From the Heart by B.Demaere

  My wife and I went to church last Sunday to a wonderful service.  The worship was great! The preaching was on Hebrews 11 one of my favorite chapters in the Bible.  On the exploits of men and women of Faith. After the service I talked with someone and became increasingly depressed.  I could not understand why. I had compared my life to those heroes and felt lousy.  What was wrong with me?  Why did I not measure up to them? 1)     The whole picture: I should have known better.  There was a blind spot and I felt like prey in the enemy's hands.  I had not gone into the details of these heroes' lives.  Some look very humans and like Elijah I was depressed when I did not get God’s perspective on the subject. I had looked at their victories, but I missed the part where it said that some did not receive what was promised   In fact, I remember when the pastor expressed jokingly his displeasure at the word “But” in verse 35 when it says “But others were tortured, refusing to turn

Almost 2000 years ago, the True (Born again) Church of Jesus was born in Jerusalem through the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.   Ever since its start the Church has been debated upon, divided, mocked and even persecuted much like what happened to our Lord Jesus Christ at the crucifixion.   Even though many forces have tried to rid the world of the Church.   The Church has survived centuries of hardship both physical and mental. Just as Jesus Christ was risen from the dead, the Church likewise is a living organism that will live on. Look at what happened to the apostle Paul also Saul who was going to destroy the Church at the very start.   In Acts 8:3 “But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison”. In chapter 9:3 The same Saul is blinded by a vision of Christ: “Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him, And falling to the ground, he heard

  A Splash of Coffee, Perhaps?   Some things happen to you that are weird and close to be classified as miracles.   Since I do not believe in luck, what happened to me was a miracle.   Now that both my wife and I are retired we do not have to go anywhere past noon.   The Life.   On top of that we both can enjoy breakfast in bed.   I prepare the breakfast (toasts) and coffee.   Keep it simple! This morning I poured the coffee from the machine to a carafe to carry it upstairs.   For that, I needed my portable stereo, the cups, and the carafe…. In the whole process, I did not realize that the carafe was tipped toward my feet and that coffee was pouring out onto the floor (5 cm or 2 inches from my bare feet).   As I realized what was happening and lost all that coffee on the ground.   It was a bit later I became fully aware of the miracle.   I could have been burned with hot liquid and not be able to wear shoes or drive.   As it happened, I did not even get splashed. My question to y

  ...He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God's word.  He did this to present her to himself without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish.  Instead she will be holy and without fault. (Ephesians 5:25-27) She is not a woman clothed with disheveled and burned attire who is weak and frail.  The Church is the Bride of Christ, glorious and white without blemish that Christ shall be welcoming back into heaven. She is not your ever decreasing nominal congregation, but she is the multitudes of saints from the nations represented before the Throne of the Glorious One worshipping in unison of ground-breaking chorus. She is as glorious as a bride at a kingly wedding ready to meet her royal groom. Do you see yourself as such in the face of what the world is throwing at you right now with the rise of Covid-19?  You must arise from this defeated state and grab as it were, the bull by the horn and chase the hope that is before you.  It won't come eas