When God Feels Far Away

When God Feels Far Away – “It’s one of the most common experiences of the Christian life. God feels far away, like he’s hiding himself, or at least withholding his reviving presence. You feel destitute, dry, and desperate for a sense that he is still there, still listening, still caring.”

Don’t Resent God’s Training Ground

Don’t Resent God’s Training Ground – “How should we respond when clearly-directed paths are interrupted with seemingly counterproductive stall outs? To what can we cling when we find ourselves on a wilderness journey with no end in sight?”

4 Lessons from the Bronze Serpent

4 Lessons from the Bronze Serpent – “The book of Numbers contains the account of a strange event which took place during Israel’s time of wandering in the wilderness. It is most often referred to as Moses and the bronze serpent.”

7 False Teachers in the Church Today

7 False Teachers in the Church Today – “False teachers take on many forms, custom-crafted to times, cultures, and contexts. Here are seven of them you will find.”

10 Things To Know About the Lord’s Supper

10 Things To Know About the Lord’s Supper – Sam Storms offers 10 things you need to know about the Lord’s Supper (based on 1 Corinthians 11:23-34).

Three Trademarks of a Growing, Healthy Friendship

Three Trademarks of a Growing, Healthy Friendship – “We pursue friendship with joy because there is practical help offered to us in the Scriptures, divine grace available for our specific struggles, and beautiful blessings to experience when biblical friendship is realized!”

Why Healthy Couples Don't Ignore the Work

Why Healthy Couples Don't Ignore the Work – “The secret to making it last is effort ... a lot of it.”

Seven Resolutions for Aging and Dying Well

Seven Resolutions for Aging and Dying Well – “We could call these seven resolutions from God’s word and God’s grace for aging and getting ready to meet Jesus. Each of them is based on Psalm 71.”

Lord, Fill Me With Your Spirit

Lord, Fill Me With Your Spirit – “If we’re not disturbed by how little we can do in our own power, we’ll never be desperate enough to ask God for His.”

Is an America-First Doctrine Actually Biblical?

Is an America-First Doctrine Actually Biblical? – “Where does nationalism end and Christianity begin?” Some will agree and others disagree but the issues are worth considering.

Thirty Seconds Alone with God

Thirty Seconds Alone with God – “The span of our attention is of great concern to God. Long before the media age brought with it profound changes in how we reproduced and multiplied pages in the printing press, and long before breaking news (and fake news) buzzed and beeped on our smartphones, God was always concerned with our focus.”

The FAQs: President Trump’s Executive Order on Immigrants and Refugees

The FAQs: President Trump’s Executive Order on Immigrants and Refugees – Joe Carter provides clarity on what the order actually says and does. This is concise and very helpful.

Four Ways God Uses a Leader’s Suffering

Four Ways God Uses a Leader’s Suffering – Here are ways God uses our struggles and our sufferings to accomplish eternal purpose.

Present for the Gospel

Present for the Gospel – “Circumstances will not always bend to our needs, our comfort, or our well-being. And yet the call of God on our lives, free of demand for self-sustaining effort, will require us to be faithful. To stay. To be present for the gospel.”

How to Respond to the Refugee Crisis

How to Respond to the Refugee Crisis – David Platt weighs in with some things for believers to consider.

Christian Life Beyond the Quiet Time

Christian Life Beyond the Quiet Time – “There are plenty of approaches to spiritual formation that amount to teaching us how to row our own boat. Some put in us a sailboat, but have us blowing deep breaths into the sail. Consequently, many of us get really tired on the way to nowhere.”

False Teachers and Deadly Doctrines

False Teachers and Deadly Doctrines – “Never has it been more important for Christians to commit themselves to rejecting false doctrine and pursuing sound doctrine, to ensure they are following teachers of truth, not peddlers of error.”

Sorting Through the Aftermath of the Executive Order Heard Round the World

Sorting Through the Aftermath of the Executive Order Heard Round the World – My favorite quote in the article: “Our national discourse sure could use a heavy dose of this kind of wisdom. If Christians participating in this conversation can’t model it, then who will?”

Looking to the Future with Hope

Looking to the Future with Hope – “Whether it be for hope, for joy, for consolation, or for the inspiring of our love, the future must, after all, be the grand object of the eye of faith.”

Kindness that Comes Too Late

Kindness that Comes Too Late – “I’m sure I speak for other weary toilers when I say this: If my friends have alabaster jars of encouragement and affection that they intend to break over my dead body, I’d be grateful if they would bring them out on one of my weary days and open them then. I would rather have a coffin without a flower and a funeral without a eulogy than a life without the love and encouragement of friends.”

Compassion for Refugees, Immigrants, and Foreigners

Compassion for Refugees, Immigrants, and Foreigners – “Heavenly Father, no matter the nation into which we were born, we were in the far away land of sin and death when you rescued us, and brought us into the gracious country of your heart. We were foreigners to your mercies, strangers to your grace, and rebels to your kingdom...”

God Hates Pride

God Hates Pride – “Is there any trait more deceptive? Is there any vice easier to see in others, but harder to see in ourselves? We despise its presence in them, but defend its presence in us.” 

Why Complaining Is Killing Your Reputation at Work

Why Complaining Is Killing Your Reputation at Work – Forbes magazine offers a secular illustration of the principle taught in Philippians 2:14-16.

Financial Disciplines: Remember Your Marriage

Financial Disciplines: Remember Your Marriage – “Leaving a good financial legacy behind is worth striving for, but it’s far less valuable than the legacy of lifelong faithfulness. So learn to be content together.”

Imagine There’s a Heaven—It’s Easy If You Try

Imagine There’s a Heaven—It’s Easy If You Try – To think in heaven fits us for earth.

13 Ways You Waste Your Money

13 Ways You Waste  Your Money – We are called by God to be good stewards of our possessions. This list of helpful suggestions is worth exploring.

Does Fasting Even Matter Anymore?

Does Fasting Even Matter Anymore? -  A look at what we gain when we go without.

Pence at March for Life

Pence at March for Life -  Let This Movement Be Known for Compassion Not Confrontation

Outlive Your Life

Outlive Your Life – “What are things truly worth our limited time and concentrated focus, because they’re not going to be thrown onto the next pile of trash or tossed into the thrift store donation box? The Bible tells us about some weighty things that will last.”

4 Reasons to Soak Yourself in the Psalms

4 Reasons to Soak Yourself in the Psalms – “Let’s join with God’s people through the millennia and again learn to sing the songs of the Messiah.”

Unwinding the “Judge Not” Knot

Unwinding the “Judge Not” Knot – “Here are a few things to remember when confronted with this verse or a fragment thereof.”

Find Your Self-Esteem in Someone Else

Find Your Self-Esteem in Someone Else – “This is where we find the restoration of healthy self-esteem: in a glorious humility and defined and experienced in a God-designed organic community — a community in which we know God and know each other: the body of Christ.”

How to Have Comfortable Conversations about God

How to Have Comfortable Conversations about God – “God has built a message into our lives. Take some time and write down three things you’ve come to know about God. Your testimony of how you came to Christ might also be valuable, but learn to say it in 15 or 20 seconds.”

Can Loved Ones in Heaven Look Down on Me?

Can Loved Ones in Heaven Look Down on Me? – “If dead saints see you at all, they are cheering you on to look to Jesus.”

Make America Unified Again

Make America Unified Again – Three social divisions we must overcome.

Meet Generation Z

Meet Generation Z – Meet the “the youngest generation, the newest generation, Generation Z, which is categorized as all individuals born between 1995 and 2010.” What are the challenges in reaching them for Christ?

10 Bible Verses That Will Help You Get Through a Rough Patch

10 Bible Verses That Will Help You Get Through a Rough Patch - You *can* get through the rest of winter

What Is Friendship?

What Is Friendship? – This description from the Proverbs paints a clear picture.

Is Church Membership Really Necessary?

Is Church Membership Really Necessary? – “While we won’t find the phrase ‘church membership’ in Scripture, it summarizes certain relationships and commitments we’re called to in Scripture.”

Keeping Short Accounts

Keeping Short Accounts – Here is what it is and why it matters.

Pessimistic About the Future? You Need “Gospel Bearings”

Pessimistic About the Future? You Need “Gospel Bearings” – “An overly pessimistic view of the world leads to a defensive posture. A defensive posture leads to defensive decision-making. We start making decisions based on maintenance rather than mission. Holding on to what we have rather holds us back from moving forward in faith in the power of the gospel.”

Fake News

Fake News – “In some ways, it’s difficult to me to take the controversy seriously, mostly because the folks who sound angriest are the same who usually ‘help’ the Church celebrate Christmas by running cover stories like, ‘The Truth about Jesus that the Church Doesn’t Want You to Know,’ then presenting a mind-numbing rehash about the Gnostic gospels that everyone has known to be fake for the past, oh, 2,000 years.”

President Trump, Me, Nebuchadnezzar and Our Sovereign God

President Trump, Me, Nebuchadnezzar and Our Sovereign God – “Help me to trust your heart when I cannot see your hand at work. Forgive me for thinking I need to inform you about certain international crises and personal situations—as though you’re not aware, or worse, as though you don’t care. Thank you Father, for your kindness and patience, when I’m fearful and faithless, under-believing and over-stressing.”

The Threat of Joy In Ministry

The Threat of Joy In Ministry – “My experience confirms the need for this warning. Joy in ministry can easily supersede the joy of salvation. Doing for God is an often unrecognizable substitute for God Himself because it keeps us prayerful, in the Word, and excited about the kingdom.”

The Christian & Culture: Three Ways to Engage with Your Neighbor

The Christian & Culture: Three Ways to Engage with Your Neighbor – The Great Commandment and the Golden Rule make us better listeners.

Generosity Isn’t About How Much Money You Have

Generosity Isn’t About How Much Money You Have - You don't have to be rich to give.

How to Practice Christian Encouragement

How to Practice Christian Encouragement – “Christian encouragement is a command. But like the command to evangelize, we find it awkward to employ in everyday life. It doesn’t have to be awkward, though. As with any other skill, we get better with practice.”

Pray Something Big Before You Eat

Pray Something Big Before You Eat – “Psalm 104 models that kind of praying, connecting the dots between the simplest things in life, like our daily food, and the most enormous and complicated, like weather patterns, food chains, and galaxies — and connecting them all with God. When you pause to pray before a meal, pray something big.”

Rethinking the Definition of Humility

Rethinking the Definition of Humility – “Over the years, the definition of humility has undergone a gradual but nonetheless profound change.  Especially in the intellectual community.  In the modern day, humility has basically become synonymous with another word: uncertainty. To be uncertain is to be humble.  To be certain is to be arrogant.   Thus, the cardinal sin in the intellectual world is to claim to know anything for sure.”

4 Things to Remember When Thinking about the Curses in the Psalms

4 Things to Remember When Thinking about the Curses in the Psalms – These can be hard to understand, especially in light of the New Testament. Here’s some helpful guidelines.

Our God LOVES to Care for Us and Comfort Us

Our God LOVES to Care for Us and Comfort Us – “Thank you for anticipating every challenging situation before us today, for knowing every fear and uncertainty of our hearts, and for staying faithfully committed to nourish and flourish us.

Four Aromas God Loves Most

Four Aromas God Loves Most – “All throughout the Bible, certain scents seem to hold specific meanings for God. While some delight him, others, unfortunately, cause him to recoil.”

The America We Forgot

The America We Forgot – “Christians should oppose our polarized drift. We do so not simply when we think well, advocate for our neighbor, and vote. We do so when we act as if people who disagree with us are real human beings. We do so when we treat all people with dignity.”

Fear, Anxiety and the Power of Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

Fear, Anxiety and the Power of Self-Fulfilling Prophecies - How to make sure your fears don't paralyze your life.

5 Biblical Principles For Becoming A Better Friend

5 Biblical Principles For Becoming A Better Friend – “But no matter how many friends you have and how many moments you've shared, everyone reading this post shares one thing in common: we have never had, and have never been, a perfect friend.”

The Inviting Nature of Christianity

The Inviting Nature of Christianity – There is great power in a personal invitation to Christ or to attend church.

Words Matter: Recovering Godly Speech in a Culture of Profanity

Words Matter: Recovering Godly Speech in a Culture of Profanity – “Dear Christian, words matter. They have the power to build up and to tear down; to bless and to poison (c.f. James 3). Therefore, let us recover, cultivate, and model godly speech in our homes, schools, neighborhoods, communities, and churches.”

God Wants You to Get Some Sleep

God Wants You to Get Some Sleep – “Last year, the Centers for Disease Control declared sleep deprivation a public health problem, with 30 percent of adults getting fewer than six hours of sleep a night.”

Six Questions to Diagnose Subtle Gossip

Six Questions to Diagnose Subtle Gossip – Paula Hendricks writes, “As I asked God to change my heart and make me a more trustworthy friend, I set a few boundaries in place.”

Planned Parenthood’s Most Misleading Statistic

Planned Parenthood’s Most Misleading Statistic – “Since Planned Parenthood continues even today to spread this misleading statistic, it’s worth taking the time to explain yet again why it’s a blatant attempt to dupe the American people.”

Lay Aside the Weight of Insecurity

Lay Aside the Weight of Insecurity – “We’re all familiar with insecurity, but what’s making us feel this way — and how do we get free from it?”

Aging Brings Life-Shaping Decisions

Aging Brings Life-Shaping Decisions – “What are the choices we will have to make as we age? What choices will lead us to age well? What decisions do we need to make right now?”

The Value of Christian Protest

The Value of Christian Protest – “Prayer is an under-estimated resource for affecting social change. Therefore, prayer is a powerful form of protest for Christians and one that should be more regularly utilized.”

The Life-Changing Magic of Showing Up

The Life-Changing Magic of Showing Up – “We are obsessed with lifehacks and shortcuts today. Everywhere ads hit us with easy trick to grow our investments, to make dinner prep a breeze, to give us a toned body in seven minutes, to rack up credit card points. We’re tempted to believe that maybe, somehow, there’s a real shortcut there for Christian community and spiritual growth.”

When You’re Not On the Same Page, But In The Same Book

When You’re Not On the Same Page, But In The Same Book – In today’s political climate: “If the church is to be any sort of counter-cultural movement, if it is to have any effective witness to a watching, suspicious world, it better be able to model what it means to love someone who vehemently disagrees with you on a whole range of cultural and political matters.”

The Sanctity of Unwanted Life

The Sanctity of Unwanted Life – “Today marks the 44th anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision by the United States Supreme Court. Since that Monday, January 22, 1973, just under 60 million babies have been legally executed in our country. That’s roughly 3,000 little lives lost every single day.”

Pornography Is Never Harmless, Never Private, Never Safe

Pornography Is Never Harmless, Never Private, Never Safe – “In a recent article, Marshall Segal addresses the problem of pornography. He lays out these bullet points that summarize pornography’s devastating consequences.”

Is Your Conscience Captive to God?

Is Your Conscience Captive to God? – “Here is the supreme irony and tragedy of sin: the more we repeat our sins, the greater the guilt we incur, but the less sensitive we become to the pangs of guilt in our consciences.”

Greater Age Brings Greater Responsibility

Greater Age Brings Greater Responsibility – “One of the ways to diminish the sorrows and amplify the joys is to embrace the responsibility that comes with aging.”

Facts Are Our Friends: Why Sharing Fake News Makes Us Look Stupid and Harms Our Witness

Facts Are Our Friends: Why Sharing Fake News Makes Us Look Stupid and Harms Our Witness – Christians are supposed to be the people who think the “truth will set you free.”

In a Country Where Abortion is Illegal

In a Country Where Abortion is Illegal – “We tend to think that unjust things happen in third-world countries. But have you ever considered that the practices of your nation are shocking to someone in the third-world? I am not talking about just culture shock, but real moral outrage.”

Gerascophobia

Gerascophobia – “Are we gerascophobic—afraid of aging? So obsessed with youth that an ageing face, never mind aging itself, is increasingly viewed as a chemically treatable disease?”

When You’re in the Pit

When You’re in the Pit – “Joseph had dreams. Big, God-given dreams about ruling over his family, being exalted to a high position of respect and power. Dreams that made his brothers angry and jealous. So they tossed him in a pit.”

Investing Our Greatest Emotional Energy in Loving Jesus

Investing Our Greatest Emotional Energy in Loving Jesus – “May your love for us be the most enthralling, liberating, and compelling force in our lives—until the Day you return and we are made perfect in your love (1 Jn. 3:1-3). May your eternal kingdom, not our national fiefdom, seize our longings.”

Why You're Suffering

Why You're Suffering – “Rest assured, if you are a child of God, you will be no stranger to the rod. Sooner or later every bar of gold must pass through the fire.”

A Call to Faithfulness from Os Guinness

A Call to Faithfulness from Os Guinness -There is much to ponder here.

When You’re at Your Best, Plan for Your Worst

When You’re at Your Best, Plan for Your Worst – “There is a kind of weakness, a kind of vulnerability, that may come when we are convinced of our strength.”

Christians, Let’s Pray for President Trump

Christians, Let’s Pray for President Trump – “As Donald Trump takes office as the 45^th President of the United States, we should pray that his presidency is a great and good one. That prayer applies to all, whether someone voted for the current president or not.” Russell Moore shares, not as a fan but as one who opposed the Trump campaign.

Why It's Time to Take a Second Look at Our Christian Worldview in Light of Our New Political Climate

Why It's Time to Take a Second Look at Our Christian Worldview in Light of Our New Political Climate – “A Christian worldview embraces two things: the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.”

Should Christians ‘Disown’ Gay Sons and Daughters

Should Christians ‘Disown’ Gay Sons and Daughters – The article offers grace, truth, and wisdom.

What Does the Bible Say About Criticism?

What Does the Bible Say About Criticism? – “If criticism cannot be expressed in keeping with the fruit of the Spirit, it’s better left unsaid.”

9 Things You Should Know About the Health Effects of Marijuana

9 Things You Should Know About the Health Effects of Marijuana – “Last year the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a committee of experts to conduct a comprehensive review of the literature regarding the health effects of marijuana use. Here are nine things about the effects of marijuana you should know based on this report.”

Why I’m Thankful to Be An American Today

Why I’m Thankful to Be An American Today – “Living overseas as an adult has made me much more appreciative of America.  That's what I'm thinking about today, this very significant day in American history.” It’s a good perspective.

A New President and Our Eternal God

A New President and Our Eternal God – “Heavenly Father, today we begin a new presidency in the USA. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as conflicted on an inauguration day, and I’m sure I’ve never treasured this passage of Scripture more. You bid us pray for kings and rulers in high positions, precisely because the entire course of history is in your hands. Hallelujah!..”

How to Pray on Inauguration Day

How to Pray on Inauguration Day – “When we commit to praying for our leaders (whether or not we agree with them), God is pleased with us and is pleased to work in their hearts according to His will.”

3 Ways to Deepen Small Group Prayer

3 Ways to Deepen Small Group Prayer – “I’ve found three helpful ways to encourage members to offer requests involving personal, Scripture-centered, and sometimes even sensitive subjects.”

We Are Not the Home Team: Christians and Culture in 2017

We Are Not the Home Team: Christians and Culture in 2017 – “As Christians, we are not the home team, and until Christ’s return, we never will be.”

3 Principles to Communicate the Bible

3 Principles to Communicate the Bible – “Christians are communicators. While some Christians may be more or less gifted in communication, all Christians are “witnesses.” Since we have been born again into Christ and witness personally the power of the gospel, we are to bear witness of what we have seen and heard.”

What Mike Pence Didn’t Do

What Mike Pence Didn’t Do – “I can hardly believe that these religious freedom stories are so inaccurately portrayed in the press.”

Biblical Survey of God’s Kingdom

Biblical Survey of God’s Kingdom – “God reigns, and everyone, everything, every event, every matter, every thought is finally subject to his sovereignty.”

What the Bible Says About Not Being So Stressed Out

What the Bible Says About Not Being So Stressed Out - 'Stop worrying' is never that simple.

When God’s Sovereignty and Your Bad Day Meet

When God’s Sovereignty and Your Bad Day Meet – “A bad day doesn’t mean God’s hand is against you. It might be his way of showing he is for you.”

Exulting in the Shepherd

Exulting in the Shepherd – “I do not deny that there are many wonderful benefits for us, as God’s sheep, in this psalm, but we do not receive these benefits on the merit of being good sheep. We receive them on the merit of the Good Shepherd.”

Divine Words for Desperate Parents

Divine Words for Desperate Parents – “We need Scripture to puncture the pride that rises up in us when our child is doing well and we’re tempted to take the credit. And we need Scripture to save us from the despair that threatens to sink us when our child is floundering and we’re tempted to take all the blame.”

Faithfulness in the Age of Trump

Faithfulness in the Age of Trump – “So what will faithfulness in the Trump era look like? Here are four words of caution for believers today that should apply to you, no matter how you voted.”

But First Let Me…Fill in the Blank

But First Let Me…Fill in the Blank – “Jesus is putting his finger on the great spiritual scandal of Christianity: Without spiritual life from him, a person is dead. Even a living person. Especially a living person.”

Inherited Faith Is Dying. Chosen Faith Is Not.

Inherited Faith Is Dying. Chosen Faith Is Not. – “Inherited religion no longer maintains its hold on most people. This is why, overall, fewer people born into a church-connected family end up attending and belonging to those congregations. However, she noted (against all expectations) that new movements of Christian faith are growing in Western cities.” 

Dying to Self and Living for Christ

Dying to Self and Living for Christ – Why We Must Surrender and Sacrifice Daily in Order to Know Jesus More.

When the Beloved of God Are Hated By the World

When the Beloved of God Are Hated By the World – “This question cannot be answered sociologically. It must be answered theologically. It ultimately doesn’t matter what you and I may do. It ultimately doesn’t matter how much we may give or how sacrificially we may serve or how compassionately we may love.”

Breaking Down the Dividing Wall of Hostility

Breaking Down the Dividing Wall of Hostility – This pastor in India has some great lessons on Christian community in any culture.

What Is a Saint?

What Is a Saint? – “Biblically, a saint is a person who is trusting in Christ alone for the forgiveness of his sin and the salvation of his soul. This then results in a corresponding pursuit of holiness in life.”

With Greater Age Comes Greater Joy

With Greater Age Comes Greater Joy – “We have looked at five sorrows that come with aging and increase with aging. Now we turn to five joys to see that greater age brings greater joy.”

Help! My Teen Is Abandoning Christ

Help! My Teen Is Abandoning Christ – Here is a book recommendation, an article, and some helpful next steps.

Church, This is a Call for Familial Friendship

Church, This is a Call for Familial Friendship – “The cross is relentless in my life; it pursues and crucifies my claims on self-rule and self-glory. The gospel, because it is by nature sacrificial, requires my self-sacrifice.”

9 Myths about Abortion Rights and Roe v. Wade

9 Myths about Abortion Rights and Roe v. Wade – “Clarke Forsythe highlights a number of myths which led to the ruling in Roe–myths which, unfortunately, continue to be believed today.”

Theology Can Blind You to God

Theology Can Blind You to God – “Consider these six flags that our theology might be leading us away from him.”

Compassion Has 'Very Little Hope' for India, Sets Deadline to Shut Down Sponsorships

Compassion Has 'Very Little Hope' for India, Sets Deadline to Shut Down Sponsorships – About 145,000 children have already lost its assistance with food, education, and health care. Pray for God’s work in India.

How Much Blood Will Save My Soul?

How Much Blood Will Save My Soul? – “There’s a lot of confusion surrounding the place and meaning of the Old Testament sacrifices. So what did they mean? What did they accomplish? Three crystal clear answers are provided in Hebrews 10 verses 1-4.”

Church Is Supposed to Be Messy

Church Is Supposed to Be Messy - We should consider the church as a haven for messy people.

Lord, Increase My Capacity to Love

Lord, Increase My Capacity to Love – “Talking about the lack of Christian love mainly as an external problem places no personal, specific demands on me…So, the way I need to frame the question is this: Do people know I am Jesus’s disciple by the way I love others?”

How Prayer Affects Our Spiritual Formation

How Prayer Affects Our Spiritual Formation – Let’s make a strong effort to grow in prayer in 2017.

Congratulations on Surviving ‘Blue Monday’

Congratulations on Surviving ‘Blue Monday’ – A psychologist named Cliff Arnall christened the third Monday in January as “Blue Monday.” According to him, the weather, debt from the holidays, and broken New Year’s resolutions combined to make yesterday “the most depressing day of the year.” Except that it wasn’t. Psychologists say the formula Arnall used has been “effectively debunked” and tell us that “there is no such thing as the most depressing day of the year.”

With Greater Age Comes Greater Sorrow

With Greater Age Comes Greater Sorrow – “Though aging is not without its benefits, it is known first for its sorrows. We experience this sorrow because greater age brings greater exposure to sin and its consequences. As we pass through time, we see more and more of the sin that lies within our hearts.”

When Christians Act Like Mormons

When Christians Act Like Mormons – “We put on our best face. We ignore the difficult topics the Bible talks about and just focus on the love of Jesus. We focus on family as well, and on more happiness in this life and hope for the next. And as I think about the Mormon religion, I see three areas in particular where Christians are tempted to behave similarly.”

God Is Good, So Fight the Lies

God Is Good, So Fight the Lies – “When you’re confused, heartbroken, in pain, grieving, lonely, betrayed, disappointed, and angry, I wonder if this sneaking suspicion lurks in you. Has it spoken its lies, and have you believed them?”

10 Things You Should Know About Sanctification

10 Things You Should Know About Sanctification – “We all hear a great deal about Christian sanctification, but what precisely is it, and how does it work? Today we look at ten things about this crucial biblical truth.”

The Danger of Entertaining Lies

The Danger of Entertaining Lies – “What lies are you entertaining? How are you considering your weakness, needs and desires over considering the goodness and sufficiency of Christ in your life and ministry?”

What Martin Luther King’s Legacy Means for the Church

What Martin Luther King’s Legacy Means for the Church – “Today our country pauses to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. As we do so, we may ask ourselves: Why, especially in a time of so much racial tension, injustice, and strife, did Dr. King’s message resonate with so many?”

20 Questions to Expose Your Idolatry

20 Questions to Expose Your Idolatry – These questions are drawn from Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller. Ask yourself how you would complete this statement: “Life only has meaning/I only have worth if…

God Shouts to Us in Our Pain

God Shouts to Us in Our Pain – “As our pain shouts to a hurting world, may our lives always sing of the fact that God is glorious even when our circumstances are not.”

When You Feel Dead On The Inside

When You Feel Dead On The Inside – 10 Questions Every Struggling Christian Should Answer

November 8th Is Long Gone, So Where do Christians Find Themselves

November 8th Is Long Gone, So Where do Christians Find Themselves – “It is time for the Church to not be driven by a need for power, prestige, and influence. Actually, the Church on the margins has historically always been the place where God has done the most work.”

What do MLK Day and NFL Playoffs Have in Common?

What do MLK Day and NFL Playoffs Have in Common? – Jim Denison provides a helpful application for this day.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day – “Lord Jesus, remembering the work of Martin Luther King Jr. stirs my longings for the Day of your return, and everything that comes with that Day.”

Are You a Confirmation Bias Christian?

Are You a Confirmation Bias Christian? – “confirmation bias - The tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories. “All of our hearts are idol factories,” John Calvin once said. We are never not worshiping. But there is one big idol all our little manufactured idols themselves serve, and that idol is us. 

Teach Them: About Hell

Teach Them: About Hell – “Children need to be taught solid theology, yet some subjects are much more difficult to explain than others. This piece by Joel Beeke encourages parents to their children the doctrine of hell with truth and love.” 

One More Time? Three Ways to Worship in Repetition

One More Time? Three Ways to Worship in Repetition – “When we look to learn from the experience of believers in other cultures, we find that repeating lyrics does not necessarily involve mindlessness. Indeed, repetition in worship offers certain opportunities for mindfulness that are difficult to access in many of our word-heavy worship songs. Consider these three ways to engage your mind during a repetitive time of worship.”

Give Yourself to Prayer

Give Yourself to Prayer – “Prayer must not be our chance work, but our daily business, our habit and vocation.”

The Crisis and Process of Forgiving

The Crisis and Process of Forgiving – “Lord Jesus, both joy and knots shape my communion with you this morning. The joy is about the exhaustive forgiveness we have in you; the knots come from the costly implications of that same forgiveness…”

God Hates Hypocrisy

God Hates Hypocrisy – “Hypocrites want religion—even the Christian faith—only for the advantages they gain from it. They fail to truly turn their hearts to God and do good to God’s people.”

The Hot ‘New’ Church Growth Method

The Hot ‘New’ Church Growth Method – “A new study just unearthed a remarkable finding: conservative doctrine grows churches.” Owen Strachan explains why this matters.

Sustaining Fruitful Family Devotions in the New Year

Sustaining Fruitful Family Devotions in the New Year – “As we begin a new year, allow me to share three keys to sustaining fruitful family devotions: conviction, content, and course.”

6 Deadly Enemies of Marriage

6 Deadly Enemies of Marriage – “Here are 6 deadly enemies of marriage, and Christian marriage in particular.”

How Well Do You Know Your Hymns? (A Quiz)

How Well Do You Know Your Hymns? (A Quiz) – See how you do?

Gender as a Spectrum – Moral Chaos for Children

Gender as a Spectrum – Moral Chaos for Children – “According to National Geographic, gender identity and sexual orientation are fixed realities that are determined by children as they grow. The idea that humans are created male and female by God has been been discarded. The notion that gender can be determined at birth is also dismissed.”

Did Jesus Have a Sense of Humor?

Did Jesus Have a Sense of Humor? – “Jesus never laughed,” or so the pamphlet said. An adolescent boy at the time, I found myself laughing at every little thing—too often during church services. Reading that pamphlet I wondered, “So he never laughed? What was wrong with him?”

Four Reasons to Slow Down

Four Reasons to Slow Down – “Here are four reasons why we need to slow down and cultivate the spiritual fruit of patience, especially in the twenty-first century.”

Why Do We Give Up on Bible Reading?

Why Do We Give Up on Bible Reading? – “What do you do when your Bible reading seems insignificant or irrelevant?”

How to Enjoy a Less Stressful Year

How to Enjoy a Less Stressful Year – Regardless of our schedules, we choose our stress levels. Why not make choices that support less stress?

The Top 50 Countries Where It’s Hardest to Be a Christian

The Top 50 Countries Where It’s Hardest to Be a Christian – Christianity Today: “For the third year in a row, the modern persecution of Christians worldwide has hit another record high. But the primary cause, Islamic extremism, now has a rival: ethnic nationalism.”

Be a Parent Worthy of Honor

Be a Parent Worthy of Honor – “Children do not bear the full responsibility of the fifth commandment. If children are to extend honor to their parents, parents are to make it easy for them by living honorable lives.”

8 Important Things About the Young Timothy

8 Important Things About the Young Timothy – “The people God uses in the Bible are flawed. All of them are flawed. They come from sorted backgrounds and many exhibit major limitations. They are often frail in their faith, at least initially, and weak in many necessary skill sets. Despite all of this, God uses them mightily.”

Christian, Thrive on Daily Bible Intake

Christian, Thrive on Daily Bible Intake – “There’s a vast difference in swallowing a vitamin for an occasional energy pep and ingesting God’s Word as my very life.”

Parenting with a Big Gospel Picture

Parenting with a Big Gospel Picture – “Parents need to be reoriented from the inside out. And Tripp has 14 gospel principles to help this happen.”

How to Get Your Prayer To Work

How to Get Your Prayer To Work – “There are two fundamental reasons why you should pray. First of all, you should pray because the word of God commands it. Secondly, you should pray because it works!”

An Appeal to the Church to Resist ‘Death With Dignity’

An Appeal to the Church to Resist ‘Death With Dignity’ – Here are three good reasons why.

The Simple, Daily Cultivation of God-Consciousness

The Simple, Daily Cultivation of God-Consciousness – “Brother Lawrence (1614–1691) wrote The Practice of the Presence of God about his constant, conscious rehearsal of God’s presence. He saw his relationship with God not as a mountaintop experience that fades in memory as years pass but as a moment-by-moment lifestyle.”

Mommy, Daddy, and Their Precious Little Bundle of Data

Mommy, Daddy, and Their Precious Little Bundle of Data – This is an interesting look at how digital technology is creating more fear, stress, and difficulty in parenting. Balance is always a key.

3 Areas in Which Parents Must Persevere

3 Areas in Which Parents Must Persevere – “The hardest aspect of parenting is often not our lack of understanding, but our failure to persevere. As parents, what we need the most is go continue doing the little things every single day.”

4 Conclusions Concerning “God Is Love”

4 Conclusions Concerning “God Is Love” – “What does it mean that God is love? How do we know that this is true? What has He done to demonstrate it? And what does it mean for you and for me, as sinners?”

7 Ways Smartphones Can Enhance Your Spiritual Life

7 Ways Smartphones Can Enhance Your Spiritual Life – “Yet in watching out for the pitfalls of technology we should not overlook the ways that smartphones can be useful for spiritual formation. Here, for instance, are seven ways you can use your smartphone to enhance your spiritual life.”

Ten Reasons Taxpayers Should Defund Planned Parenthood

Ten Reasons Taxpayers Should Defund Planned Parenthood – “Here are ten reasons why every taxpayer should support congressional efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.”

Twenty-Six Reasons Why Genesis 1:1 Is the Most Offensive Verse in the Bible

Twenty-Six Reasons Why Genesis 1:1 Is the Most Offensive Verse in the Bible – “here are twenty-six reasons why Genesis 1:1 is the most offensive, enraging verse in the Bible to the modern mind.”

sixty-six books. one story. all about one name

sixty-six books. one story. all about one name. – Here is a short video and it’s an inspirational watch. The theme…there is no b.c. Jesus has always been.

Rely on Your Savior, Not a Resolution

Rely on Your Savior, Not a Resolution – “I’m skeptical of New Year's resolutions. Why? Because some days I don’t like being dependent on God, and a system of reform is an easy way back to self-sufficiency.”