And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. Ecclesiastes 1:13
by Mike Halpin — Fear grows like a creeping weed across our landscape. Fear has been sown like seed, fertilized like grass, watered and encouraged in every way possible, 24/7 in our online age. Fear has been sown by government and media, by national and foreign powers, by men and women, doctors and nurses, friends... Continue Reading →
by Lee Anderson, Jr. — The Scriptures command Christians to be actively engaged in the work of evangelism, sharing the truth of the Gospel with nonbelievers. In saying farewell to His followers before His ascension into heaven, Jesus Christ commanded them, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name... Continue Reading →
by Mike Halpin — Cemeteries have been some of my favorite places. Many dates I took with my then future wife were in cemeteries. I didn’t know that was odd until Cathie shared her sister Barb’s quip before one of our dates, “What cemetery is he taking you to today?” I appreciate cemeteries for two... Continue Reading →
by Steve Golden — Life has changed rapidly as stay-at-home orders have swept the nation, and no one has been unaffected. As these orders first appeared, Americans got behind them to “flatten the curve,” even as extension after extension has been announced, with one state governor pre-emptively pushing the expiration date on his state’s stay-home... Continue Reading →
by Lee Anderson, Jr. — It is a strange new world. For many of us, working from home and fully online education has become the new normal. Routine gatherings have been cancelled, and major events have been postponed until further notice. “Social distancing,” an essentially unused term prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, is now... Continue Reading →
by Steve Golden — Many of us have grown up in a culture where our careers define our lives. Often, men and women wear 70- to 80-hour workweeks as a badge of honor, allowing work to usurp church and family time. In my time working in Christian ministries, I had several bosses and co-workers who... Continue Reading →
One of the chief arguments against hell is that a loving God wouldn’t consign anyone to eternal punishment. I appreciate this sentiment and think it’s a typical response to the notion of eternal suffering, at least in the West. (Punishment, judgment and severity are not strangers to some religions of the East.) The assumption in... Continue Reading →
Sometimes an image or a moment, a word spoken or a flash of understanding hits us such that we not only never forget it, but are left imprinted, changed. Such a moment hit me several years ago. In a former life as a home inspector I looked over residential properties to determine their condition and... Continue Reading →
Choosing Donald Trump: God, Anger, Hope, and Why Christian Conservatives Supported Him, by Stephen Mansfield. Reviewed by Mike Halpin I gained unlooked for sympathy for Donald Trump from Choosing Donald Trump, and a wish that the author would have stuck to the story instead of making this book his own pulpit. I loved learning about... Continue Reading →
Rudyard Kipling wrote Recessional for Queen Victoria’s 60-year Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Her life and reign were winding down, she would die in 1901, and though the British Empire was at its zenith, it too would soon descend from its lofty heights to earth. After World War II the British Empire would become a less fearsome... Continue Reading →
Applied Heart 