mountain

One More Ride

10/12/2016

Blog

By Kurt Johnson

Rick not only loves ball games, but he loves the mountains. In fact, Rick has what I call a topographical map and GPS in his mind. I have never met anyone who can tell you the name of each mountain peak, hill or forest service road in a given region. I asked him one day how he knew so many details. He responded, "All you have to do is buy a map and study it."

A couple months ago, Rick said to me, "Kurt, could you take me up to the lake for a boat ride one more time? One more ride is on my 'bucket list' in case I do not live through next spring."

Devotionals

Where is the God of Elijah?

10/10/2016

Blog

By Alex Rodriguez

For several years, Elisha had faithfully served Elijah. Now, Elijah had been taken away by a chariot of fire leaving Elisha as the new prophet of Israel. Prior to his departure, Elijah inquired if he could do anything for his servant. Elisha responded that he would like a double portion of Elijah's spirit—a request that would only be granted if Elisha saw Elijah being taken away. Scripture records that, indeed, Elisha was allowed to see Elijah's departure, indicating that God granted his request. Elijah's mantle that had fallen from him; Elisha now took for himself.

Bible Study

What Does God Want From Me?

10/3/2016

Blog

By Jean Boonstra

Abraham is arguably one of the greatest faith leaders of all time. The book of Romans tells us that his "faith was accounted to him [Abraham] for righteousness." (Romans 4:9)

Abraham's faith was counted as righteousness and in some modern translations, this verse reads, "Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness" (Romans 4:9, NIV) In order for Abraham to receive this "faith credit," he endured—like all students in the school of life—several tests. 

No Time Travel???

9/26/2016

Blog

By Shawn Boonstra

A recent study published in Physical Review Letters discloses the discovery of a new form of atomic nucleus. Unlike other nuclei (how often do you get to use that word in an article?), this one is pear-shaped.  

If you have the right equipment handy, you might want to take a peek at some Radium-224 or some Barium-144. That's where you'll find it.  

Until this discovery, it was assumed that the atomic world exhibited symmetry.  A pear-shaped nucleus, obviously, does not:

To the Back of the Line!

9/20/2016

Blog

By Alex Rodriguez

The airport in Amsterdam is fairly large. Shawn had flown through it in the past, but it was new to me. As we made our way past the gates, we came to an extremely long line. Two things caught my attention. First, it was really long. Second, it was not a single-file line. It was something like what you would see at the entrance of an amusement park right before the doors opened—just a mass of people stretching back as far as you could see. As we made our way past this line, we wondered what was going on. Looking toward the front of it, we noticed it was a security checkpoint.

Testimony

Behind the Scenes

9/11/2016

Blog

By Jean Boonstra

We are just a few short weeks away from our first Sponsorship weekend of the year, and that means everyone is working full speed ahead to make the event a blessing to those who attend. We started planning this year’s Sponsorship weekends last fall, and we’ve been marking the calendar ever since.

Does the Bible Teach Karma?

9/5/2016

Blog

By Shawn Boonstra

What they all have in common is the notion of cause and effect. Right ideas and behavior lead to right consequences, and bad ideas and behavior lead to bad consequences. 

But karma is impersonal—a cosmic principle without a personal face. It's like gravity; it works because it's a law of the cosmos.  

Racism and Police Brutality

8/29/2016

Blog

By Alex Rodriguez

As I continued scouring the internet for more information, I learned the special agent was a narcotics officer who was killed during an undercover drug deal gone bad. Instantly, a flood of emotions and memories of when I was a narcotics agent for the TBI rushed through my mind. How many times had I lived through similar scenarios? I vividly recalled a couple such incidents where, if not by the mercies of God, the news headlines would have been about my tragic death. 

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Bible
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