RIP or LITF?

RIP … you see this attached to a social media post almost every day. The sentiment is there, but do we really know what RIP means? Do we know what we are saying? What’s its origin? Is it a blanket statement for all deaths? Wikipedia says, “’Rest in peace’ (Latin: Requiescat in pace) is a…

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A Dark Room: My Heart & Abortion

Having held my lifeless stillborn daughter in my arms almost 35 years ago can bring a rising level of emotions to my heart when I consider the current scenario being played out in the SCOTUS Roe v. Wade “ leak” and upcoming ruling. My heart. Yes, … that’ s the key word in the previous…

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Is Death a Tragedy?

This can be a difficult question to answer. In the case of the one who does not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ the answer is an unequivocal, “Yes!” What about the one who has a personal relationship with Christ? The Psalmist tells us in Ps. 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the Lord…

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Why Does God Allow Death?

On January 26, 2020, our world reeled, hearing of the tragic death of Kobe Bryant. He was just 41 years old. Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in the crash. Our hearts sink just thinking about the family members still alive who bear the burden of this news. I was personally moved, because I can understand…

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Dying Words — the Blessing of Hope

Dave Barba On a frigid, gray Monday morning I visited a cemetery in Nova Scotia, the burial ground of some Titanic victims. The snow crunched as I walked down the rows of granite tombstones. One epitaph is etched into my memory: “Here lies Lee Waldron King.” I lifted my camera to capture a memory. When…

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The Long Goodbye

Mike Fair Two weeks ago my dad was still at home talking and eating and doing most things for himself. Now he was in the hospital, and we were being forced to think about things that heretofore had been merely philosophical. It’s hard to be sure when we noticed that Daddy was having trouble remembering…

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Around the Web – July 20, 2012

How Faith Works: The volcanic issue of “Lordship Salvation” is still emitting the smoke and fumes of controversy.This article is republished from 1989. We link to it here because the topic is a burning issue to some of our friends and a bane to others. The article attempts to strike a balance between two opposing…

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The Death That Gives Life

by Don Johnson Today, I am conducting a funeral for a man who died at a relatively young age. His body broke down after a lifetime of substance abuse of various kinds. He came from a very difficult home. He was in a strata of society that the ‘decent folks’ would try to ignore if…

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