The Final Frontier
"Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?" (Luke 15:4) Let me share with you … (read more)
TIP Editorial
Mortals Like You
“Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.” (James 5:17) “We are mortals just like you, and we … (read more)
The Zeroeth Law
“The love of Christ controls us…” (2 Corinthians 5:14) I learned a new word recently, a word that comes from the strange world of theoretical physics. (My son is a budding physicist; we talk about stuff like this around our … (read more)
Mirrors of Civilization
“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Some while ago I came across an interesting article in the Minneapolis Star and Tribune. The article reviewed several … (read more)
Not By Might
“…nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6) On Pentecost Sunday I was impressed, once again, by this marvelous word from Zechariah: “Not by might…” The verse, really, is a caption to the strange … (read more)
Christian Nomadism
“A wandering Aramean was my father…” (Deuteronomy 26:5) I have recently met a pair of “Christian nomadists.” I do not think that I had ever met a “nomadist” before. I met them in the streets of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia – a … (read more)
Glorious Things
"Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God" (Psalm 87:3). I am traveling a bit this spring. In April, I was in Mexico to fellowship with the church and our missionary colleagues in that country. In May I … (read more)
Thinking Non-Humanly
"From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view…" (2 Corinthians 5:16) Lent is the season of earnest vows and solemn moods. It is the season of mid-week services – perhaps the only time during … (read more)
Ash Wednesday
“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’” (Matthew 16:24) On Ash Wednesday I participated in a centuries-old Christian ritual, still practiced in my … (read more)
Almost Fast Enough
Recently I came across an encouraging headline statistic. The unevangelized world is shrinking. In the year 2000, the overall number of the unevangelized decreased by approximately four million souls… Beneath the headline, however, the story becomes more complicated. The "overall … (read more)