stephen-on-bible

We all are aware of the fact that Christian life is not always a mountaintop experience. There are times we have to walk through the valley, which, in the words of St. John of the Cross, is called, “Dark Night of the Soul.” When our soul is plunged into darkness, one most important commandment we find it hard to obey is 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” How painful are those moments when we are externally encircled by darkness and internally filled with dryness! What can we do when we don’t feel like praying? How can we walk with God when there is no inner desire to talk with Him? When prayer is an activity whereby we are enabled to get through life’s struggles and temptations, what can be done when our heart do not wish to open itself out to communicate with its Creator? When there is no passion in us to walk on the path of spiritual disciplines, how can we take a step? There is a song, in one of my vernacular languages, which goes like this, “The goal is in its place a...

Stephen David receiving a transcript and also Barnabas Award from Dr. David R. Willis in his first semester at Trinity Christian College, in 1997 Few people thrive in life without the lift provided by some godly people. My life is no exception. Whatever I am today, it is because God in His sovereignty and grace has used various people, books and situations to equip me in living and serving for His glory. One such person whom God used to make a remarkable influence on my life was Dr. David R. Willis. I am always grateful to God for saving a wretched man like me, or else by now I could have become a smuggler or a criminal. Just few days after I was saved in the year 1996, one day Dr. Willis came to our church to preach. I still remember his sermon. He preached on Ezekiel, the watchman. After listening to him for the first time, I rushed to him with great excitement and expressed my interest to get trained for ministry. He gave his visiting card and invited me to his Bible college ...

Suicide is one of the tragic choices many are opting in our day. It is not only a painful choice to the one who opts for it but also agonizing to those left behind. If the one who attempted or committed suicide is a person close to us, the pain is unbearable. Our mind is often haunted with these thoughts, "Why did he/she take such a drastic decision?; I wish I had done something to save him/her?" As important as it is to discern the symptoms of those attempting or committing suicide in order to save them, it is helpful to have an understanding about some of the myths on suicide. Knowing these myths will assist us to better understand the signs of suicide. H. Norman Wright, in his book Crisis Counseling , [1] describes some of the common myths which I believe people must extract from their mind. Myth 1: Suicide and attempted suicide are the same class of behavior. Norman clarifies that suicide is committed usually by one who wants to die, whereas attempted suicide is carried ...