Category Archives: Spiritual Growth

SID IN THE SPIRIT

Biblical Truth, Christian Discipleship, History, Humor, Spiritual Growth, ,

“Make no mistake about it, I believe in the supernatural– miracles, dreams and visions.  Yes, to believe in the God of the Bible is to believe in His ability to do “anything.”  But not everything that God does looks like a miraculous healing, a dream or a vision. His agenda is much deeper than that.  He is most interested in transforming lives– resurrecting the spiritually dead to new life in Christ.

Here is the question:  If God can do anything, then can He also use anyone in getting His message across?  You’d better believe it!  Have you ever read the biblical story of Balaam and his donkey?  In the Autumn of 1978  I clearly saw it first hand.  I’ll never forget the night I had a brief encounter with a bona fide “hippy” named Sid.  Here’s the story.

Continue reading SID IN THE SPIRIT →

ANGELS IN THE DARK

Biblical Truth, Christian Discipleship, History, Spiritual Growth, , , , ,

My wife’s parents, Bill and Frances Skinner, were missionaries in Paraguay for 38 years.  They are both in their nineties today, sharp in mind and full of faith. Their incredible stories of seeing the hand of God at work while bringing the Good News of Jesus to the people of Paraguay strengthen my faith every time I hear them recounted.  In her book, Adventures in Paraguay, Frances Skinner reveals how faith is most powerful when exercised in the dark.

Her story begins in the small, rural village of Guayaybi, Paraguay.  Only accessible by primitive dirt roads, the missionaries had established a medical clinic near the village that they opened on weekends– offering medical help together with the gospel message of Jesus.  A dire situation occurred that required a trip back to civilization, but Dr. Bill was up to his neck in medical work so Fran agreed to make the trip for him, accompanied by a friend named Ruth– a German lady that Frances had randomly met on a trip to Argentina.  Ruth, just happened to unexpectedly show up for a visit to Paraguay, and so had gone with the Skinners to the clinic at Guayaybi.

There was a problem, a big problem!  It had rained a down-pouring tropical deluge  and main road had closed to all traffic.  Since Doctor Skinner was engaged in humanitarian services, he had been issued a permanent pass by the highway authorities to travel any road at anytime.  So Fran and Ruth took the pass and sallied forth.   In her own words, the following story is an excerpt from her book:

Continue reading ANGELS IN THE DARK →

TRAINING WHEELS AND ROADBLOCKS

Christian Discipleship, Humor, Small Town America, Spiritual Growth, , , , , , ,

It has taken me fifty plus years to see it, although it was obvious to my childhood friends and family.  I never saw it in myself, but it’s true.  I was a bonafide, scaredy-cat kid.  I was overly cautious, super careful, and hesitant to take risks– at least about things that might cause bodily injury and pain.

I wasn’t hesitant to open my mouth, that’s for sure.  And I never had stage fright.  But when it came to the prospect of bodily peril, I was out.  Saying no was no problem when there was even the smell of a hazard.  It was more than just the regular childhood fears– like fearing the dark, fearing shots, fearing the dentist, etc.  Mine were fears that became major hinderances.  My fears probably kept me out of trouble in some respects, but placed unnecessary roadblocks into my life as a whole.  It was a miserable place to be, and I didn’t even recognize it.  For instance……

Continue reading TRAINING WHEELS AND ROADBLOCKS →

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE WISE GUYS

Biblical Truth, Christian Discipleship, History, Spiritual Growth, , , ,

The Wise Men— the guys who brought gifts to Jesus have, over the years, grown to appear a bit different than the Biblical text actually records.  About 500 years after the birth of Christ, a document declared their names to have been Gaspar, Balthasar, and Melchior.  A medieval cathedral in Cologne, Germany claims to house their three skulls.  Still another source claims that there were 12 of them, not three.  Even another tradition says they came from Persia, India, and Arabia.  NO ONE REALLY KNOWS.  There may have been two, twenty, or even more, and all we know is that they arrived from the direction of the East.  The Bible is simply silent about other facts.  Still, what we DO know from the Biblical record is very interesting, and very spiritually significant.  Here’s what I have come to ascertain: Continue reading THE TRUTH ABOUT THE WISE GUYS →

DOC

Christian Discipleship, History, Spiritual Growth, , , , ,

dr-1Our family is preparing to celebrate the 94h birthday of a true pioneer of world missions– my father-in-law Bill Skinner.  Already a member of the Greatest Generation by virtue of growing up during the Great Depression and then serving in the Navy during World War 2, he spent the next 39 years in the heart of South America as a medical missionary.  “Great” is an understatement.

The end of the war marked the beginning of the most profound missionary movement in history– sometimes called the “golden age of evangelical missions.”  He was not just a foot soldier in that movement– he was a pioneer, a pacesetter, and a role model.

Continue reading DOC →