The biblical story in Matthew Chapter 14 reminds us about the importance of having faith in Jesus Christ when the waters of life threaten to consume us. As Jesus walked on the lake to greet his disciples in their fishing boat, many were afraid they were seeing a ghost, but Peter knew it was Jesus and got out of the boat to walk on the water to Him. As long as Peter’s faith was strong, his footing on the water was firm, but when he got nervous and took his eye off Jesus, he began to sink. This true story reminds us to keep our eyes on Christ during times of doubt, and this is the topic of today’s blog, asking writers to give their opinions on what this biblical story means to them personally.
John Smith fell through the ice of Lake St. Louis over five years ago and spent 15 minutes submerged under its frozen surface, leaving him dead for over an hour. However, the power of hundreds of prayers produced a miracle as Smith was revived without explanation and fully recovered from the incident. Two firefighters involved in the rescue operation, Christopher Fay and Joseph Morrow, were firsthand witnesses to the events depicted in the movie “Breakthrough,” released in 2019.
Photo by Ashley Fay
Christopher Fay, a firefighter from the Lake St. Louis Fire Department, points to the spot on the lake where John Smith was located when rescue crews retrieved him from beneath the icy surface.
As we move into the Easter weekend, it’s also a time when Missouri Baptist University students are wrapping up final projects and preparing for final exams. Amid the stress that follows every college student this time of year, it’s an important opportunity to reflect on the true meaning of Easter, when Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose from the grave. Today’s blogs ask students to reflect on key questions they ponder at this most important time on the Christian calendar.
Sometimes it feels more like failure, sometimes it’s an opportunity to learn through the challenges that life ultimately brings. But one thing is certain, we will all go through periods of adversity in our lives. Today’s blog topic for MBU journalism students provides personal commentary into what we do in and through these difficult times. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.
Here are some interesting facts about MBU Timeline, the student newsmagazine of Missouri Baptist University, in St. Louis:
*Our mission statement is: MBU Timeline is the student news network of Missouri Baptist University, a private Christian university that embraces the essential core value of “social change through service and leadership.”
*The Bible verse that drives our mission is 2 Timothy 2:15 (Worldwide English Version): “Tell the true message in the right way.”
*The WordPress website has been up since late-fall 2013. We average about 3,000 sessions and about 5,000 pageviews per month.
*Our stories and galleries get as few as 40 or 50 hits, or as many as 8,000 hits.
*We have readers in every state and more than 90 countries around the world. We have several readers in South America, the United Kingdom, India and Australia.
*Most of our readers are in Missouri, followed by Illinois, California and Texas.
*We do not accept advertising as we are a not-for-profit online newsmagazine.
*We welcome contributors from all walks of MBU life, regardless of your major. Reach out to us on Twitter at: @mbutimeline.
Photo by Dylan White
