and to find out what He has for you to do. We can’t look around and decide we like what Mary or Joe is doing and choose that as our calling. Instead, we have to spend time with God, asking Him what His will is for our lives.

We must never grow weary in doing our work. Weariness promotes neglect. We must maintain the freshness of our job or calling by our attitude toward serving. There are always discouragements, but those can be overcome by a positive attitude and knowing God called us to this role.

I find it sad that the Israelites lost sight of God and the work He’d called them to do. Perhaps, they lost focus on who they were working for. We must not do that. I know I will put more emphasis on this, knowing how important it is to God. I hope you do too.

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24

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Thoughts and Prayers by James R. Coggins

Posted on August 20, 2025 by jrcoggins

When something bad happens, public figures often say, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.” It sounds good, but do these public figures actually pray—or is it just thoughts they are sending?

The reality is that thoughts alone do no good. They have no power. If people act on the thoughts by offering expressions of sympathy, flowers, money if it is needed, a hug, or even a consoling presence, those actions can be helpful. But thoughts alone do nothing.

I suspect the word “thoughts” has come into common use through those who have no religious faith. They might say, “thoughts and prayers,” but they don’t really pray, and they assume that thoughts are the secular equivalent of prayers. The probably assume that prayers are just thoughts expressed by the religious. They might (or might not) assume that thoughts, like prayers, have some magical or psychic power to travel through space and achieve something, although they likely have no idea how that might work.

Jesus criticized “pagans” (those who do not believe in Jesus) who keep “babbling” (Matthew 6:7), who keep repeating words or rituals in the hope that the words or rituals might have some magic power to achieve something on their own.

True prayer is much different. As Jesus explained in what is now known as “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13), prayer is an appeal to “our Father in heaven,” that is, to the all-powerful God who actually has power to do something about the problem. Further, He is our Father, who loves us and wants to help us. And He is the “hallowed,” or holy, God, who establishes eternal moral principles such as truth and love; in other words, we cannot come to such a God while we are committed to being immoral and expect Him to hear us. Finally, He is the King (Matthew 6:10: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”). He is the one who has the final say, who decides what will be done or not done. We cannot go to such a God and demand that He do what we say. He is the one who is in charge.

There is a huge difference between “thoughts” and “prayers.” When we pray, we need to know who we are praying to. If we don’t direct our prayers anywhere in particular, they are just “thoughts.” But if we pray to the God who has the power to change things, the God who loves us, the God who is holy, and the God who has the authority to make the ultimate decision, then that is different. Such a God can make a huge difference in the situation of the people we are praying for—unlike mere thoughts—but what He does is ultimately up to Him.

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In the Little Things

Posted on August 19, 2025 by Author Mary Alford

The other day, I was standing in line at the grocery store behind a woman whose toddler was having a full-blown meltdown over a pack of fruit snacks. The mom looked exhausted, the cashier looked sympathetic, and I’ll admit—I was silently hoping the line would move faster.

Then the little boy suddenly stopped crying, looked at his mom, and whispered, “I love you.” Just like that, everything shifted. Her tired smile, his tiny hand gripping hers… it was such a simple moment, but it stopped me in mine.

It made me think about how much life is really made up of small, ordinary moments like that—ones we usually rush past. The quiet cup of coffee before the house wakes up. The neighbor who waves from across the street. The text from a friend that arrives at just the right time.

I’m realizing more and more that God often shows up right there—in the unnoticed spaces, in the things we call ordinary. Not always with fireworks or grand gestures, but with a whisper, a smile, or even a toddler’s “I love you.”

So I’ve been asking myself: What moments am I rushing past? What little gifts from God am I overlooking because I’m too busy looking for something bigger?

What about you?

May your week hold quiet reminders of grace in unexpected places.

Warmly,

Mary

http://www.maryalford.net

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Are You Proud of Your Country? by James R. Coggins

Posted on August 13, 2025 by jrcoggins

Are you proud of your country?

I am a Canadian, and this question came up in the midst of an upwelling of patriotic fervor in Canada. The fervor is a response to insults, threats, and tariffs directed at our country from the American president. Polls show that, as a result, an increased number of Canadians are proud of their country.

Am I proud of my country? I decided it was the wrong question to ask.

I had just been studying through the Bible book of Jeremiah, preparing a series of devotional meditations. Was Jeremiah proud of his country? His country was the nation that God had chosen to model His laws and to be the guardian and proclaimer of God’s revelation. But Jeremiah was not proud of his country. Judah at that period was characterized by poor leadership, religious confusion, and crime. Kings, prophets, priests, and other leaders were corrupt (Jeremiah 2:26). The kings were erecting idols in Jerusalem and even God’s temple, as the prophets and priests cheered them on. The poor were being oppressed, and there was so much crime and violence that it was reported that Jerusalem was filled with blood (2 Kings 21:16, 24:4).

Was Jeremiah proud of his country? Jeremiah was aware that Judah was no worse than many of its neighbors and maybe slightly better. But it was hardly a nation to be proud of. Jeremiah knew that God would soon punish the nation for its sinfulness.

Jeremiah was not proud of his country. But he loved his nation deeply. He begged the nation to repent and avoid the coming judgment. He has been called “the weeping prophet” because he lamented how far his nation had fallen. He faithfully remained in a dying society, prayed for his nation, and offered guidance right to the bitter end.

Jeremiah loved his country, grieved over it, prayed for it, and sought to make it better, and that is what Christians should do.

Should we be proud of our country? Let’s look at the question from another angle. Should we be proud of ourselves? Should I be proud of myself? I celebrate my achievements, of course, and I recognize my strengths and gifts. But I am also well aware of my weaknesses, failures, and sins.

We should not be proud of our country. Pride is the worst of the Seven Deadly Sins. Pride leads us to destruction (Proverbs 16:18). Jesus denounced the Pharisee who thanked God that he was better than other men (Luke 18:9-14).

The New Testament teaches us: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment” (Romans 12:3), and that is what we should do. That teaching applies both to ourselves and to our nation. We might think that ours is the greatest nation on earth, but it might be helpful to ask what people outside our nation think. We might be surprised by the answers. The poet Robbie Burns wrote, “Oh, would some Power the gift give us to see ourselves as others see us!” He suggested it would save us from much unjustified pride and foolishness.

We should look at our nation and assess it realistically. We should certainly celebrate its strengths. But we should also recognize its sins, failures, and weaknesses. We should mourn its failures. We should pray for its redemption. We should obey its laws (1 Peter 2:13-14) unless they command us to break God’s higher law (Acts 5:29). We should seek the good of the country where we live (Jeremiah 29:7). And we should love our country, which is one element in loving our neighbor—and sometimes even one element in loving our enemies. Even when we are appalled at the condition of our nation, we should never give in to hating it. We should continue to love it.

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Saul/Paul: What’s in a Name? by James R. Coggins

Posted on August 6, 2025 by jrcoggins

Acts 9 describes how Saul was converted from being a devout Jew who persecuted Christians to being a Christian himself. A little later, when Saul, along with Barnabas, started out on his first missionary journey, Acts 13:9 says, “Then Saul, who was also called Paul…” Throughout the rest of the Bible, the man is called Paul. So, “Paul” is his usual name in the Bible.

Many Jews in those days had a Jewish name, which was used by their Jewish friends and family, and a Greek or Latin name, which was used by everyone else. This is because most people in the Roman Empire, especially the eastern Roman Empire, spoke Greek, and many people also understood Latin, the language of Rome. As a Roman citizen (Acts 16:35-39, 22:22-39), Paul probably spoke all three languages. Similarly, many people around the world today speak English even if that is not the language they grew up with. Chinese people in Canada often have two names, a Chinese name, which many of us English speakers cannot pronounce, and an English name. Before Acts 13, Saul mostly lived among Jewish people. After Acts 13, Paul mostly traveled among Greek-speaking people. God had called him to preach mainly to gentiles, that is, people who were not Jews.

The name “Saul” was an old Hebrew name (Shauwl) originally meaning “asked.” It suggests that Saul’s birth was an answer to prayer. The first king of Israel was also named Saul.

The name “Paul” comes from a Latin name (Paulos) originally meaning “little.” People in Rome spoke Latin, but many of the people that Rome conquered and incorporated into their Roman Empire spoke Greek. The Roman authorities would issue decrees in Latin but also in Greek so that people in the rest of the Empire could understand them. When Jesus was crucified, “Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS…the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek” (John 19:19-20). Aramaic was the language that the Jews spoke in those days, Latin was the official language of the Roman Empire, and Greek was the common language that most people in the Empire used to communicate with each other.

Saul probably chose to use the Latin name “Paul” because the names sound similar. As well, Saul in the Old Testament was a king, but “Paul” means “little.” Before becoming a Christian, Saul thought he was pretty great. He was proud of himself. After he became a Christian, Saul realized that he was small and insignificant compared to the greatness of Jesus. Calling himself “Paul” was a recognition that he had been humbled by Jesus and submitted to Him. In Philippians 3:7-9, Paul wrote: “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him.”

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