Monthly Letters
On Guard Against Greed: Your Letter From Jim
Greed is an aggravation. It shows up everywhere. It is a mother sin, birthing mischievous and malevolent children. When Paul said that “our sins are common to man,” perhaps many of us should admit that greed is more common in us than most other sins. Greed’s reign commenced in the garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve were not content with perfection and unfiltered fellowship with God (imagine the weight of that idea), but ate the forbidden fruit from a…
On Getting Older | Your Letter From Jim
We have the privilege of keeping Pam’s mother in our home. She is 95 years old and adds a new and sometimes spirited difference behind our walls. Doris Knight has always been a bright person, especially when it comes to numbers. As an illustration, many of her last years she has worked a difficult Sudoku puzzle every day. I have yet to do one! Doris went to Ouachita Baptist College (now University) in Arkansas when she was just 16. She…
Breathing the Air Above: Your Letter from Jim
I don’t watch television often, so for diversion I have become accustomed to reading classical literature. I’m enchanted again with a second read-through of David Copperfield by Dickens, a master at crafting personality types that we in some way identify with. Here, David is with his aged friend who likes to be called “Mr. Dick” instead of Richard. He is something of a project for David’s aunt who has become his rescuer . . . and David’s. Mr. Dick is…
Giving Our Books Away: Your Letter From Jim
Since I wrote you last, we’ve made a big decision as a ministry. We’ve decided that we will give our books and other materials away gratis. Below is an explanation we have posted online. I hope you will not only read it, but will also order those items you wish to read and to use strategically for the expanse and maturing of Christ’s kingdom. In this way, we share in your lives and ministry to others, and you in ours. Together…
Christianity and a Word from Moby Dick: Your Letter from Jim
My oldest son, Benjamin, and I just finished simultaneously reading the classic, Moby Dick, by Herman Melville. We read individually, slowly, in spare moments, and sometimes in strange places, but with sustained interest. It was R. C. Sproul’s favorite book (see here). Behind his desk was an oil painting of Moby Dick, the indomitable white whale, himself. I often read single paragraphs in the book containing several words I did not know, but were inviting to learn. Among them were numerous terms…
Christian, You Have Distinct Purpose: Your Letter From Jim
I queried an older man who has become a dear friend with a pointedly stark question: what is your purpose in life? He is advanced in years. He ought to know by now. The question struck home, and he teared up trying to answer it. He failed. He had nothing much to say. And he felt the pain of the emptiness that lingered in the air as he tried. He seemed not to like what fumbled out and admitted he…
Shrunken Heads | A Letter from Jim
I could walk to the museum when I was a boy in Kansas City. Of all the wonders I saw there, the shrunken head was the most alluring. I could envision how it was made to shrink to the size of a hand. It was inset in the wall, darkened, menacing, exotic, jaw-dropping, and . . . fake. It was years later that scientists discovered that 80% of the shrunken heads displayed around the country were not human heads, but…
Singing to “Another Jesus” | A Letter from Jim
Dear CCW family, Let me remind you of an experience I had before COVID-19, when you could sit very closely together . . . Christmas Tradition: Singing Carols to the One They Don’t Love “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.” Jn 15:18 “And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds . . .” Col 1:21-22 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and…
Proclaiming Christ in the Communist White House | A Letter from Jim
Ron Owens shares our experiences in Slovakia just after the Velvet Revolution. We had planned the trip when Communists were in charge, but everything changed, and we were privileged to be among the first Christian leaders in 42 years to openly proclaim Christ in theaters and meeting halls wherever we went. Read about our experiences in “The Communist White House.” I still am amazed when I recall those days. Thanks, Ron, for reminding me of that beautiful time. I think…
The Atheist’s Nagging Knowledge | A Letter from Jim
I stood before Michelangelo’s David in Florence, Italy. No one questioned that an artist had sculpted this magnificent piece of Renaissance art. It was the work of a genius. Yet, in the same room, no doubt, there were persons called “atheists” who would deny that a greater Artist was also necessary to create the original David that Michelangelo attempted to imitate. The true David, like other creations of God, was far more difficult to make than what Michelangelo crafted out of stone.…
Muller on Finding God’s Will | A Letter from Jim
Dear CCW family, George Muller and I are old friends. My first serious look into his life came from a book from my father’s library which I read in College, Pierson’s George Muller of Bristol. I can distinctly remember where I sat and how I felt while reading those chapters. I thought, “I would like to live a life like this.” Since those days, I’ve had many encounters with the kind old Muller. His life and words have guided me over…
The Fear of Death and God’s Grip
The Coronavirus itself may have turned out to be more frightful in the projection than the reality of it — unless you or someone you love died from it. Like all things that bring us fear, there is truth behind that fear. The truth that choked us is that all of us will die (unless escaping at the coming of Christ). It is only a matter of time. We’re sure, as well, that our lives could end in an unexpected…