Raising Chicago

Blog

By Shawn Boonstra

During the early part of the 19th century, typhoid and dysentery were regular problems. In 1854, a cholera outbreak took out a whopping six percent of the population.  

Resume of Failures

Blog

By Jean Boonstra

Our modern world has magnified a timeless problem—our individual failures make us feel isolated and alone. I hear a lot of talk about the need for transparency, but I know very few people who willingly admit their failures to friends and colleagues. I don’t know any who would willingly broadcast them to the world. Our social media profiles are great examples of this.

Behind Locked Bars

Blog

By Alex Rodriguez

The following is the continuation to our intro. It comes from a letter we recently received from one of our incarcerated students. I hope it is a blessing to you.

"When I was on the outside of prison, I was very evil. I didn't respect God or Jesus. I was stubborn, lazy, disobedient, and full of the lusts of this world. I never studied the Bible. I never opened it up to read a single word.

The Name of God

Blog

By Shawn Boonstra

He went on to explain that if we don’t get it right, there will be dire spiritual consequences.

Never mind that the pronunciation of the tetragrammaton (YHWH, the four letters used to represent the name of God) has been lost in antiquity. Never mind the fact that the Bible uses multiple names for the God of Abraham, each representing a key aspect of God’s character. He had stumbled into that rather small group that insists the biblical issue over God’s name boils down to how you pronounce it.

7 Times Jesus said "I Am"

Blog

By Jean Boonstra

In the Gospel of John, an all-important phrase, spoken by Jesus, is repeated seven times. Jesus repeats the words “I am.” In this repetition we see the fullness of His character.

 

The Bread of Life

And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." -John 6:35

Be Still and Know

Blog

By Alex Rodriguez

I was reading about George Whitefield and found that he would read his Bible and pray over every line. He felt that it was important not to speed through the Scriptures. Instead, he would take his time allowing God to reveal to him the lesson that He would have him learn pertaining to the passage. Later, George Müller read about Whitefield’s Bible study practices and adopted this method of Bible reading. Both men claimed that they would learn more of the Bible and of God in one sitting than they had in previous months. As I read these accounts, I felt a burning in my soul to follow suit.

The Stanley Ghost

Blog

By Shawn Boonstra

If you look carefully, there's a shadowy humanoid figure, said to be a woman, standing at the top of the staircase. Some people believe there's a shorter figure to her left, peeking over the railing.

Licking the Bowl Clean

Blog

By Jean Boonstra

Several years ago while at another ministry, it was suggested that I write a couple of television scripts and a booklet about parenting. It seemed logical, I suppose, since I was then in the weeds of parenting a four-year-old and a six-year-old. A preschooler and a first-grader. I was at the stage of parenting where my world revolved around filling sippy cups, driving kids on field trips and tackling endless mountains of laundry. I agreed to the project but it never felt right. I may have been snowed in by the duties of parenting, but that didn’t mean I had a clue about what I was doing.