Saturday, March 30, 2019

Bringing Refreshment to Others


Bringing Refreshment to Others – “Onesiphorus often refreshed Paul. This is the only occurrence of the word refreshed in the New Testament. It paints a picture of one who provides a cool refreshing breeze for one about to faint.”

Maker and Shaker


Maker and Shaker – “Don’t forget that the Creator of the Earth also controls it.”

God’s Grace in a Cup of Tea


God’s Grace in a Cup of Tea “We should be grateful for all the small blessings God graciously gives us. But there’s actually nothing small about the blessings he gave today.”

7 Better Ways to Use Your Tax Refund


7 Better Ways to Use Your Tax Refund – “Receiving a refund check has become a strangely normal piece of financial planning for Americans – we count on receiving that extra cash and plan to spend it.”

How Not to Study the End Times


How Not to Study the End Times“We are all eschatologists. But that doesn’t mean we always engage the end times well. In at least three ways, we could go wrong in this most basic theological discipline.”

Friday, March 29, 2019

Why Shouldn’t We Love the World?


Why Shouldn’t We Love the World? – “Either God holds our heart in His hands or the world does.”

Who Says Social Media Can’t Make You Wise?


 Who Says Social Media Can’t Make You Wise? “Ten years of social media has shown me the wisdom of being slow to speak, how comparison kills joy, how in-person friendship knows no substitute. But it has also taught me the sweetness of the well-timed word of encouragement, of shared celebrations and shared losses.”

Parent, You Can Control Your Anger


Parent, You Can Control Your Anger “The root problem is that you have established behavior patterns that you think are impossible to change.  But, through the teaching of the Holy Spirit in his word, you can be free from the tyranny of anger.”

It’s Time for a Holistic Apologetic


It’s Time for a Holistic Apologetic – “Our mission, as he understands it, is to present our faith as reasonable and desirable.”

Magical Thinking


 Magical Thinking – “Americans—including some churchgoers—are showing an increasing interest in New Age beliefs and practices.”

Thursday, March 28, 2019

The Secret to Strong Friendships


The Secret to Strong Friendships – “The strength of a friendship over the long haul depends not primarily on personality or context or proximity, but on prayer.”

Christians in the Cultural Closet


Christians in the Cultural Closet“There always are closets. Every society ancient and modern has closets. What changes are those who inhabit the closets. Gradually we are witnessing traditional, orthodox Christians being forced into the closets even as the sexual minorities move out.”

How Prayer Got Me Through Cancer


How Prayer Got Me Through Cancer – Jack Graham shares is testimony of the great value of prayer.

J. I. Packer on the 6 Things You Should Tell Yourself Every Day


J. I. Packer on the 6 Things You Should Tell Yourself Every Day – It’s a good way to start the day and set your heart and mind.

Time Out, Be Still


Time Out, Be Still – “I think the devil has made it his business to monopolize on three elements: noise, hurry, crowds…Satan is quite aware of the power of silence.”

Feed Your Soul More than Leftovers


Feed Your Soul More than LeftoversGod’s mercies are “new every morning”.

10 Lessons on Parenting Little Ones


10 Lessons on Parenting Little Ones – “Pray for your children. Pray consistently, persistently, passionately, earnestly, and constantly.”

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Patience: You Can Trust God!


Patience: You Can Trust God! – “When you begin to question God’s faithfulness, when circumstances are not what you wanted, you are actually judging God. When your general response to life is that life stinks, you are judging God.”

Secularism’s (Misplaced) Confidence


Secularism’s (Misplaced) Confidence “Secularism’s misplaced confidence is most misplaced when it assumes it can have the fruit of the gospel without the root of the gospel. It cannot. To mix the metaphor, the West’s secular car will only run for so long on the gas fumes of the Christian faith it has abandoned. Without a fuel fill up and a lube and oil change, this thing will grind to a halt.”

Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?


Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul? – “Is your spirit troubled? Are you downcast in your soul? Honestly cry out to God in prayer. Turn your doubts into questions, which flow from faith. Then deliberately turn away from the messages your emotions speak to you, by replacing them with the unchanging truths of Scripture.”

3 Things the Awesome Husband Does


3 Things the Awesome Husband Does – It’s not everything but it’s a good start.

Why Pro-Choice People Won’t Define What ‘Abortion’ Really Is (or Where It Leads)


Why Pro-Choice People Won’t Define What ‘Abortion’ Really Is (or Where It Leads) – This simple article reveals how a person lives with the position.

Women Suffer More, Says New Report on Christian Persecution


Women Suffer More, Says New Report on Christian Persecution – “The experience of religious persecution is gender-specific, not gender-blind… The most typical way that men and women experience persecution is directly associated with their socio-culturally-accepted gender identity and roles.”

You Can Be a Church Member and Go to Hell Anywa


You Can Be a Church Member and Go to Hell Anyway – It is dangerous to be lost close to the altar.

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

The Early Symptoms of Spiritual Danger


The Early Symptoms of Spiritual Danger “Yes, apostasy happens. Sometimes the catalyst is flagrant sin...But sometimes the catalyst is a thorn growing quietly in the heart, an indifference to the way of the Cross, a drifting that is not reversed by the knowledge of biblical warnings.”

San Antonio City Council Bans Chick-fil-A from Airport


San Antonio City Council Bans Chick-fil-A from Airport – What does this action mean? Where do we go from here?

What Does It Mean for God to Be Our Father?


What Does It Mean for God to Be Our Father? – These truths and reminders are always an encouragement to me.

Let Go of the Life You Wanted


Let Go of the Life You Wanted“The life we hoped for can be one of the hardest to lose.”

Killing Sin by the Spirit


Killing Sin by the Spirit – “We should think of sin like cancer patients think of their cancer. The fighter-types hate cancer.”

Smoke and Onions


Smoke and Onions“God is for us and for those that we live and work among. He is for the brokenhearted. After all, we are broken, too.”

When You Can’t Escape Busyness


When You Can’t Escape Busyness“We’re changed not by the removal of busyness, but by beholding the glory of God.”

Monday, March 25, 2019

Let’s Be Over-Encouragers Today


Let’s Be Over-Encouragers Today – How many people will you encourage today?

Look Up to God, Or Look Down On Others


Look Up to God, Or Look Down On Others – “As long as you are looking up to God for salvation, you can’t look down on anyone else. Once you know how much you need the mercy of God, how in the world can you look down your nose on someone else in need of the same mercy?”

God’s Plan for Us Is the Church


God’s Plan for Us Is the Church – “Living life apart from the Church is like trying to take a bath without water. You won’t be successful. Not when God’s plan for every believer is to live and be and grow in the Church. Sanctification has its deepest roots in the Church. And equipping for the work of ministry is found in the Church because the fullness of Christ is in her (Eph. 4:13).”

The Throne of Grace


The Throne of Grace – “Here, two reasons are given to draw near to God.”

The Worst Sort of Pride


The Worst Sort of Pride – “The more religious a man or woman may be, the more in danger he or she is to succumbing to the temptation to spiritual pride. This was the error of Pharisaism.”

8 Signs You Love Legalism More Than Jesus


8 Signs You Love Legalism More Than Jesus – “Here are eight signs you’re trapped in legalism.”

Sunday, March 24, 2019

The One Heart-Freeing Hope-Fueling Constant in Our Lives



#Blessed May Not Mean What You Think


#Blessed May Not Mean What You Think – “Unlike the fleeting happiness brought by sparkling circumstances and popularity, the conditions of neediness and dependency on God are the real places of blessing in his kingdom. Why? Because these things don’t change with our circumstances.”

God Works Through the Weak


God Works Through the Weak – “Jesus became weak to make a way for God to save and now commission weak people to accomplish his glorious purposes in the world.” 

Saturday, March 23, 2019

God’s Word Heals Your Hurts


God’s Word Heals Your Hurts – “Scripture is a healing balm to the hurting heart. As its truths ruminate in our distressed minds, they bring stability to our faith, and warmly nestle into our inner person.”

What Might God Do While You Wait?


What Might God Do While You Wait? – God doesn’t waste our times “in between”.

Seven Surprising Ways to Prepare Yourself to Share the Gospel


Seven Surprising Ways to Prepare Yourself to Share the Gospel – What does it mean to be prepared to share the gospel?

Perseverance is Absolutely Necessary


Perseverance is Absolutely Necessary – “No matter how talented people are, there is no success without perseverance.”

Your Church and the Hood of a Sports Car


Your Church and the Hood of a Sports Car – Here’s a reflection on Jesus’s commendation and rebuke of the loveless church at Ephesus.

Friday, March 22, 2019

‘Brother’ Is More Than A Title


‘Brother’ Is More Than A Title “The fact that you truly have brothers and sisters in Christ makes a difference in how you approach engagement with your local church, it makes a difference how you engage with fellow believers online (especially when you may disagree with them), and it makes a difference to how you think of your ‘own’ possessions, time, and energy.”

How Individualism Corrupts the Church’s Mission


How Individualism Corrupts the Church’s Mission – In an individualistic culture, relationships are simply not the primary lens for understanding identity. And that’s a problem because individualism negatively impacts three areas critical to the Great Commission.”

Does It Matter What I Wear to Church on Sunday?


Does It Matter What I Wear to Church on Sunday? – There are several things to consider – “When attending church, we should dress in a way that honors God, honors those around us, and is appropriate for our cultural (and subcultural) contexts.”

The Power of Counting It All Joy


The Power of Counting It All Joy – “Everyone understands having joy when a trial is over, but that’s not what is on James’s mind. It is while you suffer that you must choose the path of joy.”

8 Often Overlooked Signs of Depression


8 Often Overlooked Signs of Depression“Here are eight easily-overlooked indicators of depression that can help you determine if you’re heading toward a depressive episode or in the middle of one.”

How Can I Pray for My Children?


How Can I Pray for My Children? – “We can pray with them, for them, and around them. We can also pray for their particular life circumstances and the work of God in their lives.”

Thursday, March 21, 2019

‘Just Have More Faith’: How Bad Theology Hurts the Suffering


‘Just Have More Faith’: How Bad Theology Hurts the Suffering – “If you are in Christ, God is completely for you. Your suffering is not a punishment. Your struggles are not because you didn’t pray the right way, or because you didn’t pray enough, or because you have weak faith or insufficient intercessors. It is because God is using your suffering in ways that you may not understand now, but one day you will.”

Prayer for Anxiety: When You’re Overwhelmed


Prayer for Anxiety: When You’re Overwhelmed – “So what sorts of prayers for anxiety should we pray? Here are five.”

How Not to Help a Sufferer


How Not to Help a Sufferer – ” The problem with Job’s comforters isn’t that they’re heretics. Much of what they say is true. The problem is the moralistic worldview that governs their engagement with Job, and compels them to reason backward from suffering to sin.”

Lord, All I Have Is Yours


Lord, All I Have Is Yours – “When it comes to what we really believe, trusting looks like treasuring. For when it’s all on the line for us, we always trust in what we truly treasure.”

40 Reasons to Avoid Adultery


40 Reasons to Avoid Adultery – “The best way to avoid all this shame and heartache is before it happens. Pure prevention is the best policy.”

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

How Parents Are Robbing Their Kids of Adulthood


How Parents Are Robbing Their Kids of Adulthood – “Snowplow parents have it backward...The point is to prepare the kid for the road, instead of preparing the road for the kid.”

Christ Will Not Return at Any Moment


Christ Will Not Return at Any Moment – “An imminent return isn’t the same as an any-moment return.”

Why Parents Need to STOP Trying to Make Their Kids Happy


Why Parents Need to STOP Trying to Make Their Kids Happy – “We need to do for our children what they cannot do for themselves: distinguish between their short-term happiness and their long-term good.”

Was Jesus Poor? Was Jesus Rich?


Was Jesus Poor? Was Jesus Rich? – What can we learn from the Bible and why does it matter?

How to Recover from Financial Infidelity


How to Recover from Financial Infidelity – “A poll found that 2 in 5 Americans admit to lying about or withholding money information from their partner. Another reports that 15 million people have admitted to hiding financial information from their spouse, and 9 million used to but don’t anymore.”

The Relationship Timeline Continues to Stretch


The Relationship Timeline Continues to Stretch – This graphic shows how dating, marriage, and sex have shifted over decades.

20 Differences Between the Psalms and Modern Worship Songs


20 Differences Between the Psalms and Modern Worship Songs – “Reading these words makes me want to repent of treating God lightly, of not respecting him enough, and of trifling with so-called ‘minor’ sins.”

Your Calling and God’s Will


Your Calling and God’s Will“So how do we figure this out? This may disappoint you because it’s so simple.”

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

The Story of Marriage in Seven Verses


The Story of Marriage in Seven Verses – This is worthy of consideration.

Four Dangerous Parenting Styles Today


Four Dangerous Parenting Styles Today – “The fact is—we are living in a new day, when parenting has become a competition. We see it in schools, soccer teams, theatre and neighborhoods. Out of this stressful period, we’ve created new methods to help us cope with our new realities.”

The Blessing of the Gift of Prayer


The Blessing of the Gift of Prayer – Don’t overlook the familiar. “Isn’t it amazing that the God of the Bible allows his people to communicate with him through prayer?”

13 Ways a Husband Can Cultivate His Marriage


13 Ways a Husband Can Cultivate His Marriage“As a garden needs constant care, so does marriage.”

Grieve and Worship


Grieve and Worship – “Worship can and should coexist alongside grief. In fact, grief that does not worship will eventually become self-destructive.”

What Research Says About How Self-Centeredness Grows in Us


What Research Says About How Self-Centeredness Grows in Us – “According to research, the more isolated you are the more self-centered you are. And the more self-centered you are, the more likely you are to live isolated.” Here are three good reasons to be in community.

How Should the Church Treat Ecological Issues?


How Should the Church Treat Ecological Issues? – “This biblical perspective gives Christians something unique to say about the ecological issues of our day.”

Monday, March 18, 2019

The Most Overlooked Mission Field in America


The Most Overlooked Mission Field in America – “The most common practiced religion in America today is a generic theism that mingles biblical concepts with a hope that one is a good person—all while maintaining autonomy over personal decisions and lifestyle.”

God’s Glory May Be in the Scars


God’s Glory May Be in the Scars“Chances are we all have some insecurity that could easily hold us back from doing the work God has for us. We all could find reasons to stay at home and wallow in our obsessions over things that aren’t that important.”

The Sufferer I Want to Be: Why I Love the Apostle Paul


The Sufferer I Want to Be: Why I Love the Apostle Paul – “So, when Paul suffered in the path of faithful obedience to Jesus, he did not accuse Jesus of bait and switch. He did not criticize his ways or murmur against his sovereign wisdom. He did ask for deliverance. Sometimes it came (Acts 22:25–29); sometimes it didn’t.”

Peace is Not the Absence of Conflict


Peace is Not the Absence of Conflict “ If you are able to help your children see that peace is found in following Christ, rather than in eliminating conflict, you will have taught them a valuable life lesson.”

Living in a (Nominal) Religious Context


Living in a (Nominal) Religious Context – “The fastest shrinking category in American religion is still the largest category—people who self-identify as Christian, but whose religion is not a central part of their lives. We call these people nominal Christians.”

Killing Sin by the Spirit


Killing Sin by the Spirit“We should think of sin like cancer patients think of their cancer. The fighter-types hate cancer.”

A Great Move of God Always Leads to a Great Advancement of the Gospel


A Great Move of God Always Leads to a Great Advancement of the Gospel – “Gospel advancement cannot be divorced from the power of prayer. Nor should prayer be divorced from the need for gospel advancement regionally, nationally and internationally.”

The Age of Terrorism Meets the Era of the Troll


The Age of Terrorism Meets the Era of the Troll “The New Zealand shooter is an extreme example of an increasingly common disaffected person—mostly young men—whose worldview is shaped largely by an evil online culture. Here are six characteristics of these ‘trolls’.”

Saturday, March 16, 2019

Saint Patrick: A Teenager on a Mission


Saint Patrick: A Teenager on a Mission – “Most people think the best place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day would be in the local pub. Actually, the better place to remember him would be in church!”

When You Do Not Know What to Do


When You Do Not Know What to Do – “When was the last time a trial came so swiftly and forcefully that you did not know what to do?”

Responding to the Evil in Christchurch, New Zealand


Responding to the Evil in Christchurch, New Zealand – Responding with prayer is a great way to respond.

Where Were You? ‘Apollo 11’ Takes Us Back to 1969


Where Were You? ‘Apollo 11’ Takes Us Back to 1969 – “God created us with the ability to see the evidence of his creativity, to study and ponder it, to enjoy and explore it, and to worship him because of it.”

Friday, March 15, 2019

Don’t Waste Your Worship


Don’t Waste Your Worship – “After preaching through the book of Exodus over the last 3 years, it has become evident to me that God cares about worship.”

Why Men Need Community


Why Men Need Community – “We all need community. In fact, we were designed by God to be in community. You can see it modeled for us with the perfect relationship of the Trinity in Genesis.”

What Happens in an Internet Minute


What Happens in an Internet Minute“Simply put, the number of actions packed into just 60 seconds is extraordinary.”

How Individualism Corrupts the Church’s Mission


How Individualism Corrupts the Church’s Mission “In an individualistic culture, relationships are simply not the primary lens for understanding identity. And that’s a problem because individualism negatively impacts three areas critical to the Great Commission.”

If the Gospel is True, The Gospel is Urgent


If the Gospel is True, The Gospel is Urgent “God determines exactly where and when you and I live, as well as where and when everyone we know lives. Our friendships are not cosmic accidents. They are ordained by God. But why does God ordain our relationships?”

4 Ways the Gospel Seems Backwards to the World


4 Ways the Gospel Seems Backwards to the World – “Living in the freedom of the paradoxes of the gospel feels unnatural, abnormal, and, frankly, absolutely crazy. Maybe that is why it takes so much faith.”

Thursday, March 14, 2019

How to Shepherd Camels through the Eye of a Needle


How to Shepherd Camels through the Eye of a Needle – “Who can thread a camel through the eye of a needle? God.”

Helping Friends Who Have Crippling Anxiety


Helping Friends Who Have Crippling Anxiety – Here are some simple steps to helping others take simple steps.

3 Things to Tell Your Children About Gender


3 Things to Tell Your Children About Gender – “Here are three great truths that can help parents discuss gender with their children.”

What Is Biblical Marriage? 11 Essential Principles


What Is Biblical Marriage? 11 Essential Principles. “What is marriage? It’s a question the Bible holds the keys to because God created marriage and revealed it in Scripture. Given the confusion in our culture and in our churches, agreeing upon the basic meaning of marriage is no longer a ‘given.'”

How Secularity Will Advance the Gospel of the Kingdom


How Secularity Will Advance the Gospel of the Kingdom – “Religious pluralism has provided space for the Gospel to be heard.”

How Long Does Grieving Take?


How Long Does Grieving Take? – “Loss is not always sudden, like it was for Job (Job 1:13-19). Sometimes it’s gradual. Sometimes it comes in stages. The same goes for grief.”

All the Time Management in the World Won’t Make You God


All the Time Management in the World Won’t Make You God“I don’t have good enough control over my time on an ordinary day. Take an hour away and I give way to an extraordinary bitterness that someone very far outside of my own sphere has the right and power to mess with something as basic and ubiquitous as the time.”

What We Can Learn From A Prayer of Jesus


What We Can Learn From A Prayer of Jesus – “As you continue to walk by faith, remember there’s a person named Jesus whose purpose is to glorify His Father. Christ promises us the gift of eternal and abundant life, both now and forever.

Sin Is Cosmic Treason


Sin Is Cosmic Treason “‘The sinfulness of sin’ sounds like a vacuous redundancy that adds no information to the subject under discussion. However, the necessity of speaking of the sinfulness of sin has been thrust upon us by a culture and even a church that has diminished the significance of sin itself.”

We Are Supposed to Feel Bad About Stuff


We Are Supposed to Feel Bad About Stuff – “Our world is seriously confused about shame.”

Lord, All I Have Is Yours


Lord, All I Have Is Yours – “When it was all on the line for the young man, he trusted his wealth, his possessions, more than God. His wealth was his god, and that kept him from entering the kingdom. The thing is, he didn’t see this until he really had to choose.”

All the Lonely Peopl


All the Lonely People “I think if we’re honest with ourselves, we long for deep relationships with others. We may be tempted to think our longing indicates that something is wrong with us, that something is deficient in us, but I assure you it is not. That longing for deep relationship was placed in us before the fall. We are created to bond and to have deep relationships.”

What Is Islam?


What Is Islam?“What does this mean for Christian engagement with Muslims? Among other things, we should apply the Golden Rule, seeking to avoid stereotyping Muslims just as we would resist being stereotyped as Christians.”

Friday, March 8, 2019

The Things I Am Not


The Things I Am Not“In a moment of harsh reality, I saw my life for what it really was. In that brief moment when the veneer of my existence was stripped away, I saw all the things I am not.” 

Why Is It So Hard to Pray?


Why Is It So Hard to Pray? “If I thought for a second that my feeble prayers changed God’s mind and His perfect will, I would stop praying altogether. I’m sinful. I don’t know everything, and I can’t control everything. Yet because God is omniscient and omnipotent, and because He has our ultimate good and His glory in mind, we can trust Him.”

What If I Don’t Feel Like Praying?


What If I Don’t Feel Like Praying? – “Before we can cultivate a passion for prayer, we must be reminded of the power of prayer.”

Don’t Domesticate God with Words


Don’t Domesticate God with Words – “Why do we do this? We might never admit it, but we often assume God is just a bigger, better version of ourselves.” 

The REAL Wisdom We All Need


The REAL Wisdom We All Need – “Wisdom is not intellectual enlightenment but insight into the will of God and the ability to apply it to everyday life.”

A Meditation on Strength and Weakness


A Meditation on Strength and Weakness “As Christians we know that weakness is good. But then, the Bible isn’t always down on strength either. So which is it? Should we try to grow, to mature, and to fan into flame the gifts we’ve been given? Or should we boast in all our limitations and failures?”

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Discipleship Simplified


Discipleship Simplified – “After one confesses, repents, and submits, true disciples take three steps toward holiness that only end at one’s death or His return.”

Why I Don’t See Tithing as the Pinnacle of Christian Virtue


Why I Don’t See Tithing as the Pinnacle of Christian Virtue – “Sadly, there are some Christians who see tithing as the pinnacle of stewardship, instead of the starting place. Hearing some people talk, you’d think it was this extraordinary act of sacrifice and devotion that only great saints would actually give 10 percent.”

The Glorious Love of God as Our GPS


The Glorious Love of God as Our GPS – “In Isaiah 43, the Lord delivered a message for his people Israel that focused their attention on several fundamental realities that speak of his love and purpose for them. They are the same realities that should help us when we choose the wrong map, or when we are disoriented, lost, and afraid.”

Why the Gospel Teaches the Opposite of Religion


Why the Gospel Teaches the Opposite of Religion – “Religion caters to the worst parts of us—pride, self-centeredness, condescension, self-righteousness, and bigotry—which is why religious people can be (in the words of our generation) the worst.”

Distrust of the World Should be a Mark of Christianity


Distrust of the World Should be a Mark of Christianity“American Christians are practically experts at burying their heads in the sand...Parents make decisions without stopping to consider who is producing the content that their children are being exposed to.”

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Discipleship May be Hard and Messy, But It’s Worth It


Discipleship May be Hard and Messy, But It’s Worth It – “Discipleship is rarely easy and sometimes messy, but it’s never negotiable.”

The Department of Redundancy Department


The Department of Redundancy Department – “Don’t grow weary of repeating yourself. Whether you’re teaching Sunday school, leading a small group, discipling teenagers, counseling a friend, preaching to a stadium or reading a children’s Bible to your daughter for the 200th time. Your audience may have listened before, but this may be the first time they actually hear. And they will be made the better for it.”

The Most Difficult Thing God is Asking You to Do


The Most Difficult Thing God is Asking You to Do – “If you want to build and maintain a lifelong, intimate marriage, one of the most difficult and yet most essential spiritual skills is forgiveness.”

Peace is Not the Absence of Conflict


Peace is Not the Absence of Conflict – “Your goal is not so much to end conflict as it is to see hearts given to Christ. Don’t look for peace where it cannot be found. Make Christ the source of your peace.”

A Meditation on Strength and Weakness


A Meditation on Strength and Weakness – “Why does the Bible prefer weakness to strength, and in what way?”

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

What Your Suffering Will Reveal About You


What Your Suffering Will Reveal About You – “Today, let’s press on in hope, trusting that the cross we carry on the road of following Christ is immeasurable worth it and eternally valuable.”

Ask TGC: Isn’t Opposing Same-Sex Marriage as Prejudiced as Opposing Interracial Marriage?


Ask TGC: Isn’t Opposing Same-Sex Marriage as Prejudiced as Opposing Interracial Marriage? – We hear this reasoning in the media and from our neighbors. Here is a good response.

3 Things to Do When Someone Is Suffering


3 Things to Do When Someone Is Suffering – “In their encounter with Job, we see two actions that can make a positive difference in the lives of those who are suffering. However, in this same encounter, we also see one danger that only serves to amplify the pain of someone who is suffering.”

Your Sin Begins with a Felt Need


Your Sin Begins with a Felt Need – “When it comes to our battle with sin, we must know our enemy and ourselves.”

What Does It Mean to Carry Christ’s Cross?


What Does It Mean to Carry Christ’s Cross? – “The Bible is speaking of the complete and loving identification of our lives with Christ, what He stands for, and what He wants to accomplish through us in this dark world.”

The End of Parental Rights? A Chilling Case From Canada


The End of Parental Rights? A Chilling Case From Canada – “The Supreme Court of British Columbia ordered that a 14-year-old girl receive testosterone injections without parental consent. The court also declared that if either of her parents referred to her using female pronouns or addressed her by her birth name, the parents could be charged with family violence.”

Monday, March 4, 2019

Set The Pattern


Set The Pattern – “Maybe a pattern where there is no doubt about where we go on Sundays will make them not question it even if they are not feeling it. Maybe this pattern in our family will help us continue to get our family to church.”

Why Is It So Hard to Pray?


Why Is It So Hard to Pray? – “It’s hard to pray because humbling ourselves, getting over ourselves, and coming to the end of our stubborn and sinful selves is hard.”

Three Ways to Make the Local Church Feel More Like a Family


Three Ways to Make the Local Church Feel More Like a Family – We want to feel “more like a loving family and less like a stuffy institution.”

5 Promises to Remember When You Pray


5 Promises to Remember When You Pray – “Prayerlessness, no matter the reason, communicates a lack of need for God or a lack of confidence in God. We need to understand what the Lord teaches about prayer. We need to trust the promises that flow out of His teaching on prayer.”

God Will Provide the Ability You Need


God Will Provide the Ability You Need – “God gave Moses the abilities he personally lacked in the form of other able people...An impossible job just became more possible.”

Our Culture of Contempt


Our Culture of Contempt – “The problem in America today is not incivility or intolerance. It’s something far worse.”

The Beauty of Surrendered Sexuality


The Beauty of Surrendered Sexuality – “In short, the Bible uses marital imagery to help us understand our soul’s relationship to our Savior. No other human relationship is as exclusive as the love covenant between husband and wife.”

Be Gentle So That God May Grant Repentance


Be Gentle So That God May Grant Repentance“One reason why we correct our opponents with gentleness is so that God may grant them repentance. The converse, treating our opponents un-gently, may rob someone of the opportunity for repentance.”

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Do You Have an Epaphras?


Do You Have an Epaphras? – I love this call to the priority of prayer, and its connection to true church growth and health.

Your Kids and Heaven


Your Kids and Heaven – “This is the major concern for every Christian parent. Are my children going to heaven! If you look to human confirmation for the answer, life will quickly become a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs.”

Courageously Committed Despite Affliction


Courageously Committed Despite Affliction – “When we vow to be faithful during times of ‘sickness and in health,’ who really believes our commitment will actually be put to the test?”

What Research Says About How Self-Centeredness Grows in Us


What Research Says About How Self-Centeredness Grows in Us – “According to research, the more isolated you are the more self-centered you are. And the more self-centered you are, the more likely you are to live isolated.”

Murder By Any Other Name: Introducing Fourth-Term Abortion


Murder By Any Other Name: Introducing Fourth-Term Abortion – “In the American theater, we have moved from despising dark subhuman creatures we brought into cotton fields to despising creatures hidden in the dark whom God placed in the womb.”

Real Men Pray


Real Men Pray – David Murray continues his short videos, as part of the Christian Man Academy. In this episode, he gives three extra suggestions to enhance personal prayer.

Friday, March 1, 2019

3 Signs of a Transformed Life


3 Signs of a Transformed Life – “In his letter to the Galatians, one of the ways Paul defended the gospel was by pointing to three ways he experienced Jesus in his personal life.”

God’s Hidden Purposes in Your Suffering


God’s Hidden Purposes in Your Suffering“God is always working in multiple lives and in multiple ways all at once. ​”

Practice the Pause


Practice the Pause – “Practicing the pause is something I often forget to do. I react too quick, I jump to conclusions, I panic before knowledge of the whole situation… Any of these sound familiar?”

Should Religious Belief Inform the Public Square


Should Religious Belief Inform the Public Square – This article speaks well to the differences in opinions, policies, and biblical mandates. Sometimes we get them confused.

Dying Well


Dying Well“The résumé virtues are the ones you list on your résumé, the skills that you bring to the job market and that contribute to external success. The eulogy virtues are deeper. They’re the virtues that get talked about at your funeral.”

Time Waiting on God is Never Time Wasted


Time Waiting on God is Never Time Wasted“With our worldly wisdom, we come up with creative solutions to difficult problems, only to realize later that perhaps it was not the smartest idea after all. There is nothing that is impossible with God, we’d much better-off waiting for God’s perfect timing.”

Senior Adults…The Next Generation Needs You


Senior Adults…The Next Generation Needs You – “If you are reading this and you are a senior adult, turn and look behind you. The next generation needs you to speak into their lives and invest in them spiritually. They are counting on you to pass them the faith baton.”