Inspirational

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From the Editor Mar/Apr 2024

I disobeyed my parents many times as a child. They were habitually gracious in their admonition. But on one occasion, I misbehaved so severely that…

Inside View Mar/Apr 2024

October 7, 2023, was a wake-up call for many Christians unfamiliar with Israel’s role in God’s plan of redemption. Those who think God has…

Why Do You Love Israel?

Picture this: A Jewish man who has embraced Jesus as his Messiah waves the flag of Israel and sings…

Apples of Gold Mar/Apr 2024

Though we seek peace with our neighbors, we know it will not come easily. They call themselves righteous Jews while they tell me to keep quiet…

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From the Editor Jan/Feb 2024

We have now witnessed the deadliest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust. Israel will never be the same after October 7, 2023…

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We Knew This Would Happen

For nearly two decades, The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (FOI) has looked at the Israel-Hamas conflict through the…

Faith Check

Every January 1, gym memberships, health foods, self-improvement plans, time-scheduling charts, and Bible-reading programs are in popular demand…

Apples of Gold Jan/Feb 2024

This week I went to the hospital for a doctor’s appointment. While there, I saw some of the hospital workers who remembered what I had shared…

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From the Editor Nov/Dec 2023

Each December, I begin formulating a plan to read my Bible for the following year. In past years, I jumped into Genesis feeling energized…

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Tidings of Great Joy

The Christmas season has arrived. My family is busy decorating the house, untangling the Christmas lights, and picking out the tree. Of course, my kids’ wish lists…

The Beauty of Gratitude

My son Brian received his first pair of eyeglasses when he was 11 years old. As he tentatively tried them on…

Apples of Gold Nov/Dec 2023

Many immigrants live in the neighborhoods around us. Most of them have come from Russia. When we celebrated the Feast of Hanukkah recently…

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From the Editor Sep/Oct 2023

Hymns have a unique staying power. If you grew up singing hymns in your church, I’m sure you can attest to this fact. The sweet words of these songs…

Virtual Reality Goggles

Dying to Live

Marcus is dead. His lifeless body lies on a hospital bed. The doctors attending him look down on his corpse. Only minutes ago they were busily monitoring his vitals…

The Help of His Countenance

A 5-year-old girl was enjoying a picnic with her family one day when she noticed a cluster of older girls yelling nearby.

Apples of Gold Sep/Oct 2023

People from nations all over the world come to visit Israel. It is written in Isaiah 34:1, “Come near, you nations, to hear” and in Isaiah 49:6…

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From the Editor Jul/Aug 2023

American pastor Andy Stanley stated in a 2018 sermon, “Peter, James, [and] Paul elected to unhitch the Christian faith from their Jewish scriptures…

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‘Moshiach Is Here!’

“I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the moshiach [Messiah], and though he may tarry, still I await him every day.” So states the Jewish sage Maimonides’…

Under the Shelter of His Wings

“You’ve got cancer.” The doctor’s words felt like a sucker punch. Surely he must have gotten my lab results mixed up…

Apples of Gold Jul/Aug 2023

The ultra-Orthodox often find new ways to attract new followers. Recently, they hosted a big, public meeting with a well-known rabbi. Like many rabbis, he felt he could convince…

Doing the Right Thing

Within hours of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s midgame cardiac arrest in January, sports writers, reporters, and analysts around the country prefaced their remarks with…

Apples of Gold May/Jun 2023

We live very close to our Arab neighbors, so we see each other almost every day. A few months ago I had a long conversation with some of them…

Inside View Mar/Apr 2023

At our farewell dinner for our Up to Jerusalem tour to Israel in October, I was touched by the comments of our Israeli guide. We honored him for skillfully leading…

How Do You Spell “Love”?

The “Joy” ship—what a misnomer! I thought. I had reluctantly returned to my unfittingly named Norwegian cruise ship…

Don’t Get Too Comfortable!

If we knew years ago what the world would look like today, we probably wouldn’t have signed up for what we face now…

Apples of Gold Mar/Apr 2023

It is written in Jeremiah 6:14, “‘Peace, peace!’ when there is no peace.” It is also written, “I will give you assured peace in this place” (14:13)…

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From the Editor Jan/Feb 2023

As a child, I asked my dad, “Why didn’t Jewish people fight the Nazis?” He replied, “They couldn’t fight. You don’t understand.” Today, I understand better…

Inside View Jan/Feb 2023

A few years ago, a friend sent me a page from the December 27, 1937, issue of Life magazine. In it was an article titled “Christmas in Naziland…

Finishing Without Regrets

When the apostle Paul sat in a cold, dark Roman prison, he chose his final words carefully as he took inventory of his life…

Aidan’s Crucible

I barely recognized him. My grandson was no longer the 19-year-old kid I knew. He had lost weight and was lean, angular, and fit and carried himself with confidence…

Apples of Gold Jan/Feb 2023

The ultra-Orthodox are always looking for 10 men to form a minyan, a quorum necessary for synagogue prayer. So I wait outside the synagogue, watching them call people…

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From the Editor Nov/Dec 2022

Christmas is around the corner. ’Tis the season for almost every made-for-television movie to overload us with house-decorating, tree-lighting, cookie-baking, and…

Inside View Nov/Dec 2022

Many believers today see no value in studying prophecy, particularly end-times prophecy. They say it serves no purpose and is difficult to understand…

The Fallacy of Fictionalism

Scott Hershovitz is a philosophy professor and director of law and ethics at the University of Michigan…

Apples of Gold Nov/Dec 2022

Through God’s miracles, the Jewish people have survived; and now we live in the Promised Land. At this time of year, we enjoy celebrating Hanukkah…

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Something is Wrong

Pro-choice activists are fuming over the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that declared abortion is not a constitutional right, overturning its…

My Threescore and Ten

Birthdays, like mile markers, disclose the distance traveled but not the distance remaining on our lives’ journeys…

Apples of Gold Sep/Oct 2022

We recently enjoyed a most important holiday—the feast of Simchat Torah, Hebrew for “rejoicing over the Law.” Many of the Orthodox dance in the synagogues…

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Pointing Our Kids to Truth

The COVID-19 pandemic did more than shed light on the science of infectious diseases in the modern era…

A Memorial and a Name

I recently ran across a Pew Research study that sought to discover what Americans know about the Holocaust…

Apples of Gold Jul/Aug 2022

There are many ultra-Orthodox organizations here in Israel. Each one is filled with people who want to show how faithfully they work against those…

Apples of Gold May/Jun 2022

People in Israel are always trying to find something new and interesting. For a long time, the ultra-Orthodox Jews promoted as messiah a man from New York City…

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The Healing Substance of Serving

The evangelical church today is divided. Some parishioners contend the church isn’t “woke” enough—not alert enough…

Apples of Gold Mar/Apr 2022

Many dictators, like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, have called themselves righteous; and people, like sheep, worship them. Such people persecute the Chosen People…

Happy New Year!

Fireworks. Noisy parties. Large quantities of food and drink. That’s how many people welcome the new year. Observant Jewish people, on the other hand…

Apples of Gold Jan/Feb 2022

Many people do not want to talk about the Holocaust, especially the elderly, who suffered in the death camps as I did. Our young people know of the…

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From the Editor Nov/Dec 2021

When I was eight years old, I had a friend named Mary. She moved to Vermont from California, lived two houses away, and attended Catholic school. Every year I’d…

We Stand With Israel!

There is no authority on Earth except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. That may seem like a strange statement in view of…

Apples of Gold Nov/Dec 2021

The ultra-Orthodox in Israel try to milk people out of their money. They always find something new to sell. Lately they have been…

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Like William Henry Hechler

Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism, considered William Henry Hechler the first Christian Zionist…

Apples of Gold Sep/Oct 2021

Deuteronomy 16:19 says, “You shall not . . . take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.” Therefore, it is written…

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God Doesn’t ‘Cancel’ Us

A missionary and church planter found himself in a difficult position when the members of the so-called cancel culture endeavored to silence him…

My Sweet Monty

The first Bible story I heard as a little girl was the story of Abraham. I was 5 years old; yet when I heard the word bless, I knew it was something good…

The Journey of Processing Pain

Nineteen years ago in March, our only daughter left for work in the morning, never to come home. We remember that day…

Apples of Gold Jul/Aug 2021

Israel is filled with many false teachers. They grow like mushrooms after the rain. They are extremely active, and every few days we see a new “holy one.” Many people here believe…

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From the Editor May/Jun 2021

Shortly after I became a Christian in 1980, I was invited to a luncheon sponsored by the local branch of a nondenominational, evangelical Christian organization…

Inside View May/Jun 2021

The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry is devoted to sharing the gospel. Gospel is part of our name; and since our inception in 1938, we have lived…

Getting the ‘Package Deal’

“What do you mean you became a Christian at 21? Aren’t you a pastor’s daughter?” an older gentleman asked me…

He Never Let Go

My story begins with my father, who was enjoying recognition as a successful research chemist despite two big problems: He was a functioning alcoholic and an atheist…

Strengthening Your Faith

Board game or boardroom, everyone hates being neutralized. Having our influence or effectiveness nullified by an adversary…

Apples of Gold May/Jun 2021

As we say here in Israel, “Le roi est mort, vive le roi,” which is French for “The king is dead, long live the king!” Apparently, a new “king” is coming—a rabbi…

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From the Editor Mar/Apr 2021

When I became a Christian, I didn’t know much about Christianity. I didn’t know the New Testament or doctrine or what God expected of me as a believer…

Advice From Vance Havner

As we move closer and closer to the Rapture of the church, the world will grow more and more godless. Believers will become…

Our Purpose for Living

What is the ultimate purpose for a Christian’s use of spiritual gifts? The apostle Peter stated it succinctly: “That in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ…

Overcoming Prejudice

From elementary schools to nursing homes, prejudice is everywhere. Often, we reject or accept one another based on superficial observations because…

Apples of Gold Mar/Apr 2021

In the spring we celebrate Purim here in Israel. Not everyone knows the meaning of this great day. Many think it is merely a festival of joy…

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From the Editor Jan/Feb 2021

Many years ago, my husband’s friend Ken Campbell lost his 18-year-old daughter in a car accident. Ken pastored a church here in South Jersey, and Gwendolyn was a student at Word of Life…

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Goodbye, Year of the Virus

People the world over are probably relieved to say, “Happy New Year!” There is sheer jubilee in knowing the books on 2020 are…

Choose Joy!

What does every believer need but no believer wants? The answer, as you might guess, is trials. We don’t want the difficulties and hardships that come our way…

Apples of Gold Jan/Feb 2021

It is written in Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” But some people are…

Inside View Nov/Dec 2020

When we tour Israel each spring and fall, we always visit Galilee. Why? Because much of Jesus’ ministry occurred there. Following His first miracle…

A Christmas to Remember

During the Christmas season, the popular children’s animated television show Bob the Builder and Hallmark…