Skip to main content

Eternity in Their Hearts

Eternity in Their Hearts:  Startling Evidence of Belief in the One True God in Hundreds of Cultures Throughout the WorldEternity in Their Hearts:  Startling Evidence of Belief in the One True God in Hundreds of Cultures Throughout the World by Don Richardson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The book offered fascinating accounts of the awareness that nations who have never heard of Jesus Christ have of the gospel. It was, to me, an encouragement for three reasons. First, it connected what is sometimes a distant, ancient, and admittedly sometimes repetitive message to the contemporary experiences of people-groups with whom I've shared this earth. This has brought the gospel to life in ways I did not expect, making it far more real to me than I have felt in a long time. Second, I have seen God more clearly, as one who loves all people wholeheartedly and pursues them--and me-- driven by that love. Third, as a result of these renewed understandings of the gospel and God, I have felt an increased sense of purpose for my own life, specifically that God wants me to be apart of his effort to express his love for the world. I know that I can and do fail at this, but I also know that the grace of God is right there with me to remind me of God's ever-present concern for me and others.



View all my reviews

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Savior

This wasteland cold and dark runs free Its fearful creatures speak to me One fateful day one nudged my hand To set my eyes upon a tree He knew I could not understand For I was in his native land His signs became our common speech To lead me through the deadly sand Now stuck I saw him me beseech He could not lift me out to reach The firm foundation of a cave Outside the boundaries of this beach Withal, the beast became more brave To risk his own my life to save To carry me, its life it gave To carry me, its life it gave. This poem was inspired by Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." That poem, like this one, has four four-line stanzas of eight syllables per stanza. Its rhyme scheme is AABA BBCB CCDC DDDD.

Soul and Spirit

As a friend told me about a conversation she had with one of our pastors about whether animals go to heaven, she told me about the Hebrew word nephesh ("soul"). I wondered, then, what the difference was between soul and spirit. After a little research, I came across what many seem to agree is a main difference. The soul of a person is that person's being--personality and life--while the spirit is that part of us that connects with God. There are several verses that refer to spirit in this way:* "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14) "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:1) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly p...

Evil, According to Republicans and Democrats

Please note that the following thoughts are only my observations. Please consider the evidence you see in the behavior of both parties for yourself. In our politically polarized climate, I was thinking about how Democrats and Republicans are different, and where those differences come from. Democrats seem to place more hope in institutions, and seek to reform those institutions when there is something wrong in society. Hence, there is more willingness to levy taxes to offer more social services as a support to those with less than others. They see the state as a way to equalize society. Thus, evil, to Democrats, seems to be a social issue: if there is a problem in society--poverty, racism, climate change, etc.--it is a problem with the structure of society and must be addressed as such: repair the system, and you will solve the problem. They are generally accepting of a larger state bureaucracy because they believe that increased accountability within a state structure will prevent evi...