If God Were Absent

25 January 202120 October 2022 ~ MD Harris Institute ~ Leave a comment

What does a nation look like when God is not there? Or at least when its people live like God is absent.

By Mark D. Harris

Events in the world and in America have taken a dark turn at many levels in 2021. The COVID epidemic rages on, though natural and vaccine-related herd immunity is increasing. Political divisions, riots, and even hatred, continue at levels unseen since the American Civil War. False accusations fly without regard for the truth and without considering different perspectives. People and organizations lock down to protect themselves at all costs, and sacrifice individuals regardless of prior contributions or future potential.

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Experiencing God in all things

8 July 201210 October 2023 ~ MD Harris Institute ~ Leave a comment

How do we experience God in misfortune and inconvenience? How do we experience Him in good fortune and ease? Experiencing God in all things.

By Mark D. Harris

While sailing on the Potomac in the shadow of Mount Vernon on the fourth of July we lost our engine. On the way out we had discussed whether we could dock under sail alone, having never done it in the narrow and shallow channel that leads to the Fort Belvoir Marina. Now we had our chance. We tacked into the wind and slowly sailed toward the marina. My mother in law Susan asked the children to pray for success. My son David questioned whether God cares about little things like that. Though the wind sailing south was against us, when we turned to starboard to sail into Dogue Creek, the quartering tailwind was perfect. As we approached the marina we dropped the main and moved in slowly with the jib. Much to my mother-in-law’s delight, we docked successfully. We recognized it as a work of God in our lives.

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Miracles in the Bible

halo effect in sky above bay and mountain valley

24 December 201112 October 2023 ~ MD Harris Institute ~ Leave a comment

What are miracles? Do miracles really happen? Read on to understand miracles in the Bible, the Holy Scriptures.

By Mark D. Harris

The presence of “miracles” in the Bible has been a source of difficulty to both Christians and non-Christians alike since the Renaissance (14^th to 17 centuries) and the Enlightenment (17^th to 18^th centuries), when some would say that medieval superstition gave way to a new birth of learning and culture and the age of reason. Science and technology grew with breathtaking speed in the past several centuries and the explanations of reality provided by science seemed to discredit the beliefs of earlier years. In our day, many have rejected belief in miracles and even the resurrection of Jesus Christ altogether. Some hold that religion and science are mutually contradictory and in permanent enmity, or at least that they have nothing to do with one another.

What is a miracle?

What is a miracle? Webster’s New World Dictionary, 2^nd College Edition defines a miracle as “an event or action that apparently contradicts known scientific laws and hence is thought to be due to supernatural causes, i.e. an act of God.