15 results for author: Sue Braden

Burglars in the House! — by Bermie Dizon

This is something I will never forget while pastoring in San Fernando, Philippines, years ago. All of us in the family were asleep when my wife woke up because she sensed a presence in our bedroom. Her eyes were wide open, and she saw a man in the shadowy darkness of our room. When the man saw my wife was awake, he quickly grabbed her bag near the door. My wife immediately shouted to wake me up and told me that a burglar had entered the house. We quickly shut the bedroom door, locked it, and pushed a heavy dresser to block the entrance.  In fear, my wife started shouting so our neighbor across the street could hear us. We heard some ...

From Our Mailbox

Thanks so much for the work you do, reaching out around the world! All people need your Christ-centered, encouraging words in this ever-darkening world. You give us great hope in Christ our Savior. – Washington Thank you for sharing the lifelong truth. There is so little to be found these days. We must seek it out day by day. – Nevada Your ministry is a great comfort, bringing Jesus to those who don’t yet know him. – New York Thank you for all the wonderful magazines, books, literature and of course the encouragement you have given me over all these years. – British Columbia, Canada If you have found this article helpful, ...

Tender Mercies: Precious Lord – by Ruth A. Tucker

Bless the Lord who crowns you with tender mercies (Psalm 103, NKJV).       I’ll never forget the fervent choir of voices ringing out in my seminary class that afternoon. I had suggested we begin the session with a hymn. Jun Kim, one of my several Korean students, requested “Precious Lord.” The students sang with gusto, particularly the Korean contingent. What surprised me was that they sang all stanzas in English—not missing a word.       Actually, I shouldn’t have been surprised. “Precious Lord” is not just old-time Southern Gospel. It is one of the world’s best-known songs, ...

Finding God in the Storm – By Bermie Dizon

Several months ago, I went on an exciting trip with my brother, Ferdie, to the beautiful paradise of El Nido, Palawan. This place is famous for its breathtaking beauty and amazing island-hopping adventures. We were thrilled to explore every part of it. We had two days of island-hopping fun planned, each promising new and exciting experiences. On the second day, we started our journey early, heading to the farthest island on a motorized boat with twenty other eager tourists. The trip began smoothly, with the sun shining brightly and the sea sparkling like diamonds. But then, the wind started blowing. It wasn't just any wind but a fierce, strong ...

Tender Mercies: “Til Death do us Part.” by Ruth Tucker

Bless the Lord who crowns you with tender mercies (Psalm 103, NKJV).       Til death do us part. Despite changes in language down through the centuries, this phrase from the sixteenth-century Anglican Book of Common Prayer has stayed the same. But while the wording of the promise endures, too often the promise itself does not. I was reminded of this again today as we laid our beloved father Albert Kraker to rest in a little rural cemetery surrounded by the farmland where he lived his entire life. It was a gloomy day, rain off and on, appropriate for our sad hearts.      After more than seventy-...

From Our Mailbox…

Thanks for being a “friend” to me and so many others, for stripping many false perspectives of God learned from religious traditions. God has used your work to enlighten many hearts with the vision you have painted of a loving, merciful God full of grace and acceptance for ALL his children. I feel so thankful to be part of this ministry. —Arizona Thank God for your articles. They are getting meatier and stronger every month. I continue to pray for God’s inspiration on all of you who are involved in this ministry. I am thankful that I can be a part of this great work. —Alabama I’m so grateful to God for leading me from legalism ...

A Very Special Delivery – By Bermie Dizon

There are moments in life that confront us with challenges so intense they test our faith to its very core. For my wife and me, one such moment came when our precious daughter, Carmel, entered the world much earlier than expected. It was 1988, and we had been sent to our denomination’s Pasadena campus to attend a ministerial refresher course. We were staying in a small apartment on the campus. My wife was pregnant, and our doctor had assured us that the baby’s birth would be in August. To be safe, we scheduled our attendance at the conference, which began on the first day of June. It was a two-week event, and we expected to be back home by ...

CWR Video: Images of God

In this CWR Video, Monte discusses various images of Jesus over 2,000 years. https://vimeo.com/1182714886 If this post has helped you, please subscribe and share it freely. We also invite you to help us continue to help others with a donation. Click here if you're able to partner with us.

Tender Mercies: Ordinary Panoramas — By Ruth Tucker

Bless the Lord who crowns you with tender mercies (Psalm 103, NKJV).      My favorite coffee table book is one with a beautiful cover and page after page of colorful paintings inside. But for a twist of fate, it wouldn’t be lying there waiting to be opened. “If I didn't start painting, I would have raised chickens.” These are the words of Grandma Moses. There is much to be said for raising chickens, but how much poorer we would be without the paintings of this farm woman who shared her memories on canvass.      It is easy for us to imagine that the course of our lives is marked by the big events ...

From Our Mailbox…

For many years, my husband and I have read every sentence of the mailings we receive from you, and we are always blessed, encouraged and educated by your writings. But the latest issue of Plain Truth (and the accompanying Partner Letter) is the best ever! Not only are all of the articles right on the money for concerns we and our family, friends and neighbors have, but the wording of all the articles makes us even more eager than normal to hand on our copies to them. If there ever is a long-term solution to the problems on our dying earth and in our dying civilizations, your work will rank at the very top of helping us all heal. Please ...

The Wind and Waves Obey – by Bermie Dizon

I’ve been reflecting on the story of Jesus calming the storm, found in Mark 4:35-41. After finishing preaching to a crowd, Jesus boarded a boat with His disciples following Him. He must have been very tired after a long day. As they crossed the Sea of Galilee, a massive storm arose, and water began filling their boat. Yet, Jesus was asleep! Despite having witnessed many miracles performed by Jesus, the disciples panicked and feared for their safety because He was sleeping. In their panic, they urgently woke Jesus, expressing their danger. Jesus then rebuked the wind and waves, and even the disciples, saying, "Where is your faith?" They were ...

From Our Mailbox

Keep on rockin’ PTM/CWR – you all are doing excellent work! – Ohio I have learned so much and am still learning. Thank you for speaking to us about the truth of Jesus in a gentle and humble manner. I guess I never knew that God was made of real love, goodness, kindness and gentleness because of my church upbringing. It’s still hard for me to completely understand that God is a good Father, a real loving and caring Father, but I know he is. – North Carolina Ten years ago I was homeless, strung out on drugs and addicted to alcohol. I cannot even begin to tell you how much you have helped me! By God’s grace my life is now so ...

Tender Mercies: Mary–A Farmer’s Wife – by Ruth Tucker

Bless the Lord who crowns you with tender mercies (Psalm 103, NKJV).             Mary was a farmer’s wife. Such a designation might offend gender-sensitive folks today. But when I was growing up on a farm in northern Wisconsin, the term was taken for granted. Jennie, my mother, was a farmer’s wife. So also, Ruby and Ethel and Rachel and Freda and Tina. They often worked twelve-hour days never imagining they would somehow be better off if they had equality with their husbands—whatever that would mean.             Most of these ...

Putting Away All Prejudice – by Bermie Dizon

There has been much discussion about immigrants lately, and unfortunately, some of the comments have been negative. I remember my first visit to the USA in 1978 to attend a Youth Leadership conference for the church I was part of. Later, in 1980, I returned on a student visa to study theology and graduated in 1984. It wasn’t until 1996 that my family and I moved to the USA as immigrants, where I began serving as a full-time pastor. The truth is, no matter what negative things people may say about immigrants, the United States itself was built by immigrants. People came here from Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, and beyond. Historians ...

Tender Mercies: Eye On the Sparrow – by Ruth Tucker

Bless the Lord who crowns you with tender mercies (Psalm 103, NKJV).             When I graduated from Horace Mann High School in 1963, I was entirely unaware of an environmental controversy swirling around in scientific and literary circles. Growing up on a farm in northern Wisconsin, I had always taken for granted the annual parade of big trucks grinding their engines into our driveway and edging through the gate into the fields to spray in wide swaths the insecticide DDT. Insects were bad. Chemicals were good. Big corporations were trustworthy. We looked to them for guidance. But a ...