by Cindy Bergenback | Jan 31, 2014
Freedom And Morality Next to the Bible, The Training of the Twelve by A.B. Bruce was the most influential book in my life. It was the primary text for the discipleship elective I taught during my years at Talbot School of Theology. Bruce wrote, “Jesus was inaugurating...
by Cindy Bergenback | Jan 30, 2014
God’s Ministry of Rest Moses had no small task ahead of him. He had led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, but now he had the overwhelming responsibility of leading them through the wilderness to the Promised Land. God would guide them with a cloud by day and...
by Cindy Bergenback | Jan 29, 2014
God’s Ministry of Darkness According to Isaiah 50:10,11; obedient servants who fear the Lord may find themselves walking in darkness. Isaiah is not talking about the darkness of sin; he is talking about the darkness of uncertainty. In the light you know who your...
by Cindy Bergenback | Jan 28, 2014
Suffering Draws Us Closer To God Our love for God is compromised when we love the things of this world. Suffering helps to strip away any pretense in our relationship with God. It weans us from all that is not God so that we might learn to love our Heavenly Father for...
by Cindy Bergenback | Jan 27, 2014
Suffering Builds Character Physical pain is necessary for our survival. If you could not feel pain, your body would be covered with scars. Emotional pain is just another form of suffering and necessary for our growth in Christ. Physical, mental and emotional pain need...
by Cindy Bergenback | Jan 24, 2014
Suffering For the Sake Righteousness Suffering is commonly understood as the consequence of our own sin or the sin of others, which God allows it for the perfecting of our faith. When David sinned, he felt the heavy hand of God in physical and mental suffering (Psalm...
by Cindy Bergenback | Jan 23, 2014
Commitment to Overcome Depression First, commit yourself to complete recovery. The key to any cure is commitment. That means no excuses for not following through nor blaming someone else. Second, commit yourself to pray first about everything. The tendency of the...
by Cindy Bergenback | Jan 22, 2014
Growing Through Trials In the heat of battle, it pays to stand back and put everything in perspective. Will this matter for eternity? What are the long-term consequences? Where is God, and what is He trying to accomplish? That is what Paul is addressing in Rom. 5:1-5....
by Cindy Bergenback | Jan 21, 2014
The Elijah Complex Elijah was a “man of God.” He had just witnessed the power of God displayed against the prophets of Baal. When Jezebel heard of it, she responded, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life...
by Cindy Bergenback | Jan 20, 2014
Surviving the Crisis Since we all experience losses in our lives, we need to learn how to accept what we cannot change and grow through the crisis. How well we handle any crisis is determined by how we process three mental constructs. The first is permanence. The...