A Glimpse of the Kingdom by David W. Pendergrass, Ph.D.

Hello Dr. Pendergrass, I'm enjoying your tweets, articles and podcasts. Thank you! I have a question. How does one discern whether a happening is from God, fate, free choices/decisions, right time and place, etc. I know the assumption is whatever happens is God's will...but you go left..one thing happens...right the other thing happens. So sometimes it seems dependent on what one FEELS is right...? Ex:Was the chance meeting meant to be or just that...chance. I know we are to pray and trust and then things should seem clear but if they don't.... any suggestions?! Hello Friend, Thank you for the kind words! I'm so glad you're enjoying my material. I hope it helps you act like Jesus more. This is a great question. I have a few reflections: (1) The term, "fate," has gone through many changes in nuanced meaning throughout history. I assume you mean it in the sense of "destiny" or "predetermined actions or results." In t...

I have always been struck by Saul’s testimony of what he endured as a God-sent apostle of Jesus. In an effort to defend his apostleship in the face of certain persons at Corinth who claimed otherwise, Saul retorted that he was just as Jewish and Christian as any other leader. “22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one- I am talking like a madman- with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, throug...