Do You Know the 7 Differences Between Galilee and Judea in the Time of Jesus?

Do You Know the 7 Differences Between Galilee and Judea in the Time of Jesus? – This brief summary explains well the key differences between the regions.

Envy Never Hunts Our Hearts Alone

Envy Never Hunts Our Hearts Alone – “Envy travels in a bloodthirsty group of sins that desires to drain the joy in your heart until it’s bone dry.”

What to Pray When You Don’t Feel Like Praying

What to Pray When You Don’t Feel Like Praying – Here are some suggestions to get you unstuck.

Why God allowed Hurricane Harvey

Why God allowed Hurricane Harvey – Here are four wrong answers to the question.

God’s Subtle Work in Your Bible Reading

God’s Subtle Work in Your Bible Reading – “I may not remember the circumstances in my life when I underlined the verse or wrote an observation next to it, but my heart sings with a sanctified reflex.”

The Spiritual Discipline of Face Time

The Spiritual Discipline of Face Time – “Out of sight, out of mind,” has no place in the mission of God.

Precious Clarity on Human Sexuality: The Nashville Statement

Precious Clarity on Human Sexuality: The Nashville Statement – In a world of mixed messages and ambiguity, this is a clear, biblical statement.

5 Things God Is Teaching Us through Miscarriage

5 Things God Is Teaching Us through Miscarriage – This personal testimony has multiple applications.

When You Can’t Hear God, Keep Talking to Him

When You Can’t Hear God, Keep Talking to Him – “Our world is filled with sin and suffering, the kind of pain and darkness that creeps into every single heart and life. There’s no way around it. Following Jesus will rescue us from a thousand evils, but it will not keep us from getting hurt in this life.”

A Back to School Prayer – There’s a lot of good to be found in this prayer encouragement.

A Back to School Prayer – There’s a lot of good to be found in this prayer encouragement.– There’s a lot of good to be found in this prayer encouragement.

‘We hear you, we feel you. Believe me’

‘We hear you, we feel you. Believe me’ – “While police officers, 911 operators, and disaster relief workers have been saving lives in Houston for days, some may wonder where God has been as this disaster unfolded. What would our Lord say to those devastated by this unprecedented crisis?”

Praying in the Middle of a Storm

Praying in the Middle of a Storm – A Houston pastor tells how you can pray for his city.

Hurricane Harvey & Our Response to Pray and Help

Hurricane Harvey & Our Response to Pray and Help – Here are some practical ways you can help right now.

Finish Strong

Finish Strong – “You will need to plan the ways you will run today so you can continue to run in the difficult days ahead. Far better a weak start with a strong finish than a strong start followed by a complete collapse. No runner regrets finishing too strong, but many regret finishing too weak.”

Neighbor Love in Response to Harvey’s Ongoing Impact

Neighbor Love in Response to Harvey’s Ongoing Impact – “The devastation from Harvey is both widespread and deep. Many have already lost homes, businesses and schools, and the storm continues to rage. Hear our cry for mercy and prepare us for loving well.”

From the Flooded Grounds of Houston

From the Flooded Grounds of Houston – Pastor J.A. Medders checks in from the flooded grounds of Houston. “While the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) anticipates years of relief work, the church of the risen Lord Jesus is ready for her work, too.”

The North Star for a Weary Heart

The North Star for a Weary Heart – Jen Oshman reflects on Romans 12:12 and describes how this verse gives hope to the grieving. 

Sunday Worship Begins on Saturday

Sunday Worship Begins on Saturday – “Going to church can sadly become just another weekend activity. But should corporate worship be different? How should we prepare our hearts for the weekly gathering of God’s people? Here are a few suggestions.”

Bible Verses Prosperity Preachers Wish Didn’t Exist

Bible Verses Prosperity Preachers Wish Didn’t Exist – “They also choose to ignore the many biblical passages warning against the detrimental effects of wealth—and especially love for wealth. You never hear prosperity preachers mention such verses. It’s as if their Bibles are missing them.”

Six Situations That Aren’t Signs That Your Child Isn’t Saved

Six Situations That Aren’t Signs That Your Child Isn’t Saved – “Now to be clear, all of these traits could be visible in an unsaved child, but they are not strong indicators of a lack of salvation.”

Parenting Perfection and What Our Kids Need Most

Parenting Perfection and What Our Kids Need Most – “They need a greater good work than we can offer them; a good work of the heart that comes from the Holy Spirit.”

Lift the Heavy Burden of Shame

Lift the Heavy Burden of Shame – “We want to lift burdens and inspire hope, but we lack the skill. So how do we speak to shame? What can churches do to become a place where families can heal and prodigals can return? Here are four thoughts.”

Church... Love It or Leave It?

Church... Love It or Leave It? – “At her best and her worst, Jesus loves his church,” writes Scott Sauls. We need the local church, and Sauls gives 5 reasons why. 

Out of the Depths I Cry to You

Out of the Depths I Cry to You – “As Christians, we delight in our salvation through Jesus’s sacrifice, but depression swallows up our very capacity to delight. The gospel may ring familiar, but we fear that grace has withered away, and that God has withdrawn from our reach.”

21 Things I Learned Living with Teenagers

21 Things I Learned Living with Teenagers – This is a fun read.

3 ABNY Social Realities Shaping North American Missions

3 ABNY Social Realities Shaping North American Missions – The New Testament Church was birthed in the messiness of a religiously pluralistic society.

20 Practical Ways to Kill Sin Every Day

20 Practical Ways to Kill Sin Every Day – The battle comes daily. Here are way to prevail.

How Can I Forgive Myself?

How Can I Forgive Myself? – “The most faithful response to this question is to reject it as an illegitimate question.”

Why North Koreans are rejecting Kim Jong-un and turning to Christ

 Why North Koreans are rejecting Kim Jong-un and turning to Christ –  Here’s a bright spot in a couple weeks of bad news!

How Worship Helps Me Overcome Anxiety

How Worship Helps Me Overcome Anxiety – “Worship, I have discovered, is that special space where I open up to the Father and receive His peace—the kind of supernatural peace that Paul talks about in Philippians 4. Here’s why worship has become my antidote to moments of anxiety.”

Putting God to the Test in Prayer

Putting God to the Test in Prayer – What does your prayer life look like when trouble comes?

Millennial Motherhood: Three Traps for Young Moms

Millennial Motherhood: Three Traps for Young Moms – “Much of what’s true of every generation throughout all time is true of millennials. We are just people. Yet, just like every other generation, we have some particular tendencies, challenges, strengths, and weaknesses that result from the time, place, and society into which we were born.”

Treasure Your Marriage

Treasure Your Marriage – Here are some good marriage reflections and encouragements for couples.

Enough Joy and Peace for Today

Enough Joy and Peace for Today – Whatever you face today, joy and peace are two gifts God offers to you as a believer.

How to Talk About Race with Your Kids

How to Talk About Race with Your Kids – “Children naturally notice differences—and that is a good thing.”

A Guide to Navigating Really Hard Conversations

A Guide to Navigating Really Hard Conversations – “We all have room to grow in this arena, so here are a few tips I’ve learned on how to have hard conversations.”

Don't Forget About The Boy

Don't Forget About The Boy – “No one knew that after this moment, every man, woman, and child who trusted in Jesus and read the Bible would know this boy, know exactly what was in his basket that day, and know how Jesus used him to make the point of points about his identity.”

The Root of Idolatry

The Root of Idolatry – “The root of idolatry, whether subtle or blatant, disguised or on display for all the world to see, is unbelief.”

The Litmus Test of True Religion

The Litmus Test of True Religion – “Jesus Christ is the litmus paper that you put in the chemical of every religion.” 

Marriage is as One Long Conversation

Marriage is as One Long Conversation – The old philosopher said, “Marriage is as one long conversation. When marrying you should ask yourself this question: do you believe you are going to enjoy talking with this woman into your old age? Everything else in a marriage is transitory, but most of the time you're together will be devoted to conversation.” 

4 Key Ingredients in a Devotional Reading of Scripture

4 Key Ingredients in a Devotional Reading of Scripture – “Here is a fourfold pattern of Scripture intake to help us avoid treating Scripture as an object, so that we can receive it as the living Word of a living Lord.”

What Good Can a Heretic Bring?

What Good Can a Heretic Bring? – “Downgrade, as Spurgeon called it, is an insidious assault by the enemy, but like all the enemy’s work God will use it for good.  In what follow I list five benefits of heresy.  I’m sure there are more.  But here are five.”

Talk to God About Your Anxiety

Talk to God About Your Anxiety – “Your anxieties talk to you. Don’t talk back to them. Talk to God.”

Why Are Our Children So Anxious?

Why Are Our Children So Anxious? – Unpacking the reasons behind childhood and adolescent anxiety—and the hope we find in the gospel.

Tempted To Worry? Call These 4 Words To Mind

Tempted To Worry? Call These 4 Words To Mind – This feels too simple but it is a powerful biblical message.

The Anxiety Beneath All Your Anxieties

The Anxiety Beneath All Your Anxieties – “The modern world allows us to outsource dealing with death to someone else.”

What My Anxiety Taught Me About God

What My Anxiety Taught Me About God – “It is not in the Lord’s nature to send us through trials in vain. He can use our struggles to draw us closer to Him. Such is the case with my anxiety.”

Do You Read the Bible Like a Nonbeliever?

Do You Read the Bible Like a Nonbeliever? – “The most basic prayer we can pray about reading the Bible is that God would give us the desire to read this book. Not just the will — that would be next best — but the desire.”

Four Frameworks for Fighting Fear

Four Frameworks for Fighting Fear – “The Bible presents us with four unique frameworks for confronting fear.”

One More Time on Game of Thrones

One More Time on Game of Thrones – Kevin DeYoung wrote about the popular series earlier and received a huge response from fans. This is his response to that. It’s worth considering.

9 Things You Should Know About Solar Eclipses

9 Things You Should Know About Solar Eclipses – Here are some facts and some spiritual applications.

Getting Bored With the Right Things

Getting Bored With the Right Things – “As the disciples agonized, Jesus slept. Later, in Gethsemane, as Jesus agonized, the disciples slept. What gives?”

Ask Him for Joy

Ask Him for Joy – “The fact that we now have access to the very throne of God is incredible, and should be for us a source of much joy. What else could bring us greater joy than a new, intimate relationship with God himself?”

Satan Has A Forked Tongue

Satan Has A Forked Tongue – "Satan has a forked tongue. He speaks with two voices, not one. He’s the tempter and the accuser. He’s licentious and legalistic. He provokes us to shame and to pride. And just when you think you’ve resisted one, the other grabs you from behind."

10 Common but Illegitimate Reasons to Divorce

10 Common but Illegitimate Reasons to Divorce – “God has provided a limited set of circumstances in which a marriage can legitimately be severed. However, many people—even Christians—offer reasons to divorce that are not sanctioned by God.”

A Surprising Ingredient in Christian Contentment

A Surprising Ingredient in Christian Contentment – “An essential ingredient of contentment is a robust doctrine of sin.”

You Need the Gospel Every Single Day

You Need the Gospel Every Single Day – The Gospel is precious for salvation and precious for whatever every day holds.

Don’t Waste Your Commute

Don’t Waste Your Commute – This is time that can count for the Lord if you use it well.

Why the Gospel Is a Mirror, Not a Microscope

Why the Gospel Is a Mirror, Not a Microscope – There is always a temptation to use the Gospel as a microscope to examine what’s wrong with others. It’s much more a mirror to examine ourselves.

When Spouses Attend Different Churches

When Spouses Attend Different Churches – It’s not uncommon and it always affects marriage. Here are some ideas and encouragements for you or someone who know.

When Feeling Angry and Anxious in a World of Evil

When Feeling Angry and Anxious in a World of Evil – Scotty Smith offers a prayer for such times in such a world.

King David’s Mission Statement

King David’s Mission Statement – “Let’s consider the priorities of this king, as revealed in Psalm 101.”

Lay Aside the Weight of Insincerity

Lay Aside the Weight of Insincerity – “Put your trust in what God says, not what your pride and fear say. Pride and fear will shackle you with weights, but God’s promises, if believed, will liberate you.”

Football: America’s Leading False god

Football: America’s Leading False god – The principles of the article apply to anything we elevate above God in our affections and commitments.

The 8 Beliefs You Should Know about Mormons When They Knock at the Door

The 8 Beliefs You Should Know about Mormons When They Knock at the Door – It’s good to be prepared.

The 11 Beliefs You Should Know about Jehovah’s Witnesses When They Knock at the Door

The 11 Beliefs You Should Know about Jehovah’s Witnesses When They Knock at the Door – It’s good to be prepared.

4 Bible Reading Strategies for Reading Plan Quitters

4 Bible Reading Strategies for Reading Plan Quitters – “If you struggle like I do, here is the advice that I would offer– change it up. Instead of choosing one Bible reading plan, choose a strategy for reading the Bible and then change what you are doing when you find yourself getting stale. After all, what matters is not that we are sticking to a plan, but that we are reading the Bible and being changed by it.”

A New Set of Priorities for Our Kids

A New Set of Priorities for Our Kids – “We must intentionally teach our children the skills and character traits they’ll need to thrive in college and beyond. We must teach them about their need for three things in particular: passion, humility, and trust in a sovereign God.”

Fellow College Students, Please Join a Local Church

Fellow College Students, Please Join a Local Church – Here are four biblical reasons college students should join a local church where they’re currently living. 

4 Money Principles for Millennials

4 Money Principles for Millennials – Millennials want to change the world. They’re passionate about living lives of purpose and meaning. Unfortunately, they’re often prevented from pursuing their passions because of vast loads of financial debt.

Easy Lies to Believe

Easy Lies to Believe – “I’d like to take a stab at naming and disarming several lies often spoken to us through social media, especially in understanding the world around us. In naming these lies, I’m not necessarily advocating giving up on #facetagramsnaptweeting, but encouraging us to wise, careful and limited use.”

Your Marriage Is Not a Mistake

Your Marriage Is Not a Mistake – If you or someone you know is considering giving up...if you think that maybe marriage isn’t worth fighting for...here is a good word from God’s word.

Does the Church Need a Startup Mentality?

Does the Church Need a Startup Mentality? – “The Church doesn’t just need entrepreneurs; the Church needs stick-with-iters. We don’t need more sharks in the Shark Tank. We need fishers of men, willing to do the ongoing and often unglamourous work of investing in the kingdom over the long haul.”

celand’s Future: Clear, Bright and Cold

Iceland’s Future: Clear, Bright and Cold – “The elimination of something is completely different to the elimination of someone in order for that something to itself be eliminated. That’s the language gymnastics of all totalitarianism, whether Left or Right.  What kind of society do we want to live in?  You might not get the choice!”

Why Does It Take An Eclipse To Get Us To Look Up to the Heavens?

Why Does It Take An Eclipse To Get Us To Look Up to the Heavens? – “Let's not wait until the next eclipse to stop and pause and wonder. Look up to the heavens, and then look further up, until you find joy in the God who enjoys His handiwork.”

Three Ways God Uses the Prayers of His People

Three Ways God Uses the Prayers of His People – “Whether your prayer requests have been long in the making, or you’ve identified a fresh need just today, here’s one reality you can cling to: God uses the prayers of his people.”

Full Assurance, Eager Anticipation

Full Assurance, Eager Anticipation – What makes the Second Coming of Christ so attractive and what should we do until then?

4 Ways to Confront Your Own Biases

4 Ways to Confront Your Own Biases – They are built into us. We don’t even realize they are filtering for us. It’s important to shine light on them.

Sunday is End-Times Warfare

Sunday is End-Times Warfare – “Sunday worship is war. But our King has won.”

Don’t Check Your Baggage: Why We Never Leave Our Past Behind

Don’t Check Your Baggage: Why We Never Leave Our Past Behind – “Someone you know — someone struggling with the same sins you once committed against God — needs to hear what God has done for you.”

Race, the Gospel, and the Moment

Race, the Gospel, and the Moment – “How should Christians, and especially those with an Anglo-white background, respond to last weekend’s alt-right gathering in Charlottesville and its tragic aftermath?  Three brief things need to be said.”

What Now in Charlottesville?

What Now in Charlottesville? – “This is Charlottesville, but it isn’t just Charlottesville. This is your town, too. Many are praying for our city, and we are grateful. But don’t miss this: Charlottesville is a mirror to your own cities. Let it be. Don’t move on without acknowledging that racial sin exists, even thrives. Pray for your own cities when you pray for Charlottesville.”

Shining Divine Light in the Darkest Places

Shining Divine Light in the Darkest Places – If you don’t know the story of Corrie Ten Boom or would like to be reminded and encouraged by it, here is a brief historical summary.

Never Give In, Never Make Peace

Never Give In, Never Make Peace – “War is not a metaphor for the spiritual reality we experience; it’s what it is.”

10 Things You Should Know about Repentance

10 Things You Should Know about Repentance – “Repentance is a massively important spiritual issue that calls for careful study and clear articulation. Here are ten things to remember about what it means to repent of our sin.”

The Gospel Is More Than Just Forgiveness

The Gospel Is More Than Just Forgiveness – “The gospel exists to remove barriers between you and God — the enjoyment of God, the delight in God. It’s not just to relieve your conscience and get you out of hell.”

Letter from Berlin: The Lessons of History and the Heresy of Racial Superiority

Letter from Berlin: The Lessons of History and the Heresy of Racial Superiority – Al Mohler writes, “But Christians must see much more than the lessons of history, though we dare not miss them. We must see claims of racial superiority–and mainly that means claims of white superiority–as heresy.”

10 Reasons Racism is Offensive to God

10 Reasons Racism is Offensive to God – Here are ten biblical reasons why racism is a sin and offensive to God.

4 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Teach Your Kids to be Colorblind

4 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Teach Your Kids to be Colorblind – Trillia Newbell proposes that children shouldn't be taught to ignore color, but to celebrate it and become colorsmart. She writes that though sin builds divides within races, the gospel is for all people of all colors. 

True Friends in a World of Online Acquaintances

True Friends in a World of Online Acquaintances – Through a reading of Colossians, the author walks through the kind of friends the Apostle Paul had and cherished.

Why You Don’t Read Your Bible (and How to Start)

Why You Don’t Read Your Bible (and How to Start) – This time of year has a lot in common with January. It’s a good time to start some new good habits.

12 Basic Principles for Faith and Work

12 Basic Principles for Faith and Work – Here is a basic theology of work.

A Few Thoughts on Healing

A Few Thoughts on Healing – “Not everybody gets healed in Mark’s Gospel. Jesus is cautious, selective and even, sometimes, unwilling. That leads me to my second question: who gets healed and why?”

Weakness and Wonder: How to Worship Like a Child

Weakness and Wonder: How to Worship Like a Child – “This Sunday, notice the children around you at church for more than their bright smiles and tiny outfits. See their authenticity, their imitation, and their sense of wonder, and ask God to teach you how to worship him like a child.”

Decluttering

Decluttering – “The older I get, the less storage space there is, and I don’t want to finish my journey into eternity overloaded and under-filed. So, Lord, help me declutter and re-treasure you.”

Where to Bring Your Broken Heart

Where to Bring Your Broken Heart – “In a world where sin infects and impacts all things, it is impossible for believers to make it through without hearts that break. But we have a God who is not silent at such times.”

Breaking News: Science Disproves the Bible

Breaking News: Science Disproves the Bible – These “scientific studies” show up regularly with broad claims. Most major news services carried this one recently. Even a casual Bible reader could show its flaws. You can read the story here.

Be Nice – Be Kind in Marriage

Be Nice – Be Kind in Marriage – Why is it that we can be kind to everyone else that enters into our home, but we aren’t as kind to our own spouse?

How to Stay in When It’s Hard: Making Disciples in Difficult Places

How to Stay in When It’s Hard: Making Disciples in Difficult Places – “As we seek to follow Jesus into a hard place, we must go with a deep humility, admitting that our knowledge of our heart is limited, trusting him to lead and sustain us wherever we go — and stay.”

9 Things You Should Know About Alcohol Abuse in America

9 Things You Should Know About Alcohol Abuse in America – Is it a problem in America? The facts say it is. So does my pastoral experience.

The Eternal Shore: Five Things We Forget About Heaven

The Eternal Shore: Five Things We Forget About Heaven – “Think of these as qualities we often forget about heaven — parts of the shoreline most likely to be overlooked.”

To Our Kids On the First Day of School

To Our Kids On the First Day of School – “Here we go – another summer behind you, another school year ahead. Some of you are excited and can’t wait to get back to the classroom. Others of you … not so much. Either way, here are five things your mom and I want you to remember.”

5 Pitfalls to Avoid When Preaching on the End Times

5 Pitfalls to Avoid When Preaching on the End Times – “When we preach from Daniel, Revelation, the Olivet Discourse, the “man of sin,” or other prophetic passages, here are a few pitfalls to avoid.”

God Will Bring You Through: Finding Strength for the Storms You Face

God Will Bring You Through: Finding Strength for the Storms You Face – “How do we weather seasons in life when friends are far away, fair havens have faded from the horizon, we are storm-tossed at sea, and everything we need has been stripped away?”

Helping People Rediscover Joy in Trials

Helping People Rediscover Joy in Trials – “How do you help believers overwhelmed by a whirlwind of trials benefit from what the New Testament writers have to say about joy?”

Patriotism and the Church: Is It Too Much to Ask Churches to Be Careful?

Patriotism and the Church: Is It Too Much to Ask Churches to Be Careful? – Anything that replaces the worship of God is idolatry.

Dear College Freshman: 5 Ways to Stay Strong in the Lord – Most of these would be true for most people most of the time.

Dear College Freshman: 5 Ways to Stay Strong in the Lord – Most of these would be true for most people most of the time.

The Canon of Scripture: Why It Is Trustworthy and True – “Join me in using this brief article to kick start your study of why Christians believe the canon was divinely authored and therefore is completely trustworthy.”

The Canon of Scripture: Why It Is Trustworthy and True – “Join me in using this brief article to kick start your study of why Christians believe the canon was divinely authored and therefore is completely trustworthy.”

Jesus Christ vs Christ Jesus

Jesus Christ vs Christ Jesus – Both terms are used in the Bible. Is there a difference between them? The answer here is provided by one of my favorite “Bible questions” sites.

How Suffering Can Change You for the Better

How Suffering Can Change You for the Better – “If the gospel is the fuel for inner change, then suffering is the uphill road we travel on. Suffering exercises our faith muscles, and exercise makes muscles grow stronger even as sometimes they feel weaker.”

Retirement Homes and Caring for Aging Parents

Retirement Homes and Caring for Aging Parents – “Are we ready to make sacrifices for our parents? Or are we resentful that they are a burden? That’s the real test.”

Seeing and Preaching the Gospel of Jesus in Jonah

Seeing and Preaching the Gospel of Jesus in Jonah – “Next time you read (or preach) Jonah, don't simply see some irrelevant story of a guy who disobeyed God, but see the story of God's relentless plan to redeem his people, found only in Jesus.”

Do You Regret Your Dating History?

Do You Regret Your Dating History? – “Do you regret your dating history? 62% of Christians say yes. Crossway recently surveyed seven thousand readers about singleness and dating.”

Learning to Talk about Disability

Learning to Talk about Disability – “As a Church, we still have a lot to do, learn, and talk about when it comes to disability. Learning the right language can help us communicate effectively and be more hospitable and welcoming to people with disabilities.”

The Unfailing Love of the Good Shepherd

The Unfailing Love of the Good Shepherd – We need more than knowing these encouraging truths. Are you living in relationship to the Shepherd?

Anxious Over Stuff You Can’t Control?

Anxious Over Stuff You Can’t Control? – God’s word says that you’re wasting your life.

Being People of Truth in a World of Fake News

Being People of Truth in a World of Fake News – Use common sense, desire discernment, and cultivate accountability.

The Most Neglected and Least Modeled Spiritual Gift

The Most Neglected and Least Modeled Spiritual Gift – “In Romans 12, Paul lists seven spiritual gifts, including prophecy, serving, teaching, mercy, and giving. I’m convinced that of all these gifts, giving is the one least thought about and talked about in the Western church, and perhaps in the entire world.”

Three Surprising Ways Bible Reading with My Kids Has Changed Me

Three Surprising Ways Bible Reading with My Kids Has Changed Me – Engaging with God’s word touches us on multiple levels. Here are three good ones.

Four Plumblines to Parent with Grace

Four Plumblines to Parent with Grace – What does it mean to be a gospel-centered parent? 

God's Plan for Marriage and How Culture Has Missed the Mark

God's Plan for Marriage and How Culture Has Missed the Mark – Here is a biblical vision for marriage that will take you beyond the shallow expressions of our culture.

It’s Time for Personal Retreat with Jesus

It’s Time for Personal Retreat with Jesus – As we prepare to move into this new season of the year, it’s a good time to spend focused time with Jesus.

70 Prompts for Praising God

70 Prompts for Praising God – Sometimes in our prayer life, praise is the hardest to engage. Here are some prompts for praising the Lord.

Four Things God Cannot Do

Four Things God Cannot Do – The key issue in this list is that God cannot deny His character.

Jesus Never Ends

Jesus Never Ends – As I prepare to speak from 1 Corinthians 13 this Sunday on the spiritual fruit of love, this meditation rings true.

8 Tips to Help You Disciple Your Kids

8 Tips to Help You Disciple Your Kids – The true goal of Christian parenting is discipleship. Here are some good reminders.

10 Issues To Work Through Before You Get Married

10 Issues To Work Through Before You Get Married – Here are some good questions to consider when considering marriage.

Reading God’s Handwriting

Reading God’s Handwriting – “Reading God’s providences is like reading God’s sentences. Ah, but these sentences aren’t typed like scripture—fixed and clear in its wording. Nor are these sentences like the brush strokes of creation. These sentences are in God’s handwriting. Handwriting in a journal, in a live book.”

A Fresh Supply of God’s Beyond-All-Understanding Peace

A Fresh Supply of God’s Beyond-All-Understanding Peace – “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need” (Philippians 4:6).

Prayer Walking With Your Spouse

Prayer Walking With Your Spouse – Walking together and praying—what a great idea! It is good exercise AND it improves your spiritual life together.

Guys Need Bros

Guys Need Bros – “American men are facing a health epidemic. It’s not smoking or obesity. It’s not heart disease. No, the greatest health issue facing American men today is loneliness and isolation.”

What Should Evangelicals Think About the Shroud of Turin?

What Should Evangelicals Think About the Shroud of Turin? – “So is it is a genuine relic or a fake? The mountains of evidence on both sides are too monumental to consider in detail, so let’s look at three broad views taken by modern evangelicals.”

Texting and Driving Is Not Loving Your Neighbor

Texting and Driving Is Not Loving Your Neighbor – “As Christians, putting the phone down and focusing on the road follows the gospel imperative to love your neighbor as yourself. Every car on the road is operated by a man or woman created in God’s image who has an eternal destiny.”

Ten Difficult, But Really Important Words

Ten Difficult, But Really Important Words – “Many words in the English language are hard to get out. In fact, there’s even a Dictionary of Difficult Words. But none are more difficult than these: “I’m sorry. I was wrong. Will you please forgive me?”

Hope in the Darkness of Mental Illness

Hope in the Darkness of Mental Illness – “Here are four descriptors of a good comforter: a witness who sees us when we’re stricken; an advocate who defends us when we’re abandoned; an intercessor who prays for us when our prayers have run dry; a friend who hopes for us when we no longer have hope for ourselves.”

Pursuing Peace

Pursuing Peace – “We live in a world that is marked by upheaval in every sector.  From never-ending unrest between political groups to volatile world economies and markets, to sudden and frightening acts of terror at home and abroad, average men and women seek some place of stability and security.  I often ask my counselees what they want most in life. Invariably most of them identify peace as something they most desire, but for some reason can never seem to discover.”

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear – Receive the love of God so freely given.

3 Lines in the Sand

3 Lines in the Sand – “All three of these lines in the sand are drawn in the opening two chapters of the Bible. God makes it clear that He created us, that He created male and female, and that He designed marriage to be between a man and a woman. Those three foundational truths are clear. All three are rejected today.”

Sexuality: God Creates, the World Corrupts

Sexuality: God Creates, the World Corrupts – “Here is a phrase I often use when I teach young people about sex: God creates; the world corrupts. God creates food; the world corrupts the use of food. God creates relationships; the world corrupts and uses relationships in ways that were never intended. God creates sex and sexuality; the world corrupts it and turns it into something it was never meant to be.”

Is Polyamory Next?

 Is Polyamory Next? – “On its own terms, the logic of the same-sex marriage movement inexorably leads to the embrace of polyamory and, even, the removal of legal sanctions against incestuous marriages.”

7 Reasons God Commands Us To Sing To Him

7 Reasons God Commands Us To Sing To Him – There are some great biblical reasons to sing to the Lord.

Do All Religions Lead to God?

Do All Religions Lead to God? – “Any religion that does not embrace, worship, and obey Jesus as he is revealed in the Bible is a false religion.”

Faith That Affects Our Children

Faith That Affects Our Children – “If you sense God is calling you to make a move or to step out in faith, or even if you do not sense that at all, seek to be the kind of parents who live your life of faith on display for your children to see. Your example, good or bad, is always shaping them.”

Do You Pray Like an Atheist?

Do You Pray Like an Atheist? – Believers don’t pray to an unknown God. They pray to a God they know.

God Gave Away the First Bride

God Gave Away the First Bride – Marriage is God’s idea.

What the Joseph Story Is Really About

What the Joseph Story Is Really About – “What then do we make of the Joseph story? Why is it so prominent in Genesis?”

Discerning Your Child's Spiritual State

Discerning Your Child's Spiritual State – “The following are some biblical values and guidelines that may be helpful in the discerning work of guiding your children to Jesus, especially around the key moments of conversion and baptism.”

Dying to Self: For Your Good and His Glory

Dying to Self: For Your Good and His Glory – “May we choose daily to die to self that we might be united with Jesus, knowing that He alone has the power to save our lives as we entrust ourselves to Him!”

Children Like Novelty

Children Like Novelty – “Children like novelty. The spiritually immature will always be more excited about novel interpretations and new insights than they will be about old gospel truth.”

Do Not Envy the Wicked

Do Not Envy the Wicked – “Are there ways I can envy the wicked? Are there ways in which we, as Christians, can envy the wicked?” 

Trusting Our Father with Our Dustups, Skirmishes, Battles, and Wars

Trusting Our Father with Our Dustups, Skirmishes, Battles, and Wars – They will come and when they do, trust the Father.

Plowing Through Addiction: The ABC's of Victory

Plowing Through Addiction: The ABC's of Victory – What can we do as believers to find freedom from those things that become addictions?

Smart Rules for Smartphones

Smart Rules for Smartphones – Here’s a short and simple list for parents to utilize.

Bible Texts Prosperity Preachers Wish Did Not Exist

Bible Texts Prosperity Preachers Wish Did Not Exist – The prosperity “gospel” is a plague of false teaching throughout the world. While in Zambia is shared the Gospel with a woman who had attended church for years hearing of how she could be healthy and wealthy if she gave the preacher more money. After she prayed to give her life to Christ she asked me through tears, “How have I never heard the real Gospel of Jesus before.

How “Online” Is Your Prayer Life?

How “Online” Is Your Prayer Life? – A recent UK study revealed that the average adult spends almost nine hours a day online. That’s more than they spend sleeping each day. How connected are you to God in prayer?

The Enemy We Need: How Suffering Confronts Our Pride

The Enemy We Need: How Suffering Confronts Our Pride – God works in us at multiple levels and a multitude of ways through the gift of suffering.

You Have Two Enemies in Bible Reading

You Have Two Enemies in Bible Reading – “Our two enemies in Bible reading — Satan and sin — cannot be overcome without God’s help in every moment.”

A Fruitful Life

A Fruitful Life – “The word of God always produces fruit in our lives. When I let the roots of my heart grow deeper and deeper into the stabilizing, life-giving, truth of God’s word, that's when I see fruit!”

One Act That Improves Kids’ Emotional Health

One Act That Improves Kids’ Emotional Health – Kids say it’s just spending time talking. Here are some practical suggestions.