Showing results by narrator "David Smith" in All Categories

I have many dear friends whose youthful experience in the church was fraught with anxiety over “I’ll never be good enough” and the warning that nineteen out of twenty kids are doomed to stay forever out of heaven. Okay, you too? On the cusp of college graduation and my new gig as a teacher in an Adventist school, two rescuing lifeboats floated my way. I began reading stuff by C. S. Lewis and also a pastor named Morris Venden – ironically my mom’s cousin!

This is a love story with a heartbreaking backdrop: a dangerous cult group that threatens the Body of Christ and the many courageous Christian churches throughout Bangkok. Truth be told, I have never experienced any sort of cult upheaval in Thailand. But years ago I had a role in a Mark Finley evangelistic adventure in Moscow, and a violent extremist group was regularly attacking our ministers. They were angry, they were violent, they were absolutely convinced that they and only they were right, that only they had God’s blessing, that only they were going to make it to heaven.

It takes adept multitasking for Ratana to thrive as a third-year med student who also does church concerts throughout Bangkok. Then one more thing threatens to explode her frantic schedule at Chulalongkorn U. His name is Jaidee: a heart-melting two-year-old orphan who needs a new mommy.

The Essential Classics: Volume 2 brings together 5 of the greatest classics ever written, perfectly read by an esteemed cast including Adjoa Andoh, David Rintoul, Kobna Holdbrook Smith, and Jonathan Keeble. Spanning the Atlantic, this collection includes stories of vampiric horror in Dracula, Poirot's first outing in The Mysterious Affair at Styles, as well as Emily Brontë's timeless tale of love on the moors, and more.

If God picked up His paintbrush and painted yet another new world into existence, a warning could be blazed across the sky. Don’t let madmen build nuclear bombs. Drugs and divorce can really hurt. Try to avoid a repeat of 9/11. And, Queen Lady, stay away from that apple tree! But what if a network of unstained worlds was already out there before the mess began on Earth?

The journey may be difficult, but if you go to this Healer, there can be but one outcome! It’s the most colorful of Jesus’ amazing miracle healings. A man desperate for help has friends let him down through the roof and right into the Savior’s lap! And this one gossiped-about infusion of divine power speaks volumes to us today. Because a caring Friend is anxious to bless and heal us too!

In his bestseller, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry,” John Mark Comer suggests that a Christian can best celebrate the joy of “Sabbath” in two delicious ways. First, the family must bake a foot-square chocolate-chip cookie, smother it with ice cream, then joyously devour said cookie. But I love Idea #2: curl up on Sabbath afternoon with a great novel. I assume he means winsome adventures where the protagonist has heaven as their ultimate goal, and the Body of Christ as their highest passion! Which is where these Bangkok love stories come into play.

Resurrected Love is yet another dramatic love story set in exotic Thailand where Buddhist harmony and Christian miracles flow in co-existing streams. And sixth-grade kids the world over are very fond of teasing their beloved American teacher when they suspect Miss Giske has a new fan.

What do Bob Uecker and Sandy Koufax have to do with your success as a Christian? What on earth do Dodger Stadium and Boston’s “Green Monster” left-field wall have to do with heaven? And is Kirk Gibson’s miracle homer in the ’88 World Series–“High fly ball, into right field, she is . . . GONE!”–a foretaste of the joy we will experience at Jesus’ second coming? Bible writers often used the ordinary things of life to illuminate their lessons about eternal life. James spoke to us about ships’ rudders and olive trees. Paul wrote about soldiers’ armor and training hard for the OIympic Games.