I think prayer may be one area where most Christians fall short. If you'd like to change that in your own life, now hear this: Chris Carrillo's August 26th message at Care-age of Brookfield. A large crowd was on hand to hear him dig into Matthew 17:14-21 with a timely commentary entitled "Some things require prayer and fasting." 

(If you're reading this via email, please click on the title above to be taken to Chris's message.)

If you'd like to hear more of these great messages, visit our Chris Carrillo library! 

Dear Atheist Mommy and Daddy,

I found fascinating your recent comment that you would never “force religion down” your children’s throats, that you were going to let them decide whether or not to follow such fables, and which ones to pursue.  

Congratulations. You are, it seems, true champions of religious tolerance. 

I find this attitude especially interesting in light of how careful you are with your kids about all the little things of life. You’ve taught them, for instance, to wash their hands with Adrian Monk-like enthusiasm whenever they’ve encountered potential germs, and never to share their toothbrushes with their little friends. You make sure that they’re protected by all the right stuff, from vaccinations to bike helmets to the warmest winter duds.  You have instructed them, just as your folks once instructed you, not to take candy from strangers – not to mention never ever getting into cars with them. And of course you resort to serious time-outs when they flirt with danger by, for example, wandering into the street when you’re not there to shepherd them.

And yet, when it comes to the important things – the things that can give them peace and purpose on this earth and a heavenly eternity – they’re apparently on their own.

I just don’t get that. Why would you not investigate the big questions of life just as diligently as you do the latest thought on nutrition and child safety? Isn’t “forever” a little more important than the 70 or 80 or 90 years we spend on this earth? 

Even if you don’t believe in an afterlife, or absolute truth, or a God, surely you understand that your subjective feelings on the subject have absolutely nothing to do with what’s true. 

Don’t you think that maybe you owe it to your children to pursue the truth of this matter just a fervently as you investigate next year’s vacation destinations? 
​
You may have given the subject passing consideration over the years. You may even have read a Mitch Albom novel or listened to Oprah expound on her version of universalism. But I know that you haven’t even begun to really research these questions. I know this because you could not possibly walk away from a sincere study of the Bible without being blown away by its content – especially by what its writers predicted, 2000+ years ago, about the destruction and restoration of the nation of Israel, or what they said about scientific truths that are only now being discovered by modern scientists. 

Won’t you invest a little time in researching this all-important topic, for your kids’ sake, if not your own?

You’ll find a starter list of suggested resources in my library, and what I hope is an entertaining presentation of eternal truth in my memoir. But there are scores of other resources out there. I pray that you’ll begin your own quest today. In the meantime, if you have any questions for me, fire away!

Sincerely,
​
Kitty Foth-Regner

I woke up this morning thinking about how blessed I am to have several great encouragers in my life. They are brothers and sisters in Christ who always speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)—truth framed in the support, confidence and inspiration that can keep you going even when all your efforts seem to be futile.
 
For instance, one of the great encouragers in my life is grandma Jeanne, who lives in New York State. We’ve never met in person, but we’ve been electronic pen pals for close to a decade. I can always count on her for words of biblical truth and encouragement when I’m grappling with a particularly tough question or issue.
 
Some of my most powerful encouragers are long dead, working in my heart by their example. One I think about often is the English missionary William Carey (1761-1834), who brought the gospel to India. There was nothing glamorous about Carey’s life. For years, he labored and sorrowed and suffered under often horrid conditions, apparently in vain. He did not baptize his first convert for seven years—seven years!  And by the time of his death some 34 years later, his mission could point to the conversion of only around 700 people.
 
Yet Carey’s tireless efforts, which included Bible translations, schools and promotion of various social reforms, laid the foundation for the growth of Christianity in a nation enslaved by a particularly evil and oppressive form of paganism. And many point to his work as the inspiration for the great missionaries of the 19th century, from David Livingston to Hudson Taylor.
 
Surely it was God Himself who encouraged William Carey, because it doesn’t sound like he received much help from those around him.
 
Thinking about these things this morning, I considered how often I have failed to be an encourager myself—and how deliberately becoming one would be a worthy goal.
 
After all, it doesn’t always have to take a lot of time. The book of Acts tells us repeatedly of the encouragement offered by members of the early church—for instance, the support, confidence and inspiration delivered in a brief letter that they sent to the Gentile brethren in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. The result? “When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement” (Acts 15:31).
 
Just so: encouragement can cause others to rejoice.
 
I’d like to be the catalyst to rejoicing on the part of a brother or sister in Christ today. How about you? Let's pray that the Lord would give us that opportunity, and show us how.