Ravi Zacharias: Examining Religions and the Reason for Civil Discourse

It was years ago when I was speaking at an openly and avowedly atheistic institution that I was fascinated by a questioner who asked what on earth I meant by the term God. The city was Moscow; the setting was the Lenin Military Academy. The atmosphere was tense. Never had I been asked before to define the term in a public gathering. And because I was in a country so historically entrenched in atheism, I suspected the question was both hostile and intentional.

John Ortberg: God Has Placed before You an Open Door. What Will You Do?

A new year is just another number on the page, but it stands for something much deeper: that we serve a God of fresh starts and new beginnings. I can still recall my first day as a student at Fuller Seminary, thinking about all the possibilities that lay before me-and it fills me with great delight now to remember that day, and the promise of that open door I faced. Now we stand on the threshold of a new year, 2017. What might it hold in store for us? What great opportunities and possibilities m

Author Max Lucado: When December Is Difficult

Do any of these words describe you? Hurried. Scattered. Stuffed. Forgetful. Busy. Behind. Broke. If they do, you aren't alone. Christmas is our annual reminder of why Santa takes the sleigh rather than the interstate and how the mall got its name. Strange how a season of peace so often becomes a season of panic.

Think Again: The Dying Art of Thinking

The seventeenth-century French philosopher Rene Descartes is best known for his dictum "I think, therefore, I am." A cynic may well quip that Descartes actually put des cart before des horse, because all he could have legitimately deduced was, "I think, therefore, thinking exists." I do not intend to defend or counter Cartesian philosophy; I only wish to underscore that thinking has much to do with life and certainty.

Anger, Peace, and God’s Mission

On a number of occasions I have had a student, staff member, or faculty member sit in my office with fists clinched or teeth gritting as they describe an issue they are concerned about. Occasionally I will stop, look in their eyes, and make the observation: "You seem to have a lot of anger . . . where do you think that is coming from?"

A Prelude to Joy: A Thanksgiving Meditation

I recently attended the birthday party of a little girl who was too young to read the notes written on her presents. She did not know which gifts came from which guests. I watched as she conferred with the adult beside her to determine who had given her each package. She then searched for the giver to thank them before opening the present. She seemed to have an inherent trust in the givers, assuming that the gifts were good and worthy of gratitude before knowing the contents.