martyschoenleber

[martyschoenleber]

"God, Give Me Wise Words!"

I had other articles published before, but the article below was my first published article in a national publication. I ran across it again while I was throwing things away as I pack up my library once again in anticipation of a move closer to our grandchildren. It appeared in the August/September 1988 issue of WorldWide Challenge Magazine. Everytime I think of this story from something that…

[martyschoenleber]

An Old Picture, the Same Passion

The picture on the right is 8 years old. The passion written on the wall off my left shoulder is still the passion of my heart. If your heart belongs to Christ, I hope your passion for His word continues to grow.  Bible scoffers are all around us. But those who love Jesus, know the wonder of His word. They know that there are no end to its depths. They know that lives built on the words of God…

[martyschoenleber]

Violence in Minnesota

A Christian, a proclaimed Christ-follower, has been caught and accused of the murders of two opponents of his political values. The media will make much of the things he is against, which correspond to many of the same values that Christians around the world and down through the ages have opposed on biblical grounds. He has undermined, by his violent and murderous heart, the peaceful proclamation…

[martyschoenleber]

What Does It Mean to Do Justice?

What does it mean to do justice? Answer: More than any of us know, and certainly more than I will be able to tackle in a brief blog post. But I do want to spend a little time discussing what is perhaps an often misunderstood and neglected part of “doing justice,” specifically, how we speak to one another. How we speak to one another is an aspect of doing justice. Do we speak to one another as men…

[martyschoenleber]

Christian, Look Up

Bible Students Should Pay ‘Close Attention’ to Events Surrounding Israel’s Attack Against Iran, Says Pastor Greg Laurie The link above will take you to the whole article. I may have differences with Pastor Laurie’s eschatology but I think he is spot on with this observation excerpted below: “The Bible said Israel would be scattered and regathered (fulfilled in 1948) and that Persia (modern Iran)…

[martyschoenleber]

A Remarkable Story

I picked up this remarkable story from a Quora post. In August 1914, at the beginning of World War I, British Captain Robert Campbell was captured by the Germans and imprisoned in a military camp in Magdeburg, Germany “After two years of captivity, the unfortunate captain received terrible news: his mother was dying. Driven by desperation, he wrote a letter to Kaiser Wilhelm II begging to see…

[martyschoenleber]

Israel Strike on Iran: A Call to Prayer

Ten things NOT to do in this moment: Don’t blame President Trump. Don’t blame President Biden. Don’t blame Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Don’t blame the Zionists around the world. Don’t blame the Palestinians. Don’t blame Hamas. Don’t blame Islam. Don’t blame Arabs. Don’t blame the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei. Don’t blame the media. This moment and the next few days…

[martyschoenleber]

Cleaning and Quoting

I’m doing some clean up in my office and found a small box with a collection of 3×5 cards upon which I had written down some “future quotes and illustrations.” So here’s a few I thought I would pass on tonight. Enjoy. On Leadership: “You’re only as successful as the type of leader your life produces.” mps “How do you know if you have the quality of leadership? You discover whether you have it or…

[martyschoenleber]

A Christian is a Sign to the Culture

Sunday Afternoon Musings As every news cycle demonstrates, we are living in an increasingly violent and merciless culture. This morning on the drive to church, we heard the news report of a local 15 year-old, arrested for murder. It wasn’t the first time that the news reported an under-aged murder. In fact, remembering some other recent “young and violent” stories, I turned to my bride and said,…

[martyschoenleber]

Choosing Joy: Two Steps to Overcome Grief

“Every step away from God, away from Jesus and His will, is a step toward grief. Likewise, every step of obedience to Christ and His will is a step with Jesus toward greater joy. No exceptions. No matter what your emotions are telling you, no matter what your culture or your friends are telling you, no matter what your fears and doubts, and past, and circumstances, and dreams are telling you, you…

[martyschoenleber]

It's All About the Grandchildren Now

“The Bridge-Builder” by Miss Will Allen Dromgoole Who was Miss Dromgoole? Well, the wikipedia article on her begins with this paragraph: Will Allen Dromgoole (October 26, 1860 – September 1, 1934) was an author and poet born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She wrote over 7,501 poems; 5,000 essays; and published thirteen books. She was renowned beyond the South; her poem “The Bridge Builder” was…

[martyschoenleber]

Reimagining Children's Ministry for the 21st Century

Nine years ago, I asked Coleman Luck, the writer and producer of the original, The Equalizer TV program that aired on CBS in the late 1980’s. I loved that show and years later found out that Coleman, its writer, was a believer in Christ. I wrote about the show a couple of times over the years and Coleman has been gracious to correspond with me over the years. Two days ago, a number of people…

[martyschoenleber]

Christianity Hated by the World is a Glory

I am working on updating my book, Settlers or Sojourners? for a 20th Anniversary Edition. It is an opportunity to to make a few grammatical corrections as well as update some of the language and illustrations. But it also gives me the chance to expand the work and I have decided to buttress the biblical argument with an Appendix undergirding the evidence from the Scripture with a collection of…

[martyschoenleber]

Spurgeon Wisdom

“Serve the Yahweh with gladness;Come before Him with joyful singing.” “The angels of God serve Him with songs, not with groans; a murmur or a sigh would be a mutiny in their ranks. . . .Service coupled with cheerfulness is heart-service, and therefore true. . . . Cheerfulness is the support of our strength; in the joy of the Lord we are strong.” Then he gives an illustration: “It…

[martyschoenleber]

She was in her 80's when she approach me . . .

I was sitting in Panera with a young man, a plumber by trade, married with no children, who is also a new believer in Christ. He is so in love with Jesus and eager to grow that every meeting with him encourages my soul. He is raw, sometimes it sounds out in his language, but so refreshingly excited about every new discovery he makes in his frequent reading of his Bible. He is filled with…

[martyschoenleber]

Finding Treasures in the 2nd Century

I’m doing some research on how the early church viewed itself in anticipation of the release later this year of a 20th anniversary edition of my book, Settlers or Sojourners?, and I found a great quote from Tertullian from the late 2nd century. His experience 150 years after the resurrection confirms what I saw in the Scripture and wrote about in the book. In the first chapter of his Apology to…

[martyschoenleber]

How to Prepare for Seminary

No one is asking me, but I have thought about this a lot. I wish I knew these things before I entered seminary far back in the early portals of time. I did manage two of them before I went to seminary but not on purpose. I had no intention of going to seminary when I left college. But if a young man or woman were to ask me what would be the best preparation for seminary and a life-time of…