He Understands (Article)
HE UNDERSTANDS by Pastor Shah (Clearview Church, Henderson) (This article was published in the local newspaper The Daily Dispatch on 5/20/19) “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest…” (Hebrews 2:17) How many of you remember telling your parents – “You just […]
Thanksgiving: An American Way of Life (Article)
THANKSGIVING – AN AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE by Pastor Shah (Clearview Baptist Church) (Published in the newspaper Daily Dispatch, Henderson on November 22, 2013) Recently, I asked some people, “What things are uniquely American?” I got all kinds of answers – baseball, BBQ, jazz music, blue jeans, and many more. Yet, there is one thing […]
Christian VS Disciple (Article)
CHRISTIAN VS DISCIPLE by Pastor Shah (Clearview Church, Henderson) (This article was published in the local newspaper The Daily Dispatch on 5/22/18) “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19a) Christianity is struggling in the West. Churches are closing their doors every week for the last time. Yes, there are pockets of growth […]
Relationship Status: Desirable (Article)
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: DESIRABLE by Pastor Shah (Clearview Baptist Church) (Published in the newspaper Daily Dispatch, Henderson on August 27, 2014) Each year their number keeps growing – 4 million in 1950, 20 million in 1982, and over 100 million today. They represent about 48 percent of the adult population 18 years and older in America. […]
Want More Sex? (Article)
WANT MORE SEX? Article by Pastor Shah (Clearview Baptist Church) (Published in the newspaper Daily Dispatch, Henderson on January 26, 2012) Now that I have your attention, keep reading. You won’t be disappointed. Sex is God’s idea. It was His wedding present to the first husband and wife. It is the picture of ultimate oneness […]
A Message to the Post-2020 Graduates (Article)
A MESSAGE TO THE POST-2020 GRADUATES (Article) by Dr. Abidan Paul Shah (Published in the newspaper Daily Dispatch, Henderson on May 19, 2021) “Give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has anything like this happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?” Joel 1:2 According to Dictionary.com, the People’s Choice […]
Hope Giver or Fearmonger (Article)
HOPE GIVER OR FEARMONGER (Article) by Dr. Abidan Paul Shah (Published in the newspaper Daily Dispatch, Henderson on March 24, 2020) Before we go any further, let’s get some preliminaries out of the way: Coronavirus (COVID-19) is not a hoax. It can be fatal. It’s very critical that we all follow the guidelines—Wash your hands, […]
Vicious Cycle (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah
Typically, we think that the reason God wanted to drive the Canaanites out of the land is because they were primitive savages. Nothing could be further from the truth. Here’s what we found:
Unstuck (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah
UNSTUCK (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah (Published in the Newspaper Daily Dispatch, Henderson on December 29, 2018) “The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey. . .’” (Deuteronomy 1:6-7a) “So you remained in Kadesh many days. . .”(Deuteronomy 1:46) “. . […]
(Re)Setting the Record Straight (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah
“America was founded as a Christian nation!” My father-in-law made that remark to me over twenty years ago. I remember hearing the frustration in his voice and being puzzled by it. I told him that I thought every American believed that. How could they not? After all, this was “One Nation Under God.” He explained to me that there were people who believed that this was never a Christian nation. To the contrary, they claimed that it was birthed in greed and selfishness with the privileged few controlling the many through fear and oppression.
I decided to research for myself. Here’s what I found: Yes, America was founded on biblical values. But, no, that doesn’t mean that everyone who came across the ocean was a born-again Christian.
Double Honor (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah
Each year, the month of October has been designated as the Pastor Appreciation Month. I know that may come as a surprise to some of you who thought that October was only about Halloween. Slide over Jason, Freddy, and Chucky! It’s time to make room for us good guys!
The Greener Grass Syndrome (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah
THE GREENER GRASS SYNDROME (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah (Published in the newspaper Daily Dispatch, Henderson on August 18, 2018)
Life Between Posts (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah
You’re scrolling through your favorite social media and you see the perfect picture with perfect smiles and perfect clothes with a perfect background. To top it all off, its accompanied by a perfect caption, including hashtags like #lovinglife #love #loveus #happiness #sohappy #perfectday #forever #natural – What do all these hashtags and the posts and pictures that accompany them have in common? They are deceiving. They only give a partial, wishful, and concocted glimpse of life. I wish people would also add these hashtags to their posts and pictures– #pleasethinkImhappy #pretendwithmethatallisfine #IwishIfeltlikethispicture #Iwishwecouldalwaysbethishappy #justhadafight #abouttohaveafight #tookme20triestogetthispicture.
Train Up a Child (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah
Repeatedly, the Bible commands us to treat children with the utmost respect and care. This requires that we understand that what they truly deserve and desire from us is right training. Proverbs 22:6 lays out the 4 non-negotiables in this process.
Changing Seasons of A Marriage (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah
CHANGING SEASONS OF A MARRIAGE (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah (Published in the newspaper Daily Dispatch, Henderson on February 3, 2018) Genesis 8:22 “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To everything there is a season…” We all have our favorite seasons. […]
MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR! (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah
One of my pet peeves is reading or listening to claims that many of our Christmas traditions are just pagan rituals that should be abandoned. Here are some facts on a few of them:
HOW TO HANDLE TOXIC PEOPLE – Part 2 (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah
My last article, “How To Handle Toxic People,” drew more responses than any of my pervious articles! Evidently, it touched a nerve and God used it to meet a real need. Thank you for all the words of appreciation! Some of you raised a question that I feel the answer may benefit others as well – “Daily we go through minor toxic encounters that leave us feeling upset to one degree or another. Does that mean that for each of those incidents we have to go through the same process of praying for 20 days until we are free of the toxin?” Of course not. Toxic people and minor toxic encounters are two different things. The first are individuals who perpetually cause us to feel miserable and the second are chance happenings that inject just enough toxin in us to ruin our spirit. Although the latter are not as harmful as the former, don’t assume that they are completely harmless. If left untreated, those emotional fender-benders can cause us to ruin others’ spirits as well. Let me explain below.
HOW TO HANDLE TOXIC PEOPLE (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah
Have you ever been a victim of a toxic person? Let me share with you how to handle them.
REST A WHILE (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah
Summer is here. Those who can are taking every opportunity to get away to the lake, beach, mountains, or some place other than home. But will they truly rest? Most don’t. Many complain on returning that they need a vacation to recuperate from their vacation! Then there are those who are staying home and getting caught up on all the unfinished projects. No rest for the weary. I confess that I fall into the latter category. I enjoy work! It energizes me. It bothers me to see able-bodied people being lazy.
So who is better? The ones who get away or the ones who keep going? Neither, because both are still failing to rest. Here’s why:
BUSINESS IS GOOD (Article) by Abidan Paul Shah
“Local business gives back.” “I like to support companies that give back.” “We feel that we need to give back to our community.” It seems that “giving back” is the new litmus test for being a good business. It is assumed that most businesses are basically bad because they only take from the people. Behind such thinking is the idea that deceiving people is the only way that businesses grow and their owners get rich. Hence, “giving back” is the moral way to come clean and make things right.
Is this really true? This article will help you understand the truth.