Truth Compendium

Sometimes when we look for a miracle we are looking for the stupendous, the amazing outcome that no one would ever imagine happening given the circumstances. But oftentimes miracles take place through a series of events for which there is no other explanation. These events usually involve people who are in a strategic place at a strategic time. And like a tapestry  they are woven together, not always neat and tidy in appearance, but with lots of knots and tangles. Not until one stands in front can one clearly see the design. Such was the case for Betty. Due to the divorce that she was facing, she began to worry about how she would make it financially.  There was no immediate path that she could see through her troubles. Her car was in disrepair, and the house had problems with a leak and several projects that Tony hadn’t finished. The yard was big--it took many hours to mow and maintain, especially since it also had a swimming pool.  Still working at Target after t...

Verifying the Truth     We innately want to know what is true. When we shop, we want to know and verify if the claims made for a product are true. When we listen to politicians we want to know and verify if their claims are true. The same should be true of religions, or religious beliefs: we want to know and verify if what the leader of any given group is saying is true. Or, we ought to want to know. Not everyone wants to know the truth about certain things.      But if we do want to know the truth, particularly about Jesus, how we go through the process of verifying what can be believed is similar to what the apostle John presents in his compendium of Jesus’ life. John gives us his personal testimony, telling how living with Jesus, both seeing him and hearing his words, impacted his life, 1 John 1:1-3. He also uses the testimonies of others, including Jesus himself, the word of God, and the works of Jesus.  In everyday situations, regardi...

(continuation of Obstacles: Betty's story part 1) Leaving China was difficult. Not that Betty was sad to leave, but it had taken so much effort to get to where she was: She had endured many obstacles getting her education. Her family interfered with her education. She was verbally and sometimes physically abused. She was also the family “maid” who toiled at hand washing the soiled laundry, while her spoiled brother and sister got to indulge in idyllic pastimes like playing the piano. This disruptive family life lead to anger, and caused her to act out by fighting other kids at school, even taking out her anger on boys who happened to get in her way. The communist government was another factor in Betty’s difficulty with education. They decided to punish bourgeois families, considering any family that knew English, had their own business, or had money to be in need of reeducation, so they sent them to work farms. The communists, however, did not believe this reeducating ...