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Unless noted otherwise, articles are copyrighted by the Worldwide Church of God. All rights reserved. Unless noted otherwise, scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers

Welcome to ChristianOdyssey.org. The word Odyssey refers to a journey filled with adventures and notable experiences — even hardships. That describes our lifelong Christian walk as we grow in grace and knowledge. Christian Odyssey features articles on practical Christian living, explanations of the basic beliefs of the Christian faith, with Bible studies, book reviews, interviews, and other interesting and practical helps for Christian life.

August/September 2008

  • Letters to the editor  We often get letters asking us to print the magazine in larger type.
     

  • I've Been Reading...: The Year of Living Biblically, by A.J. Jacobs; review by John Halford. He exposes just why a legalistic approach just does not work.
     

  • Editorial: Who's Who?, by John Halford. Let me introduce "the rest of us" who put this magazine together? 
     

  • Cover story: Winning from the start, by Ned and Tina Graham. We always wondered by the Special Olympics were called special. We found out why when we attended the events in Shanghai.

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of life...with Joseph Tkach. Was Elijah really a man like us?

Bystander: The sword, by Joyce Catherwood. Simeon had predicted that a sword would pierce me, and now I felt it.

The scarred frog blanket, by Shiela Carmel Miller. The hole in the poor frog's face looked like it had been stitched up by Dr. Frankenstein.

Mission Bound. In a few weeks, a group of young Christians will visit the Philippines on a short-term mission trip. We interviewed four of them to see what they expect.

Urge Protection, by John Halford. We have surge protectors for sudden voltage increases. But what about sudden urges?

In Other Words: Mbio za sakafuni huishia ukingoni!, by Kalengule Kaoma. Even the worst things come to an end.

Who's Afraid of the Schizophrenic God? By Neil Earle. Many Christians seem to think that the Father is worried about the law, and the Son has a more merciful attitude.

Christian Odyssey Interview: Talking with Paul Young, author of the best-selling The Shack. "I'm the most accidental author you'll ever meet."

Church History Corner: The Council of Chalcedon and the "Two Natures" Controversy, by Paul Kroll. Apollinaris said that Jesus had two natures—one human and one divine.

Home Base: Jesus loves them, this I know, by Jeb Egbert. The disciples hindered the children's access to Jesus. Do we?

Kitchen-Bin Guidance, by Kerry Gubb. Children are fascinated with garbage. Adults often are, too.

Christian word crossword puzzle. (pdf format) Designed by Christopher Sealey based on articles in this issue of Christian Odyssey.

Bible Study: Paul's Concern for the Thessalonians: a study of 1 Thessalonians 2;17-3:13, by Michael Morrison. Paul said he was as gentle as a woman nursing a baby.
Companion article: The Greeks had a word for it: Perichōresis.
 

 

Hmm...  The line between good and evil is never simply between "us" and "them."

Entire issue in PDF format (3 megabytes)

June/July 2008

 

 

 

 

 

Free to be, by Mike Feazell. John wasn’t interested in the limelight. He was interested in preparing the way for someone else.

In Other Words: Hand in hand, by Kalengule Kaoma. Just as hands work together for a common purpose, people working together will accomplish much.

It was OK for Timothy, by Kerry Gubb. Timothy had Paul to help him grow. Whom do you have?

Bystander: The great fever, by Joyce Catherwood. We greeted him, filled with anxiety over my mother’s condition.

Developing a spending plan with a "virtual cookie jar" by Brent Baker. Very few people today have a spending plan, or budget, to manage their personal finances.

Saying grace graciously, by Paul Hailey. I don’t think God makes junk food nutritious even when we ask him to.

Christian word crossword puzzle. (pdf format) Designed by Christopher Sealey based on articles in this issue of Christian Odyssey.

Mid-life melancholy, by Barbara Dahlgren. We have more, more, more of everything, yet feel less, less, less satisfied.

Church History Corner: Karl Barth: "prophet" to the church, by Paul Kroll. Karl Barth has been called “the most outstanding and consistently evangelical theologian that the world has seen in modern times.”

Home Base: Our children's heroes, by Jeb Egbert. I cherished that time with my dad. It wasn’t what he said to me, and it certainly wasn’t the level of basketball training.

Being human, by Bill Winn. Religion makes people think that being real, being really human, is either wrong or not good enough.

Bible Study: We were not a burden: a study of 1 Thessalonians 2, by Michael Morrison. A critic might have said: Paul gave his spiel, but only a few gullible people fell for it, so Paul left to try his luck somewhere else.
Companion article: The Greeks had a word for it: Ekklesia.
 

 

Hmm...  A Jewish economist stunned his host by praying, “Lord, I pray that Jews would come to know Jesus Christ."

Entire issue in PDF format (3 megabytes)

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