United Church of God Blogs

One of the most important things I’ve learned in my three years of marriage is that everyone has grown up learning different ways to do daily tasks: washing the dishes, doing the laundry, folding clothes, etc. I had to learn that my husband’s way of folding a t-shirt is just as effective as mine. In fact, his way actually saved some time. So I put my pride aside and quickly learned a more effective way to get laundry done. This is a simple example of how learning something new can actually be good, even though it’s not the way I was raised.

When we began work on the current issue of The Good News , the cover story wasn't immediately settled. It was either going to be the horror of abortion, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision that sanctioned the murder of unborn children, or it was going to be the broader subject of the great value of human life, considering the supreme purpose for which human beings exist.

Your mind is an amazing supercomputer. But it’s vulnerable to a “cyber attack.”

On Friday, April 5, Matthew Warren ended his life with a gunshot wound after a lifelong struggle with depression and mental illness. He’s the 27-year-old son of Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church and author of The Purpose-Driven Life .

Long-time pastor, former Council member to assume new duties May 9

It was as round as a baseball and about the same size. I found this rock, as a young child, during one of our family outings. Its surface bore evidence of the past in the form of fossilized imprints, including leaves and tiny critters. I was fascinated by this rock, its shape, the imprints, and its unknown history.

The annual General Conference of Elders of the United Church of God began with a Sabbath service on May 4, 2013. This year’s focus is on developing spiritual gifts and providing an environment for spiritual growth in the Church.

"Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
See All...). It is hard to understand how we can be blessed while going through great sorrow and pain.

Wow, I love spring!  Everything just comes to life.  Right now there are so many beautiful trees with white flowers, and the aroma is awesome.  It seems that not only does the trees, grass, flowers come to life but so do we. Well there is a reason for that.

Our lives are tormented by a Chechen warlord whose spirit could not be settled, because a Russian Czar could not rule with justice and righteousness and sent wave after wave of slaughter across a land of those who would not yield to anyone. What happened on the streets of Boston last week, or any other scene of mindless raw terror has its origins among peoples and tongues far beyond what we can know, imagine or care about. Seeds of hate and evil sprout where bitter winds of war and terror blow them. And no one today can give a clear understanding of why.

How do you show love and honor to someone special in your life? Do you take them out to dinner, buy them a gift, or treat them to a day out on the town?

If you wanted to give someone a gift of love, how would you go about it? Would you take someone who hates roller coasters on a roller coaster ride? Would you bake someone a chocolate cake if they were allergic to chocolate? Would you write them a check for a million dollars, knowing you only had 10 dollars in your bank account?

Beyond Today Media is planning an upcoming taping of a "The Four Horsemen of Revelation" . It has been a few years since we did a treatment of this well known prophecy from Revelation 6. As we begin to research the subject it is obvious there will be no problem finding fresh material for the program. Unfortunately, false religion, war, disease and famine are still around.

Jesus’ life and death left a perfect example for us to follow. As Christians we tend to beat ourselves up when we fall short. Every day we fall short. Be comforted that God’s mercy extends beyond our shortcomings.

Lately, I have been getting annoyed with others. Well, I should say, as a human, I often find myself annoyed with others. The recent change, though, is my immediate thought after I feel the sense of irritation or anger: Do I do that, too?

In our western culture we place a high value on life, and it disturbs us when we hear of senseless human death. So it seems particularly shocking when we hear of teenagers who choose to take their own lives.

Like most Americans I am still in shock over the bombings of the Boston Marathon. Acts of evil, leaving paths of devastation can be difficult to comprehend. I find that I do some of my best thinking while in the process of writing. This morning I gave a lot of thought to what it means to be a hero. After posting those thoughts to my personal blog, I realized the thought process had not been complete.

I’m guessing I’m not the only one who has felt overwhelmed and confused by the intense and dramatic language often used by friends dabbling in “Gay Rights” Activism. The controversy about “gay marriage” has stirred up and divided friends, families, and churches lately. I have often felt at a loss for words when trying to have a respectful discussion, as I sorted out the many disjointed and forcefully presented arguments. My hope is to help you to feel competent and calm in your own respectful discussions with your friends, family or coworkers.

I got a certain number of responses to my last blog post about Christians who support gay marriage. One response I got essentially asked, “How should I feel about gay marriage as a Christian on a secular level?” In trying to answer, I came to realize that even after writing that piece taking everybody to task for lacking resolve, I still have a bit of cognitive dissonance in my own mind. On the one hand, I enjoy the freedom in the U.S.

Of the strange achievements recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records , Hetty Green's has to be the most tragic.  She is listed as the "world's greatest miser".  Green was America's first woman business tycoon.  She was so downright unpleasant she became known as "The Witch of Wall Street".

(This blog was first published on May 20, 2012. Margaret Thatcher died on April 8, 2013)

Over the holiday weekend I had a chance to watch some movies I have been wanting to see for several months. One that I viewed, The Iron Lady, tells the story of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.