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Dear beloved readers!
My first trip to Ghana, Africa was in 1995. I was attending a church conference with a number of others from the United States. We each took hospitality from local church members; my host lived in the heart of the capital city, Accra . . . One morning, I was awakened sometime before dawn. As I lay in bed, I could hear what seemed like hundreds of roosters crowing. Some were clearly nearby, others at a distance-but I was amazed at how many there were. In that moment, an odd thought popped into my head: "This would have been the case in every first century city, regardless of its size." Then I was transported back 2,000 years; and in my mind's eye, Peter had just finished speaking to a young girl-and then, a rooster crowed.
- David McCarthy
Please join me in welcoming IFEL writer, David McCarthy, as he discusses "Helpful Reminders."
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Kathy Hill
Managing editor
Exchanging Life Publishing
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KEY SCRIPTURE
Remembering
"And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, 'Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.' And he went out and wept bitterly" (Matt. 26:75, NASB).
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HELPFUL REMINDERS
by David McCarthy, contributing writer
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My first trip to Ghana, Africa was in 1995. I was attending a church conference with a number of others from the United States. We each took hospitality from local church members; my host lived in the heart of the capital city, Accra. The Accra metro area had a population just under 3-million--a large city to be sure--and not that much smaller than metropolitan Phoenix (Arizona), my home at the time. I expected Ghanaian cities to be different from those in the US, but was still surprised at what I saw. For instance, large numbers of goats wandered around densely packed neighborhoods; this would have been unheard of in Phoenix. I asked my host about it and he said that almost everyone had goats and chickens at home. He added that the goats wander around the neighborhood looking for food and then head home in the evening. I was fascinated at the degree to which rural life had been integrated into such a dense urban setting.
One morning, I was awakened sometime before dawn. As I lay in bed, I could hear what seemed like hundreds of roosters crowing. Some were clearly nearby, others at a distance-but I was amazed at how many there were. In that moment, an odd thought popped into my head: "This would have been the case in every first century city, regardless of its size." Then, I was transported back 2,000 years. In my mind's eye, Peter had just finished speaking to a young girl-and then...a rooster crowed.
A few hours before His arrest, Jesus told his disciples that they would all abandon Him. Peter was sure he would be the exception, and boldly announced he was ready to go to prison for Jesus, even die for Him. Jesus then punctured Peter's self-confidence by...read more here
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David McCarthy (Washington state, USA) is a contributing writer for IOM America - Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchange Life Development.
Permission obtained from author to republish Helpful Reminders. Copyright © 2014-2015 David McCarthy. Editorial changes by IOM America approved by author.
Scripture note: Changes made to original verses [i.e. bold, indent, underline, parenthetical contents...] are by this article's author for emphasis and/or clarification.
All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Parenthesis/brackets are for clarification by this author.
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