During the Revolutionary War, the fight between Patriots and Loyalists raged near the South Carolina home of eighteen-year-old Emily Geiger. Both Emily and her father ardently supported the Patriot cause. One day, Emily overheard her disabled father lamenting that General Nathanael Greene desperately needed a courier to reach General Thomas Sumter for reinforcements. Her father longed to volunteer, but his failing health made the perilous ride impossible.
Without waiting for permission, Emily rode straight to General Greene’s camp. She knew the backroads and river crossings, and she offered to carry the dispatch.
Two days into her journey, British scouts captured Emily and brought her to Lord Rawdon’s encampment. Suspicious of the young girl by herself, Rawdon locked her in a room while he sent for a local woman to conduct a thorough search. Emily knew that if the letter were discovered, she would be hanged as a spy. Acting quickly while left alone, she memorized Greene’s dispatch, tore the paper into small pieces, and swallowed them.
When the search yielded no evidence, Lord Rawdon released her. Emily pressed on and delivered the verbal message to General Sumter.
Like Emily Geiger, we face choices every day. Our daily decisions may not involve dodging enemy patrols, but our obedience still carries lasting weight. Eternity itself can be shaped by how you choose to serve today.
“…Present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness…” -Romans 6:13 (NASB)
August is a month of fresh starts. Classrooms fill with eager students, calendars become busy again, ministries resume, and many families settle into new routines. As one season gives way to another, it’s the perfect time to ask, “Lord, how can I serve You faithfully in this new season?”
The early church faced a similar opportunity—not because life became easier, but because difficult circumstances revealed the power of Christ’s love.
During the second century, a devastating plague swept through the Roman Empire. Fear gripped entire cities. Many fled, leaving even family members behind. Yet followers of Jesus became known for something remarkable: they stayed.
Rather than running from danger, Christians cared for the sick, fed the hungry, comforted the grieving, and gave dignity to those who had been forgotten. Their courage wasn’t rooted in fearlessness—it was rooted in the hope of Christ.
Their quiet acts of compassion became a powerful testimony. In a world consumed by fear, believers reflected the love of the Savior who had first loved them.
As August ushers us into fresh routines and new opportunities, God invites us to live with that same spirit of faithful service. We may not be called to face a plague, but every day we encounter people who need hope, kindness, encouragement, and the love of Jesus.
This month, don’t simply fill your calendar—fill your days with purpose. Ask God to help you notice the person who needs a listening ear, an encouraging word, or a simple act of kindness. History reminds us that lives are often changed not through grand gestures, but through ordinary believers who faithfully say “yes” to God.
May this August be more than the start of another busy season. May it be the beginning of a deeper commitment to reflect Christ wherever He leads.
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” -Isaiah 43:19
It’s really easy to worry about the future, but Christians know the end of the story. Several years ago on a Saturday morning, my husband slid into the floor and had a grand mal seizure. Wow! What a catastrophic event. In an adult, a seizure is a medical emergency. We suddenly went from normal living to crisis mode. A sense of unreality came over me as I discovered my husband’s illness was very serious. For the first few days, I stood by his bed and watched as doctors tried to treat his complex problem. Ultimately his full recovery took four years, and those years unsettled us all. In the same way, we live in a rapidly changing world. Events come at us so fast. These unbelievable events seemed impossible a few years ago. If anyone disagrees or questions, that person receives a nasty label. Intolerant. Bigot. Hater. I keep reminding myself that I live in America where we are supposed to have freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Many in the church are rattled and frightened. This election season had passed in a similar fashion. Americans are angry because no one listens to them in Washington.
I cannot imagine facing any of this without God. During that time when my husband was ill, the Lord sent me to the book of Daniel while I taught a class. There the Lord revealed that Daniel’s greatest dream was for his people to return to the land with a restored relationship with the father. However, God knew that wouldn’t happen in Daniel’s lifetime, so God allowed Daniel a peek into the future. Daniels greatest longing would come true, but not while he lived.
As Christians, we don’t wield control, but we can be assured that God does. The book of Revelation reveals God’s plan for the future, and we can be confident, regardless of what we see going on. God will accomplish his purpose.
My guest is Dr. Ken J. Burge, Sr. He has written Revelation on Fire a Bible study on the last book of the Bible.
2:15 Not everyone in the church believes like you do about the future. Can you give reasons why hold your position on future things?
5:00 Describe your Bible study method
9:15 Revelation said these things will ‘shortly take place.” That was written over 2000 years ago. What does that phrase mean?
11:00 What does the text mean when it says people will be blessed seven times?
12:00 Can you give reasons why you believe in the rapture of the church?
14:00 Who were the people in chapter 3 who are praising the lamb for redemption?
Learn more about Dr. Burge here. Find his book here.
[tweetthis]Believers shouldn’t fear the future [/tweetthis]
When I was a little girl, I played with several chums in my neighborhood. If one of us did something inappropriate, the mothers talked and meted out punishment. In school, I recall hearing the Bible read. Everyone understood they should work hard in school and treat others with kindness. We shared a consensus on right and wrong.
Our country changed.
I saw billboards that said, “God is Dead.”
I recall a political campaign a number of years ago. The press kept saying character doesn’t matter.
Then there was: What is the meaning of the word ‘is’?
The new atheists today ridicule Christians. Believing in God is equivalent to believing in the Easter bunny.
I’m saddened when I see Christians portrayed with disdain and disgust on movies and the media.
Freedom of speech is not subject to Political correctness.
The Bible says, “Be ready to give an answer to anyone who asked the reason for the hope within you.”
Leslie Williams is my guest. She’s going to talk about living with wisdom and savvy in a crazy world anything goes. When Anything Goes is the name of her newest book.
1:55 What is post-Christian?
3:30 The difference between those who wear the label ‘Christian’ and those who are.
5:00 What is faith?
6:25 What is the god of the gaps?
9:05 How can we live as a Christian, and why is that still a good choice?
13:20 Are we addicted to meaning? What do you mean by that statement?
[tweetthis]Faith in Jesus isn’t a leap in the dark[/tweetthis]
Our world is changing fast. It reminds me of a World War II movie I saw. An SS man roughed up a citizen and told him to learn the new laws or else. That’s not far from our situation today, especially with the recent death of Antony Scalia. Regardless of how we vote, we feel as if we have no voice in our government, and we worry that we’ll be told what we believe isn’t legal anymore. It’s easy and even tempting to become victims, or simply to give in. I’ve heard people talk about going with the flow. In Scripture, however, we are called to make choices. Joshua lined up the Israelites as they readied themselves to enter Canaan. He said, “Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell…” That’s a powerful command. He didn’t want them to be passive.
We aren’t, however, the first generation to face hardships. In particular, World War II was a dark time in history. Nobody wanted another global conflict. Too many men died in the Great War, and peace at any price sounded good. (Remember that speech by Neville Chamberlin?) But when Hitler swallowed most of Europe, people began to realize the tyrants overseas wouldn’t go away. Today we face spiritual warfare that rivals that war. Conflict in the spiritual realm isn’t new either, but the intensity we see worries us.
We’d all welcome good news.
Today I have Sarah Sundin. World War II is her favorite era, and she completed extensive research on the living conditions of that time. She wrote Through Waters Deep, regarding the opening of the war. Listen to her lessons from history. Enjoy!
The latest landmark court decision distressed many believers. Our world changed, drastically. In light of that, how shall we live now? Cynthia interviewed Denise Shick of Help 4 Families, and Pastor Dane Skelton for answers. Listen and be encouraged.
