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Written by Thomas Kelly (1893-1941), an American Quaker educator. This is an excerpt from his book “The Eternal Promise.”

The church building is not a church, the brick and mortar structure is not a church. God doesn’t live in a house with a peaked roof. God lives inside people. And if God isn’t inside you, you needn’t expect to find him in a house with a peaked roof that is outside you. God is within. And where He dwells, there is a holy place. [George] Fox was finding he had an altar inside his own soul. Inside him was a hushed and holy Presence, too sacred to be destroyed, too wonderful not to be visited continually. The holy Presence was inward. Fox found Him there, and all life was new. It was a wonderful discovery, to find that you are a temple, that you have a church inside you, where God is. There is something awful, that is awe-inspiring, down at the depths of our own soul. In hushed silence attend to it. It is a whisper of God Himself, particularizing Himself for you and in you, and speaking to the world through you.

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. [1 Corinthians 1:30].

Written by Dennis Hollinger, a contemporary professor and ethicist.

Terrorism tends to breed an emotional response of revenge. This is a natural retort wanting to hit back, get even, and take out vengeance on the evil doers. Revenge has roots in our created being, for it is the innate desire to make right the wrong. But, as fallen creatures, in us that deep impulse becomes twisted, excessive, and misguided. Revenge wants to strike back without principle or limitation on the basis of emotional outrage. Since September 11, we’ve heard the language of revenge, as people pour out contempt toward Muslims, Arabs, and people of Middle Eastern descent. Even Arab Christians in this country have had to fear for their lives. But in place of revenge, we need justice. Life in a fallen world calls for justice, even as believers are called to a spirit of forgiveness that ultimately seeks restoration. A voice for justice in a world that seeks unrestrained vengeance is a voice for fairness, not just emotional outrage. Justice seeks to limit our passions and feelings and to respond from principle not internal sentiments. It is never in personal hands but develops mechanisms to effect it. Justice is not arbitrary but is supported by evidence. It has often been symbolized by the blindfold on “lady justice” to ensure that justice, not revenge, is our response to evil. Without justice, revenge builds a history of injustice, perpetuates more acts of violence, and the spiral begins—generation after generation—a reality we know all too well throughout the world. The ultimate goal of justice is restoration and peace, for “the effect of righteousness will be peace,” Thus justice, not revenge… A sense of mystery in our understanding of and relationship to God is significant for deep spirituality.

The fruit of that righteousnesswill be peace;its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. [Isaiah 32:17]

Written by Ray Stedman (1917-1992), an American pastor and author.

I have always been fascinated by the questions God asks of man. These four words go right to the heart of life. In them Jesus asks the most profound question in anyone’s life: “What are you looking for?” Did you ever ask yourself, “Why am I here? What do I really want out of life?” That is the most penetrating question you can ask yourself.

Jesus turned around and saw them following. He said to them, “What are you looking for?” They answered, “Teacher, where are you staying?” [John 1:38]

Written by Lacy Finn Borgo, a contemporary author.  This is an excerpt from her book “Faith Like a Child.”

Imagination is essential to faith. We will not trust an unseen God without a little imagination, and we will not be able to catch a vision of the kingdom of God or participate in it without imagination. Imagination isn’t dabbling in what isn’t real; instead it helps us to live with what is unseen. Faith, hope, and love are all made tangible by imagination.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. [2 Corinthians 4:18]

Written by Corie ten Boom (1892-1983 ), a Dutch watchmaker, Christian writer, and public speaker.  This is an excerpt from her book “The Hiding Place.”

It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, a former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbruck. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time. And suddenly it was all there – the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, Betsie’s pain-blanched face. He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. ​“How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein.” He said. ​“To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!” His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often to the people in Bloemendaal the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side. Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him. I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I prayed, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness. As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me. And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself. 

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. [Matthew 5:43-45]

Written by Toni Pate, a contemporary pastor. This is an excerpt from her sermon “Ongoing Easter.”

The experience of this traveler [on the road to Emmaus] may well be like your own. You may be the unnamed one. You may know a lot about Jesus. From church, from home, from the Bible, or from TV — who knows where we get our images of him. You may know a lot, and you may care a lot about Jesus and Christianity.  But do you ever feel disappointed that God is not making things happen the way you thought he would? That your life has not turned out the way you had hoped? Have you been confused about where Jesus is during difficult times? Does it sometimes seem that as much as you believe Jesus is the Son of God, his promises of lighter burdens, of peace, answered prayers, and freedom from fear are not a reality for you? Then you are right there on this long walk — needing Jesus to come alongside you and help you to recognize his presence. But it’s a process. He wants to walk you through your doubts and disappointments. He wants to take you back through the story of God’s interaction with people from the very beginning and to see how it matches your own story. He wants to be invited into your home to share your everyday life. And at some point, if you have ears that want to hear, eyes that want to see, you will know he is alive and is with you. In the simplest act — a song, a prayer, a long-forgotten Bible verse, a meal — you will know him as the one who gave himself for you.

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. [Luke 24: 13 – 14].

Written by Josh Axe  a contemporary author and doctor.  This is an excerpt from his book “Think This, Not That.”

A divine identity affirms that human beings are made up of more than flesh and bones; we are also spiritual beings, made in the image of God. For the Christian, a divine identity answers the question of who you are by first knowing who God is…Having a divine identity offers us a lens with which to see others. When our identity is in a God who created all people, we are more likely to treat all people with value, honor, and respect. When you have a divine identity, you have positioned yourself to live with purpose and to have an eternal impact. Studies demonstrate that when someone’s identity is linked to their beliefs in God, they contribute more to society and are more charitable in their giving. They volunteer more with acts of service. They are also more virtuous in character. Faith and character, both of which spring from a divine identity, knowing and believing who God says you are, stand at the top of the identity hierarchy. While you can’t change some simple facts about yourself, you always can grow in faith and character and continue to become a better version of yourself than you were yesterday.

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.  [Genesis 1:27]

Written by Jana Harmon, a contemporary professor and author.  This is an excerpt from her work “Is it Rational to Believe in God?”

In his book Miracles, C.S. Lewis declared the need for a transcendent, intelligent, powerful Mind in these endeavors. Drawing on the thought of Alfred North Whitehead, Lewis stated, “Men became scientific because they expected Law in Nature, and they expected Law in Nature because they believed in a Legislator.” But, for someone who believes only nature exists, there is no rational basis for what we observe in the cosmos. They are compelled to admit the universe came from nothing by nothing for no reason. They cannot demystify why the universe is present, much less why it appears ordered or fine-tuned for life. They cannot account for the complex information and exquisite functioning of our DNA and the origins of life. They cannot unravel how life began from non-organic life, how consciousness arose from physical matter, how human beings are qualitatively different in kind from the rest of creation. Those inconvenient facts about reality are presumed, not adequately explained. Yet, within a God-centered and created universe, the cause is sufficient to the effect. These amazing realities can be adequately explained by the presence and purposes of a transcendent, powerful, intelligent, personal Creator who had us in mind.

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.  [Romans 1:25]

Written by Mark Roberts, a contemporary author and editor.

Gracious God, you are the source of all wisdom. You are, indeed, the embodiment of wisdom. All praise be to you! I thank you for the ways in which you have helped me to become wise. But, Lord, I recognize just how much wisdom I lack. So, I ask you for wisdom. Give me eyes to see as you see, a heart that feels as you feel, and a mind that understands as you understand. Amen.

If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. [James 1:5]

Written by Thomas Kelly (1893-1941), an American Quaker educator and author. This is an excerpt from his book “The Eternal Promise.”

We are men of double personalities. We have slumbering demons within us. We all have also a dimly-formed Christ within us. We’ve been too ready to say that the demonic man within us is the natural and real man and that the Christ-man within us is the unnatural and the unreal self. But the case is that our surface potentialities are for selfishness and greed, for tooth and claw. But deep within, in the whispers of the heart, is the surging call of the Eternal Christ, hidden within us all. By an inner isthmus, we are connected with the mainland of the Eternal Love. Surface living has brought on the world’s tragedy. Deeper living leads us to the Eternal Christ, hidden in us all. Absolute loyalty to this inner Christ is the only hope of a new humanity. In the clamor and din of the day, the press of Eternity’s warm love still whispers in each of us, as our deepest selves, as our truest selves. Attend to the Eternal that He may recreate you and sow you deep into the furrows of the world’s suffering.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. [Colossians 3:15]