Easy Money P.T. Barnum, himself a figure noted for pulling the wool over the eyes of his circus audiences, wrote that dishonest money was, in fact, the most challenging way to make money in the world. What did Barnum mean with this counterintuitive piece of advice? After all, the phrase “easy money” has been ingrained […]
The Challenge for Church Leadership & Integrity It is a difficult time for the church, especially for church leaders. The public failure of a church leader can have disastrous effects on the church’s members. Unfortunately, many church leaders have not taken responsibility for restoring their own and the church’s integrity. As a result, members are […]
Becoming Complete Integrity comes from the same root word as integrate, which means “complete.” Hawaii joined the US as the 50th state. Integrity makes a person entire. Integrity means living what they say. Even a church congregation might become morally bankrupt without integrity. In the 1960s, theologians denounced the “Death of God,” a radical movement […]
Spiritual Discernment So, how could a leader who has failed morally, ethically, monetarily, or even theologically be restored? Pastor Larry Stockstill suggests a procedure that begins with the spiritual discernment of sin (Gal. 6:1). Prophetic discernment is not the same as sin detection. Some sins, for example, are regarded as lapses or indiscretions rather than […]
The Soul Cannot Die Thomas Aquinas said that because the soul can’t be destroyed, the parts of a person’s soul after death should be the same as they were before the death. So, the unchangeable soul should be able to keep its identity whether it is with the physical body or temporarily separated while waiting […]
Develop your character so that you are a person of integrity. Peter Cain Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever follows perverse ways will be found out. Proverbs 10:9 NRSV Modern Society and the Loss of Integrity Many critics have declared a conspicuous and severe loss of integrity in modern society, notably among […]
What everything is made up Only the Divine Mind exists. We can “well up” with power by calmly contemplating this Mind’s ideas. The spiritual body, which lives forever in paradise, would have a base. The visible, material body then conveys the spiritual body to everything we contact. Prophets’ spiritual understanding revealed a new age. New […]
As preachers of the gospel of Jesus, do not expect worldly honors: these Jesus Christ neither took to himself, nor gave to his disciples. Adam Clarke Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, John 11: 25 NRSV Crucifixion, Death, and […]
“The object of pilgrimage is not rest and recreation – to get away from it all. To set out on a pilgrimage is to throw down a challenge to everyday life.” Huston Smith Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God […]
Christian tradition has it that all but one of the twelve Apostles held the title after Matthias was killed. John was the only one who lived to old age. Only James, the son of Zebedee’s death, is discussed in the New Testament. Matthew 27:5 says that Judas Iscariot threw the money he got for betraying […]
“Life is a long pilgrimage from fear to love.” Paulo Coelho Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18 NRSV Unqualified The Apostles of Jesus were not the most likely to spread the Christian faith in the first few centuries. Most of them knew more about fishing than turning people […]
For most people, the story of their life’s pilgrimage would have ended at their death, but not only did Jesus’ story continue beyond his suffering and death, but by his own life, death, and resurrection, we Christians believe that all of our stories will continue on beyond the physical death into our eternal lives with […]
