“One Anothers” I Can’t Find in the New Testament

“One Anothers” I Can’t Find in the New Testament – “The kind of God we really believe in is revealed in how we treat one another. The lovely gospel of Jesus positions us to treat one another like royalty, and every non-gospel positions us to treat one another like dirt  But we will follow through horizontally on whatever we really believe vertically.”

Mom, Your Work in the Home Matters to God

Mom, Your Work in the Home Matters to God – “We’re not all called to be radical in our vocations—often, small and ordinary acts of unnoticed faithfulness are moments in which the radical manifests itself.”

Sharing the Gospel at Work

Sharing the Gospel at Work – “My aim is to convince us that we can effectively speak the word of God into the workplace through three guiding principles: prayer, productivity, and platform. We must be people of deep and pervasive prayer, we must be people committed to productivity, and we must do both things to build a platform from which to speak.”

You Do Not Need to Understand Everything Now

You Do Not Need to Understand Everything Now – “When we run up against conundrums that show us the limits of our intellectual capacities, we don’t need to follow cynical doubts. But like Paul, our limits can lead us to awe-filled worship.”

We Don’t Have a Trust Problem in Our Marriage

We Don’t Have a Trust Problem in Our Marriage – “The world sees marriage as a basic co-habitation situation. You share a space, you share some laughs, but you still maintain your personal privacy. Any violation of that privacy is considered a weakness in you. You have trust issues. You are insecure. You are accusatory and probably need counseling.”

A Clean House and a Wasted Life

A Clean House and a Wasted Life – “Like so much else in this life, you cannot have it all. You cannot have perfect order and perfect productivity. Is a clean house proof of a wasted life? Not at all. But a tidy house isn’t necessarily evidence of a well-lived life.”

What Is The Bible And What Does It Tell Us?

What Is The Bible And What Does It Tell Us? – “What is the Bible and what’s it for? Until we are able to answer that question, it is not going to be all that useful to us just like those other keys on the keyboard weren’t all that useful to me.”

Let’s Try to Out Encourage One Another Today

Let’s Try to Out Encourage One Another Today – We need encouragement and we can all be encouragers to someone today.

The Three Myths of Cohabitation

The Three Myths of Cohabitation – “Sociologist Bradford Wilcox reports the surprising results of his new international study on cohabitation and its impact on kids.”

Guard Against Worldliness

Guard Against Worldliness – “The Bible has much to say about the world and its influence upon us. It has much to say about how we can and must refuse to be of the world, even while we live in the world.”

Listen More, Speak Less to Help After Tragedies Like the Deadly Texas Church Bus Accident

Listen More, Speak Less to Help After Tragedies Like the Deadly Texas Church Bus Accident – “Listening will speak more deeply to survivors than any words you might say.”

As We Empty Ourselves for God, He Will Fill Us

As We Empty Ourselves for God, He Will Fill Us – Here is a brief devotional thought on the story of the widow giving all she had at the temple.

How to Listen to a Sermon

How to Listen to a Sermon – “How can we fully engage, listen, and respond to the sermon from start to finish? What can the listener do to get the most out of every sermon?”

Suffering Opens a Door for the Gospel

Suffering Opens a Door for the Gospel – “Whatever expression it takes, all persecution is stoked by our public identity with Christ, a point Christ himself reiterates to his followers. They will all suffer for His name.”

4 Reasons Your Work Matters Today

4 Reasons Your Work Matters Today – “Does our work matter regardless of what our position is? To that end, I can see at least four reasons why your work matters today, whether you’re a plumber, a preacher, a stay-at-home mom or a go-to-the-office dad.”

How to Build a Healthy Accountability Group

How to Build a Healthy Accountability Group – Here are some simple and wise suggestions.

Always Ask What They Mean by “God”

Always Ask What They Mean by “God” – “It is my experience that many people don’t believe in God because they have the wrong conception of God. In fact, the god that they don’t believe in, I don’t believe in either. Their conception of God is really a caricature of God. As a result, they end up rejecting a straw man.”

8 Lies to Reject in Overcoming Lust and Pornography

8 Lies to Reject in Overcoming Lust and Pornography – The brief list and commentary are worth consideration.

We’ve Lost Our Vocabulary of Wonder About Heaven

We’ve Lost Our Vocabulary of Wonder About Heaven – “By losing our vocabulary of wonder, I mean that we’ve come to think of Heaven as utterly immaterial and non-physical, a home suited for body-less angels, not real people. Floating in clouds while strumming harps isn’t anybody’s idea of a great time.”

No Spin on Sin

No Spin on Sin – “The danger of this is that it produces a culture where sin is not really a big deal. It’s just a necessary part of life that we need to deal with. Like a man with a limp we just keep moving along with our spiritual handicap.”

Is your “Check Engine” Light On?

Is your “Check Engine” Light On? – “Our cars have warning lights that we can look up in our owner’s manual. But what do the ‘warning lights’ look like for men? What are the danger signs that our present pace may prematurely end our race?”

The Unexpected Temptation in Spiritual Maturity

The Unexpected Temptation in Spiritual Maturity – “A new temptation arose in the subtle shift from learner to teacher, one I didn't foresee.”

You Might Be a Pharisee If . . .

You Might Be a Pharisee If . . . – “The odds are good that someone, somewhere, at some point has called you a Pharisee. The odds are even better that you’ve slapped that label on someone else.” Here’s what it really does and does not mean.

Don’t Let Me Give Way to Despair

Don’t Let Me Give Way to Despair – “So how do we fight back? When there doesn’t seem to be a way out of our situation, how do we process it? How do we apply God’s truth to it? How do we pray about it?”

5 Marks of a Servant Leader

5 Marks of a Servant Leader – “No earthly Christian leader is the perfect incarnation of these five fundamental marks of servanthood. Jesus alone bears that distinction.”

5 Types of Gossiping People

5 Types of Gossiping People – “Gossip is believing the ancient lie that we can attempt to play God by destroying others with the power of our words.”

Did Jesus Ever Experience Doubt?

Did Jesus Ever Experience Doubt? – Denny Burk answers a recent article in the New York Times where the author finds comfort in the fact that Jesus at times experienced doubt.

What the Law-Keeper Cries to the Gospel-Lover

What the Law-Keeper Cries to the Gospel-Lover – “It is simple enough to look at other people’s religious observances and stand in judgment. But we would be remiss if we did not look for ourselves here. Even Christians are prone to hedge ourselves around with rules. It’s as if grace is so foreign a concept to us that we simply cannot or will not believe it, and instead flee back to the law.”

The Urgency of Ministry

The Urgency of Ministry – “On the day Jesus returns, many will be ashamed because of laziness and procrastination. But let us each strive to live in such a way that we will not be ashamed when Jesus returns.”

5 Christian Clichés that Need to Die

5 Christian Clichés that Need to Die – “While the heart behind these five mantras is often genuine, they are all unhelpful for one overriding reason: they are unbiblical.”

God Does Not Answer “Selfie” Prayers!

God Does Not Answer “Selfie” Prayers! – “God does not answer prayers that are motivated by selfish ambition, misplaced priorities, or worldly passions.”

10 Things You Should Know about Fasting

10 Things You Should Know about Fasting – Here are ten fundamental truths about fasting.

The Bible Commands Christians to Tithe

The Bible Commands Christians to Tithe – “My argument, in a nutshell, is this: The requirement to tithe preceded the Mosaic law, was codified in it with ceremonial aspects added, and was affirmed by Jesus as binding on his followers.”

What is Worse? Removing from Scripture or Adding to Scripture?

What is Worse? Removing from Scripture or Adding to Scripture? – “I was asked why all modern translations “omit” Matt 18:11. “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost” (KJV). The form of the question betrays the basic problem, that people think modern translations omit verses rather than other translations add verses.”

Our Definition Of Ministry Is Too Limited

Our Definition Of Ministry Is Too Limited – How would you define ministry?

10 Lessons on Parenting Little Ones

10 Lessons on Parenting Little Ones – Here are some key things to consider as you parent young children.

The Particular Temptations of Young Men

The Particular Temptations of Young Men – “Young men have it tough. In so many ways, this world seems to have been custom-crafted to take advantage of their weaknesses, their flaws, their immaturities. Solomon lamented this in his day.”

Confronting the Lies when Suffering Leaves You Lonely

Confronting the Lies when Suffering Leaves You Lonely – “Many roads of suffering are incredibly lonely ones.”

Simon Gathercole on the Historical Reliability of the Geography in the Gospels

Simon Gathercole on the Historical Reliability of the Geography in the Gospels – Here’s one for you biblical scholars. Again, the Bible is trustworthy.

When You Feel Forgotten, Abandoned, and Unloved

When You Feel Forgotten, Abandoned, and Unloved – “You need to know God has not forgotten you. And he has not forsaken you.”

Trusting God Enough To Lament

Trusting God Enough To Lament – Psalms teach us to pour out our sorrows to God. David Gundersen writes about the posture we need to come to God with our lamentations. 

Is My Desire Sour?

Is My Desire Sour? – “When milk is sour we pour it down the sink and wash it away. What do we do with our soured desires? We confess them. We pour out our hearts to Christ, lean on his mercy, trust in his righteousness, and beg him to change our hearts.”

Peter’s Message to Politically Panicked Christians

Peter’s Message to Politically Panicked Christians: Talk About Something Else.

Staying Grateful When Life Is Messy

Staying Grateful When Life Is Messy – “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess. 5:18, ESV)

My Joy in the Desert

My Joy in the Desert – “For most of us, the single greatest threat to our faith in God and his promises has been the miles we have walked in the desert. Suffering is the proving ground for what we believe.” 

How to Pray All Day

How to Pray All Day – “Pray without ceasing,” Paul says. Simple words, but a seemingly impossible challenge. How can you be expected to pray all the time?

The One Great, Heart-Liberating, Hope-Fueling Constant in Our Lives

The One Great, Heart-Liberating, Hope-Fueling Constant in Our Lives – “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Is It Against the Law to Love Illegals?

Is It Against the Law to Love Illegals? – “We can get so caught up in the fact that illegal immigrants are our neighbors that we forget that illegal immigrants are our neighbors.”

4 Pieces of Advice for Stressed Out Christians

4 Pieces of Advice for Stressed Out Christians – David Murray shares some helpful wisdom.

Grieving the Loss of Dreams

Grieving the Loss of Dreams – “Your circumstances are different, but maybe you’re life is also at a point so low, a place where every dream has been lost. Don’t settle for clinging to ashes. Turn with your lost dreams to Jesus.”

9 Things That Are Still Great About Facebook

9 Things That Are Still Great About Facebook – “With all of its problems, Facebook still has a lot going for it, and I for one am not willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

The Key to Spiritual Fruitfulness

The Key to Spiritual Fruitfulness – “When God saves our soul he doesn’t intend for us to just coast to Glory. Jesus didn’t go to the cross to simply purchase our ticket to Paradise. For the rest of our days, God calls us to bear spiritual fruit.” 

Marriage: God’s Good Idea?

Marriage: God’s Good Idea? – Many who think about marriage and family wonder if the idea came from the jungle story, “Me Tarzan, you Jane; come with me to live in my tree house.”

8 Steps to Christian Maturity

8 Steps to Christian Maturity – “We move specific people from the darkness of sin to the light of Christ.”

Drowning in a Drop of Water

Drowning in a Drop of Water – “When you read that God ‘is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine’ (Ephesians 3:20 NIV), what does ‘immeasurably more’ bring to mind? How big is your imagination for the ‘immeasurable’? A peek inside a water drop just might explode your previous conceptions.”

When You’ve Got a Bramble for a King

When You’ve Got a Bramble for a King – “We cry out for a king, and Jesus answers the call. For all who will trust him, he is eternal provision, everlasting security, and infinite favor. He is the vine (John 15:5); all else is bramble.”

The Intellectual in Canada Who Unmasked Political Idolatry in America

The Intellectual in Canada Who Unmasked Political Idolatry in America – Here are four political idols.

Five Reasons to Rejoice in Persecution

Five Reasons to Rejoice in Persecution – “Though the burdens we bear are light compared to what some others have had to carry, they are burdens nonetheless. I was recently studying 1 Peter 4 and found 5 reasons that we can and should rejoice even now when we are persecuted, or even in that day when we face much greater persecution.”

8 Ways God Works Suffering for Our Good

8 Ways God Works Suffering for Our Good – “Suffering never comes our way apart from the purpose and providence of God and for that reason, suffering is always significant, never meaningless. Here are some ways that God brings good from our suffering.”

The God Who Broke My Heart

The God Who Broke My Heart – “Historically, God deals with those he loves by breaking them.”

Sharing the Gospel with People Who Aren’t Thinking about Death or Eternity

Sharing the Gospel with People Who Aren’t Thinking about Death or Eternity – How do we witness to people who don’t think about heaven and aren’t fearful of hell?

Do Not Be Anxious About Tomorrow

Do Not Be Anxious About Tomorrow – “When we are not fully present, we also can easily miss out on hearing from God. We may cry out for his guidance, but if we are overthinking what is to come, our minds become clouded and our ears stopped. Being at peace today makes us open to what he wants to reveal to us today.”

The Number One Killer of Productivity

The Number One Killer of Productivity – While the challenges exist among multiple generations, those who grew up with a cell phone are greatly challenged. Here are some suggestions for helping others manage their phones well.

6 Truths about Forgiveness

6 Truths about Forgiveness – ““Over and over again in the New Testament, Christians are reminded that God has forgiven all their sins through Christ’s death. And time and again, too, Christians are commanded to forgive.” 

A Prayer for When the Pain Returns

A Prayer for When the Pain Returns – Whatever the source or nature of the pain, here are some biblical expressions in prayer to address the pain.

8 Ways God Turns Temptations to Blessings

8 Ways God Turns Temptations to Blessings – “Here are eight ways God brings good from temptation.”

Is My Desire Sour?

Is My Desire Sour? – “The question we face on a daily basis is not whether or not we have desires, but how to discern when they drift from hopeful longings to become covetousness and entitled attitudes.”

Suffering and Singing

 Suffering and Singing – “Singing to the Lord is a significant means of ministering to our own souls in times of suffering. That’s one reason why we are so drawn to the Psalms.”

Trusting Each Other on the Winding Mountain Roads of Life

Trusting Each Other on the Winding Mountain Roads of Life – “It doesn’t take long in marriage to figure out that we are leading each other into all kinds of things, good and bad. 

The Gathering Storm: Religious Liberty in the Wake of the Sexual Revolution

The Gathering Storm: Religious Liberty in the Wake of the Sexual Revolution – “Religious liberty simply evaporates as a fundamental right grounded in the U.S. Constitution, and recedes into the background in the wake of what is now a higher social commitment—sexual freedom.”

Investing This Brief Important Life

Investing This Brief Important Life – “Father...We’re more like a brief mist than an aging oak. Only you know how many hairs and days we have left. So, in light of the gospel, what should we spend more time doing?”

Making the Wisest Use of Our Time

Making the Wisest Use of Our Time – “If you and I are honest, we must admit that nothing is so easy to do as waste time, nothing is easier than simply coasting through the Christian life w/o the intentional pursuit of Christ.”

30 Day Infusions to Be Better Followers of Christ

30 Day Infusions to Be Better Followers of Christ – 30 days and four essential practices.

The Expectation of Fasting

The Expectation of Fasting – “Fasting is like waiting for a wedding. Better yet, fasting is like the bride longing for the wedding and bringing it more quickly by that longing. It is asking the lover of your soul to come and make a holy visitation.”

3 Things Teachers Wish Parents Knew

3 Things Teachers Wish Parents Knew – “Unfortunately, it’s easy to take teachers for granted. We busy parents are thankful someone educates our kids in the same way we’re thankful the dishwasher cleans our dishes. It’s one less thing we have to do. But teachers do much more than just educate our children. They influence them.”

Preaching About Race

Preaching About Race – This is about more than preaching. It’s about living the gospel in our broken world. 

Death Is a Doorway to Paradise

Death Is a Doorway to Paradise – “Followers of Jesus have had the sting of death removed. Death has become a doorway to fullest life we can know.”

Tale As Old As Time

Tale As Old As Time – “The gospel is the ultimate ‘tale as old as time’ because we get God. It is God that is the prize, and when we are with Him, everything really is going to be fine.”

9 Things You Should Know About Neil Gorsuch and Supreme Court Confirmations

9 Things You Should Know About Neil Gorsuch and Supreme Court Confirmations – “President Trump’s nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, is scheduled to start his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee today.”

Why I Love the Psalms

Why I Love the Psalms – “The Psalms were more even than a way to express their joys and sorrows to God in God’s own words. The Psalter explained the life they lived in relation both to the wicked who opposed them and to the God who sustained them. As the people of God, they lived in the Psalms.”

We Can’t Microwave People into Maturity

We Can’t Microwave People into Maturity – “It takes time. It takes patience. It takes persistence. It takes prayer.”

10 Ways to Strengthen the Partnership between Home and Church

10 Ways to Strengthen the Partnership between Home and Church – “If you’re a parent, here are a few practical ways for you to take advantage of the partnership with the church in helping your child grow spiritually.”

Rejoice! We Worship a God We Can’t Control

Rejoice! We Worship a God We Can’t Control – “A safe god, a safe Jesus, isn’t one worth our time. A safe god is one we can control, usually by trying to make it happy in some way. And a god we can control isn’t a true god at all, but an idol.” 

Lord, Tune My Heart for Worship

Lord, Tune My Heart for Worship – “Weekly worship calls us back into a story with the emotional highs and lows of sin and salvation, so we all need to recalibrate.”

Don’t Waste Your Life

Don’t Waste Your Life – “One of the great tragedies of American culture is the way billions of dollars are invested to persuade people my age to waste the rest of their lives.”

45 Years of Marriage: What I’ve Learned

45 Years of Marriage: What I’ve Learned – Here are some helpful insights on marriage.

How God Uses Average People

How God Uses Average People – “The truth is that, on our own, we are in inadequate. In every way. On our own, we are disqualified from being used by God. Thankfully, it’s not about who we are. It’s only about who God is.”

Why Christians Don’t Love the World

Why Christians Don’t Love the World – “As Christians, all of us have felt the sting of losing brethren to the world.”

Teach Teens Discernment

Teach Teens Discernment – “Discernment is simply the ability to define and act upon the difference between right and wrong, or, as Charles Spurgeon said, between ‘right and almost right.’”

CANCER: “My Diagnosis Led Me to Worship God”

CANCER: “My Diagnosis Led Me to Worship God” – “Now years later and cancer free, I celebrate that the Lord is a continued song in my heart.”

Eight Steps to Christian Maturity

Eight Steps to Christian Maturity – “We move specific people from the darkness of sin to the light of Christ.”

Church Membership and Prescriptive Implication

Church Membership and Prescriptive Implication – This is a good article on how church membership is implied, even if not explicitly mandated, within the pages of the Bible.

10 Things You Should Know about St. Patrick

10 Things You Should Know about St. Patrick – Good to know.

Pray Your Way Out of Worry

Pray Your Way Out of Worry – “Worry is sin. Most of us probably don’t believe that. And even if we do, it can seem near impossible to quit worrying. For some of us, it seems like a normal part of life.”

Solomon’s Twitter Guidelines

Solomon’s Twitter Guidelines – Here are words of wisdom on our communications from the Proverbs.

Can Christians Marry Non-Christians?

Can Christians Marry Non-Christians? – “It’s far better to live without a spouse and within the company of the church, than with someone who is living for a life that’s not eternal.”

Weary Mom, Come to Me

Weary Mom, Come to Me – “Motherhood is hard. Can I get an amen?”

He Is My Own Son

He Is My Own Son – A beautiful adoption testimony.

3 Principles to Maximize Your Lifetime Impact

3 Principles to Maximize Your Lifetime Impact – “There are three principles that continue to challenge me to pursue the future aggressively and with hopeful optimism.”

The Devil Knows How to Discourage You

The Devil Knows How to Discourage You – “This principle seems to hold true in nearly every area of life: The most satisfying joys we experience are realized mainly through adversity and struggle, while poor, unhealthy, thin joys can be had without much effort. Fulfilling joys usually require strenuous pursuit.”

The Best Definition of Gossip

The Best Definition of Gossip – “Sinful gossip is bearing bad news behind someone’s back out of a bad heart.”

Overplayed: A Parent’s Guide to Sanity in the World of Youth Sports

Overplayed: A Parent’s Guide to Sanity in the World of Youth Sports – I just finished this book. It’s a tough issue for families and particularly Christian families. It might be helpful.

2 Good Reasons to Say "Amen" Today

2 Good Reasons to Say "Amen" Today – “It’s the word by which we signal our passionate agreement with what has been said, and our determination to go out from that moment of reading or worship into the world to live out what has been expressed.”

So I Quit Drinking

So I Quit Drinking – This post isn’t legalistic. The author does walk down the path of discussion with eyes and heart open as she shares her journey. From my pastoral care chair, it’s worth a read.

Why You Most Certainly Will Fail to Reach Your Secular Friends

Why You Most Certainly Will Fail to Reach Your Secular Friends – Many have never been given a single reason as to why God is relevant to their lives.

Francis Chan – Stop Idolizing Family

Francis Chan – Stop Idolizing Family – “Chan says that after many Christians get married they place Christ’s mission on the back burner, spending their days in the bubble of relationships, children and the comfort of security.” This may be offensive and may be true.

The Surprising Power of Little Things

The Surprising Power of Little Things – “Lately I’ve been struck by the power of little things. The single comment that colors your entire day. The chance encounter that opens up a new opportunity at work. The random thought that blossoms into a year-long project.”

How to Help Teens Through Emotional Times

How to Help Teens Through Emotional Times – “Not only are adults divided over our nation’s politics right now, expressing volatile emotions, but our kids are navigating extreme emotions at a high level. Students often find it difficult to negotiate the alarming amount of information streaming at them, to navigate the connections they’ve made on social media and the pressure they feel academically.”

We Have Not Even Heard That There Is a Holy Spirit

We Have Not Even Heard That There Is a Holy Spirit – Here is an application of scripture that applies to a lot of areas.

Do You Trust Disney with Your Kids?

Do You Trust Disney with Your Kids? – This is more about practical parenting than a movie: “Disney’s agenda may or may not come as a shock to us, but it should come as a timely reminder that we cannot relegate the work of teaching our children to Disney or Pixar, to Dora or Sesame Street.”

We Have Lost the Sense of God

We Have Lost the Sense of God – “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of this earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.”

What is the Best Way to Make Disciples?

What is the Best Way to Make Disciples? – “If somebody is helping someone else grow in their love for Jesus and His Word, it does not matter whether it is done in an auditorium, classroom, or coffee shop.”

The Day of Trouble

The Day of Trouble – “Few Christians go through the whole of their Christian lives without experiencing a time of trouble. Some, like our beloved brethren in foreign countries where it is forbidden to practice Christianity, have never known a time of peace and freedom from danger. Some who have enjoyed years of blessing under the hand of God are suddenly hit by a time of trouble.”

The Secret to Job Satisfaction

The Secret to Job Satisfaction – “Here are three ways we can glorify God in our job, whether we are working the dream, or dreading our work.”

You Are Not The Story!

You Are Not The Story! – Whether we teach, preach, or share this message is applicable.

Parents: Get Off Your Phone

Parents: Get Off Your Phone – “If we have any hope of raising a young adult who’s not addicted to their phone, we must model that behavior first.”

Are You a Scoffer?

Are You a Scoffer? – Here’s how the Bible defines it. You may be “scoffing” more than you realized.

Good Churchmanship

Good Churchmanship - What does it look like to be a faithful member of a church.

C. A. S. H.

C. A. S. H. – “Think biblically about money, wealth, and possessions—to keep Christ at the center of our relationship to material things. To direct your thinking, I will use the acronym C.A.S.H.”

Giving to the Poor When There’s Risk of Waste

Giving to the Poor When There’s Risk of Waste – Randy Alcorn says, “the solution is not to give less, but to give carefully and wisely while still giving generously.”

Praying to Walk Right

Praying to Walk Right – “You must choose the right path. However, choosing the right path does not mean you are free to walk carelessly.”

Can’t Say “No”

Can’t Say “No” – Ed Welch answers the question, “How would you help a woman who can’t seem to say “no”?

Can Christians Marry Non-Christians?

Can Christians Marry Non-Christians? – “I want to make the point that it is a matter of obedience to God not to pursue a relationship with a non-believer. I’m going to try and make it as clear as I can that however it feels, those feelings are temptations to call right that which God calls wrong; those feelings are not accompanied by any affirmation from God.”

Healthy Rhythms

Healthy Rhythms – “God is a God of order not of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33), and, as his image-bearers, we flourish when our lives reflect God’s orderliness.”

Making Real Friendships In The Church

Making Real Friendships In The Church – “The hard and necessary work of reconciliation, peace-making, relational perseverance and loving the unlovely is not something we generally gravitate on our own … we need the inconvenient and costly demands of congregational living to shape that kind of love.”

Repenting of Impatience and Being in a Hurry

Repenting of Impatience and Being in a Hurry – “Thank you for being patient with my impatience. I lament my busyness and repent of my hurriedness. Help me recalibrate that I might love at the pace of grace—even this very Monday.”

Church or Football?

Church or Football? – This plea is written specifically for Zambian Christians, but it applies equally to Christians from other nations who love other sports.

Jesus is a Straight Shooter

Jesus is a Straight Shooter – “What Jesus first says to the paralyzed man presented before him tells us that there are far worse things than being paralyzed all your life. And there are far better things than being healthy all your life.”

Complaining Never Wins the Culture

Complaining Never Wins the Culture – “Grumbling about this cultural moment usually leaves us wistful for another. But we will never be faithful in the present as long as we are yearning for the past.”

The Pareto Principle for Churches

The Pareto Principle for Churches – “Give 20% of your time to the problems and 80% of your time to the fruitful and the faithful.”

5 Reasons You Should Read Missionary Biographies

5 Reasons You Should Read Missionary Biographies – “Here are a five specific reasons why reading missionary biographies is wise and helpful to gain needed counsel from those who went before.”

Jesus Did Not Die for ‘Comfortable’

Jesus Did Not Die for ‘Comfortable’ – “The world and the ruler of this world want you to believe this lie. Convenience — the worldly pursuit of ease — has become the Enemy’s battle cry (or, better yet, whisper) in the war for our modern souls. Satan’s strategy has morphed from direct opposition to subtle enticement.”

The Indelible Ink of Grace

The Indelible Ink of Grace – “Our names are written with the indelible ink of God’s grace, No eraser can remove our name from the only book, roll, or record that really matters.”

Nothing is Neutral

Nothing is Neutral – “No neutralities can exist in religion. We are either ranked under the banner of Prince Immanuel, to serve and fight his battles, or we are vassals of the black prince, Satan.”

For When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong

For When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong – Jason Ho explains the benefits of physical weakness.

3 Questions to Consider Before You Share

3 Questions to Consider Before You Share – “How we speak reflects how we love. And be assured, the world is listening. Before you share your opinion, whether online or in a conversation, here are three questions to consider.”

Hope for Lonely People

Hope for Lonely People – “Hope sometimes proves elusive when we experience tough times. We tend to feel that our situation will never improve. But hope will get us through the darkest times. Hope is what keeps us from being overwhelmed by sorrow.”

Embrace the Life God Has Given You

Embrace the Life God Has Given You – There is a two-minute clip on grief or you can read the transcript.

Don’t Pretend to Know the Future

Don’t Pretend to Know the Future – “There will be opposition to those who shine the light of Christ in the face of an unredeemed world. Our mission, whatever the cultural trends, is Christ’s commission: to take courage and proclaim God’s gospel, for the sake of all nations, for God’s glory.”

The High Cost of Free Porn

The High Cost of Free Porn – “Whenever pornography is allowed to persist in a church, it will always leave her weaker. But Jesus, praise God, is stronger than pornography.”

Lay Aside the Weight of Discouragement

Lay Aside the Weight of Discouragement – “Discouragement is not as powerful as it feels. We can defeat it if we confront it.”

Making Connections with Scattered People

Making Connections with Scattered People – “May we Christians be known for our love of our neighbors, and may we welcome scattered peoples in Jesus’ name.”

Were Adam and Eve Real People?

Were Adam and Eve Real People? – “Listen to Albert Mohler and Bryan Chapell discuss the importance of Adam to our understanding of humanity, our world, and salvation, as well as the ‘field and fences’ of what should be considered consistent with Scripture.”

Cheap Grace Is No Grace At All

Cheap Grace Is No Grace At All – “Grace doesn’t merely forgive sin. It conquers it.”

Unshackled

Unshackled – This is a review of Lies We Believe About God, the latest book from the author of The Shack, WM. Paul Young. It points out again the many ways Young’s view of his “god” is far from the Go in the Bible.

Wise Technological Parenting

Wise Technological Parenting – “It is the apex of foolishness for parents to allow their children to have free and unaccountable access to technology– smart phones, tablets, iPods, computers, etc.” Indeed. Here are some guidelines parents may do well to consider.

Practical Advice on Parenting TOGETHER

Practical Advice on Parenting TOGETHER – “Parenting is no easy task. That’s probably one of the many reasons God designed it to be done together —with both parents involved.”

The Pursuit of Quiet

The Pursuit of Quiet – “So practically speaking, how can we pursue quiet? The kind of quiet that displays our strength, hope, and wisdom is rooted in Christ.”

Yes, You Can Please Your Heavenly Father

Yes, You Can Please Your Heavenly Father – “Over and over, more than a dozen times in the New Testament, we have this motivation. We ought to be generous. We ought to be godly. We ought to love and live a certain way because it pleases God.”

10 Ways Disappointment Can Strengthen Your Faith

10 Ways Disappointment Can Strengthen Your Faith – “Disappointment exercises our faith.”

Why Christians Should Care About Ideas

Why Christians Should Care About Ideas – “The Bible consistently presents a Christian view of the world. Along the way, the biblical authors interacted with and contradicted unbiblical worldviews. We ought to be skilled in doing the same.”

Confrontational Love

Confrontational Love – “What if we decided to go against the grain of culture and saw the sensibility and compassion in Jesus’ approach? What if we trusted that his methods for dealing with sin were better than the world’s?”

Helping Our Daughters To Be Sexually Pure

Helping Our Daughters To Be Sexually Pure – Mike Leake writes: “Well, it looks the Bible messed up my game plan once again.” 

On Malachi and Religious Ritualism

On Malachi and Religious Ritualism – “The priests thought that simply going through the motions of religious sacrifice would be sufficient to please Yahweh and avert his wrath, but such was not the case.”

What Christianity in China Is Really Like

What Christianity in China Is Really Like – “The harvest is still plentiful, and the workers are still few. In fact, the workers seem fewer than they did a decade ago.”

5 Reasons You Desperately Need Your Bible

5 Reasons You Desperately Need Your Bible – “Here are five reasons that you desperately need the Bible, as illustrated in the book of Ruth.”

Stop Calling Everything Hate

Stop Calling Everything Hate – “It has always been used to describe an extreme, passionate dislike for another person. But suddenly it is being used to describe simple disagreement, especially when that disagreement is with society’s prevailing opinions and agendas.” \

4 Ways to Pray

 4 Ways to Pray – Here are some good reminders from Philippians 4:6-7.