You Can Be Anxious About Nothing

You Can Be Anxious About Nothing – “If we’re honest, we may secretly believe that we get a pass from obeying this particular command. We tell ourselves that it simply can’t mean anything.” 

Grief and Gratitude Can Coexist

Grief and Gratitude Can Coexist – “How do we approach a God who could have chosen to heal my husband, but for reasons known only to Him, didn’t? God isn’t afraid of our tough questions and emotional angst. Our sorrow does not negate our gratitude; rather, it accentuates it.”

OCC Shoeboxes: Answering the Arguments

OCC Shoeboxes: Answering the Arguments – There is much written on this topic by missionaries and this covers the common themes.

Thanksgiving Quantified

Thanksgiving Quantified – “God does a lot for all of us. Numbers help define what “a lot” means. That’s why I like numbers. They help me visualize things. And in the case of giving thanks, they help put God’s kindness into perspective.”

Christ, Our Thanks-Giver

Christ, Our Thanks-Giver – “If we have any hope of being thankful, we have to become thanks-givers in and through Jesus Christ.”

Two Sides of Thanksgiving

Two Sides of Thanksgiving – “Thanksgiving, giving thanks, and/or being thankful is both expressive and confessional.”

Christmas: Not the Way We Would Have Done It, Lord!

Christmas: Not the Way We Would Have Done It, Lord! – “God rarely does anything as we would have done it or expected it.”

Giving Thanks for that We Do Not Deserve or Expect

Giving Thanks for that We Do Not Deserve or Expect – “Each Thanksgiving season, I'm struck by the fact that people give thanks for things that they perhaps did not expect.”

Giving Thanks Is a Community Project

Giving Thanks Is a Community Project – “In expressions of thankfulness, we exalt him, proclaim his faithfulness, and confess we have nothing apart from him. It’s especially fitting, then, that we should do this together.”

Pray for Christians in These Five Countries Where the Persecution Is Extreme

Pray for Christians in These Five Countries Where the Persecution Is Extreme – “Did you know one of the most common requests of persecuted Christians is that people would pray for them? “

Thankful for the Bad: Upside Down Gratitude This Thanksgiving

Thankful for the Bad: Upside Down Gratitude This Thanksgiving – “Upside down gratitude is the ability to give thanks even for the parts of our lives which lead us to sadness and struggle and suffer.”

Gratitude and the Dangers of a Good Life

Gratitude and the Dangers of a Good Life – “To come to the other side of the long waiting and hoping, the feverish wanting and praying, feels momentous—and also scary. For as we learn in Deuteronomy, peace and prosperity can be worrisome.”

The Lovely Insufficiency of Gratitude: What Thanksgiving Can’t Do for You

The Lovely Insufficiency of Gratitude: What Thanksgiving Can’t Do for You – “When it comes to God, few realities fan the flames of our love for and worship of him like gratitude. That’s why thanksgiving is commanded and exhorted so often in the Bible.”

A Thankfulness Questionnaire

A Thankfulness Questionnaire – “This is what Thanksgiving should for you spiritually. Use the holiday to remind yourself of who you are, what you deserve, and what God gave you instead.”

How to Handle Family Conflict This Holiday Season

How to Handle Family Conflict This Holiday Season – “We are broken people, which is why the first and most essential step for handling family conflict is to constantly remind ourselves that our homes are broken because we are all sinners.”

Title IX Trouble for Fuller Seminary

Title IX Trouble for Fuller Seminary – “A defense under the First Amendment might be arguable but past legal precedents have drawn a tight connection between government money and public accommodations.” 

Impeachment, Impatience, and Our Call to Follow Christ

Impeachment, Impatience, and Our Call to Follow Christ – Thanksgiving family gatherings are “a good time for a refresher course for how we should think about such divisive, controversial, and, most importantly, complex conversations.”

Why Are Pro-Choicers Bothered by Images of Aborted Clumps of Cells?

Why Are Pro-Choicers Bothered by Images of Aborted Clumps of Cells? – “The actions of the pro-choice movement literally shout out that even they don’t believe their own stated rhetoric.”

Give Thanks Today. Rejoice Now.

Give Thanks Today. Rejoice Now. – “Anyone can sing after the victory, but let’s hear you praise God before and during the fight.”

The Watershed Issue in Every Generation

The Watershed Issue in Every Generation – “The watershed issue in every generation is the effective authority of Scripture and the realities it reveals.”

What if the Light at the End of the Tunnel is Just More Tunnel?

What if the Light at the End of the Tunnel is Just More Tunnel? – “But what if that light at the end of the tunnel is…just more tunnel, or a light shrouded in a veil, or not a light at all. What if the grief never ends? The sense of loss follows you. How do you thank God then?”

The Power of Words

The Power of Words – “Each day, you and your spouse decide how you will talk to each other. Will you build each other up with your words, or tear each other down? How will you speak to each other in public, and in private? What words will you use as you work through conflict?”

Core Convictions about Prayer

Core Convictions about Prayer – “To experience God in our midst we must be people of prayer. ...people of prayer affirm several core convictions.”

Giving Thanks When Your Family Is Struggling

Giving Thanks When Your Family Is Struggling – Fight for gratitude.

Wisdom Wears a Watch

Wisdom Wears a Watch – “Why should we be careful to redeem our time? And why does this reflect the type of wise living that Christians are to emulate?”

How Should I Handle My Regrets?

How Should I Handle My Regrets? – “Press on in faith toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ.”

God’s Will for Your Life Is More Obvious Than You Think

God’s Will for Your Life Is More Obvious Than You Think – “We’re prone to overlook God’s revealed will and hyper-focus on his secret will. We often want to know God’s hidden will for the future, while walking contrary to his revealed will in the present.”

Charting How the Time Parents Spend with Kids Changes as They Grow Up

Charting How the Time Parents Spend with Kids Changes as They Grow Up – “These charts are a reminder that the goal of this whole parenting thing, ironic as it may seem, is to make them not need you.”

Lies That Keep Women from the Word

Lies That Keep Women from the Word – Busyness Is Not the Problem (for women or for men).

Is Vaping a Sin?

Is Vaping a Sin? – “While the Bible doesn’t directly address vaping, there are principles that apply to vaping in Scripture that we should be mindful of.”

Is It Sinful to Watch Sin on a Screen?

Is It Sinful to Watch Sin on a Screen? – “If the desire for God’s word is rising because of your regular enjoyment of sin-soaked movies, then carry on.”

When an Aging Parent Rejects Your Help

When an Aging Parent Rejects Your Help – “You will need thick skin and a large heart to care for a belligerent loved one. Here are 10 suggestions.”

Don’t Confuse Spirituality with Righteousness

Don’t Confuse Spirituality with Righteousness – “Over the years I’ve had many young Christians ask me how to be more spiritual or more pious. Rare has been the earnest student who said, ‘Teach me how to be righteous.’”

Russell Moore on Politics and the Pastor

Russell Moore on Politics and the Pastor – “How political should a local church pastor get with his flock?”

“Worthy?”

“Worthy?” – “The centurion models for us a humble boldness.” 

Erasing Bad Memories

Erasing Bad Memories – “Learning doesn’t occur without memory. How do we learn from a bad relationship, if we can’t remember it?”

Ask the Bible Anything: Why God Rewards the Hardest Questions

Ask the Bible Anything: Why God Rewards the Hardest Questions – “If you want to know what you believe about the Bible, pay attention to the kinds of questions you ask of it.”

Develop an Attitude of Gratitude

Develop an Attitude of Gratitude – “The Bible says that there are four ways to express your gratitude to the Lord. Sing to him.”

How to Follow God Without a Pillar of Fire

How to Follow God Without a Pillar of Fire – “While Moses had been led by God through pillars of cloud and fire, we on the other side of Christ’s incarnation have something even better: the indwelling Spirit to guide us.”

Why 2 Chronicles Is the Most Underrated Book in the Bible

Why 2 Chronicles Is the Most Underrated Book in the Bible – “It is in many ways the most focused, prophetic, prayerful, and worshipful history book in the Bible.” 

When the Apostle Paul Called Out Two Women in Church

When the Apostle Paul Called Out Two Women in Church – “Whatever the disagreement was about, it must not have been a major doctrinal issue. It wasn’t something so serious that it compromised the gospel. What’s happened here is that the intensity of this disagreement is compromising the gospel – not the issue itself. There’s a difference.”

Is It a Sin to “Swear to God”?

Is It a Sin to “Swear to God”? – “‘Do not take an oath at all,’ commands Jesus (Matthew 5:34). To understand what Jesus is prohibiting and how to apply it in our lives we must take a closer look at this passage.”

10 Things You Should Know about Demons and Satan

10 Things You Should Know about Demons and Satan – I found this to be a good, brief summary of key elements.

Take Your Medicine

Take Your Medicine – “Ferguson emphasizes the need for Christians to remember that the indicatives (what God has done in Christ) precede the imperatives (what we must do in response to what God has done). Whatever God calls us to do (law) is anchored in the truth of what God in Christ has done for us (gospel).”

Gratefulness and God’s Sovereign Goodness

Gratefulness and God’s Sovereign Goodness – “For the Christian, ingratitude is not just a failure in manners. It is a sin against the God who did not spare even His own Son but delivered Him up for us all.”

Does God Really Care About My Church Attendance?

Does God Really Care About My Church Attendance? – “While not attending church will not send you to hell or make God love you any less, it is not what God hoped for His people. In addition, not going to church can hinder spiritual growth. God wants us to regularly attend church and for good reason.”

The Chief Distinguishing Mark of a False Prophet

The Chief Distinguishing Mark of a False Prophet – “Usually, what people think of are people who distort the Christian message for personal gain. If you said this you’d be off to a good start. But there is still one chief distinguishing mark of a false prophet above all else. What is it?”

God’s Presence Rooted in Redemption

God’s Presence Rooted in Redemption – “Matthew bookends his Gospel with Jesus as Immanuel and Redeemer in order that we would never forget the presence of God and so we would tell others of the promise of God made flesh.”

When the Forbidden Woman Is in Your Home

When the Forbidden Woman Is in Your Home – “Today most men who struggle with sexual temptation struggle more within their home than outside of it. It is not a woman on the streets who calls for them, but a woman on a website.”

The eBay Rule

The eBay Rule – “We do not have to wonder what we’re worth. And we don’t have to worry about our needs. God would not have made the most costly investment ever made and then not supply what we need to accomplish his will.”

Hey Christian: It’s Not Ok to Say “Ok Boomer”

Hey Christian: It’s Not Ok to Say “Ok Boomer” – “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, ² older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.”

How to Receive God’s Gift of Rest

How to Receive God’s Gift of Rest – “In a world of relentless activity, we desperately need to rediscover God’s gift of rest.”

Wait for the Ending

Wait for the Ending – “Faith in a sovereign God does not prevent us from sometimes feeling bewildered about what our sovereign God is doing.”

How to Read the Bible Better

How to Read the Bible Better – “Whatever your stage, experience, and proficiency, consider six fundamental principles for how to read God’s Book better.”

Your Listening Habits Are Harming Your Relationship with God

Your Listening Habits Are Harming Your Relationship with God – “What do habits have to do with hearing God? Actually, a lot. Habits can be good or bad, distracting or uplifting. They can bring us closer to God and others, or drive us farther away.

Feelings vs. Faith?

Feelings vs. Faith? – “It is true that facts don’t care about our feelings. But fact-lovers ought to. Our emotions are like barometers—they reveal the climate of our being.”

What’s the Point of Reading the Bible, Anyway?

What’s the Point of Reading the Bible, Anyway? – “The point of the Bible is not to fill your head with knowledge. The point is to fill your heart with wonder.”

Speak the Truth in Your Heart

Speak the Truth in Your Heart – Our hearts are able to either lead us into temptation, or they can be filled with the knowledge of God. Thomas Brewer shares about why we should speak truth in our hearts as often as possible.

What It Means To Love Christ

What It Means To Love Christ – “Is love something you feel, or something you do?”

Four Marks of a Kingdom-centric Church

Four Marks of a Kingdom-centric Church – “A church existing for the Kingdom of God will always be reminiscent of a heroic, rescue mission for one very loved and lost lamb.” 

Want a Miserable Life? Confuse Law and Gospel

Want a Miserable Life? Confuse Law and Gospel. – “The law of God as a ground for salvation, as a means of accruing merit, leaves the worker exhausted, miserable, and lost. The law wrongly applied is a terrible taskmaster.”

My Rope out of the Pit: The Word I Needed in My Worst Days

My Rope out of the Pit: The Word I Needed in My Worst Days – “My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word” (Psalm 119:25). 

What Does the Bible Say About Being Thankful?

What Does the Bible Say About Being Thankful? – Jesus, the lepers and the power of being thankful.

3 Parenting Myths We Are All Tempted To Believe

3 Parenting Myths We Are All Tempted To Believe – “As Christian parents raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, we can be tempted to believe some dangerous myths about what we are doing and how we are to go about it.”

Good Music Can Become Your God: Five Reasons Jesus Is Better

Good Music Can Become Your God: Five Reasons Jesus Is Better – “Music is great, but Jesus is greater. Consider five reasons why.”

4 Principles for the Exercise of Christian Liberty

4 Principles for the Exercise of Christian Liberty – “A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to everyone.”

I’ll Continue to Pray

I’ll Continue to Pray – “Prayer is never a last-ditch activity. Prayer is central. Prayer is vital. I’ll continue to pray for her, and with her, for as long as I can.”

Don’t Be Duped: See through a Politician’s Distortion Techniques

Don’t Be Duped: See through a Politician’s Distortion Techniques – “It is important for us to be aware of the perennial logical fallacies and distortion techniques. Here are twelve of the most common.”

Run Your Race—Not Someone Else’s

Run Your Race—Not Someone Else’s – “To narrow horses’ comprehensive focus, their trainers often place blinders on them. Also called blinkers or winkers, horse blinders are small leather squares that are attached to the horse’s bridle to prevent them from seeing anywhere except right in front of them and going off course.”

18 Prayers to Pray for Unbelievers

18 Prayers to Pray for Unbelievers – “Here are some ways the Bible can guide our prayers.”

We Need Not Parent in Fear

We Need Not Parent in Fear – “It is worth noting that many Christian parents can be just as preoccupied with providing every opportunity, protecting from every potential danger, and sacrificing to meet every desire.”

Talking to Kids About Gender in a Gender-Confused Age

Talking to Kids About Gender in a Gender-Confused Age – This brief article takes on several key elements of the discussion.

Will We Pray in Heaven?

Will We Pray in Heaven? – “So yes, we will pray in heaven in the age to come. We will communicate our hearts to God forever and ever, and we will hear his heart for ours.”

Wait for the Ending: The Stories God Loves to Tell

Wait for the Ending: The Stories God Loves to Tell – “Beware, then, of judging your story before God reveals his hand. If you are in Christ, the finale is sure. What your eye cannot see now, what your ear cannot hear now, and what your heart cannot imagine now, your God is preparing for you. Trust him. Love him. And wait for the ending.”

4 People Influencing Your Kids You’ve Never Heard of

4 People Influencing Your Kids You’ve Never Heard of – “Almost 3 in 4 millennials and members of Generation Z (72%) say they follow people on social media who could be considered influencers.”

Losing Youth, Gaining Growth

Losing Youth, Gaining Growth – “Your body might bear the marks of age, but if you are in Christ, your heart bears the marks of Jesus’ redemptive work. And as you grow in Him, don’t lose heart. Your body is getting older, but He is making you new.”

New Life Brings New Priorities: Putting Off and Putting On

New Life Brings New Priorities: Putting Off and Putting On – “This is part of what it means to live as a Christian. Our new life in Christ transforms how and why we live. A new life means a new walk.”

Life from Death: The Upside Down Story of the Christian Life

Life from Death: The Upside Down Story of the Christian Life – “Death marks not the end, but the beginning for the believer. To come to faith is an end to our old life.”

‘I Never Knew You’: Fatal Dreams of the Religious Lost

‘I Never Knew You’: Fatal Dreams of the Religious Lost – “Is any lostness worse than remaining lost while believing you’re found?”

Were the Gospels Meant to Be Taken as Historical Testimony?

Were the Gospels Meant to Be Taken as Historical Testimony? – “How do we know if the testimonies preserved about Jesus in the New Testament Gospels were intended to be taken as descriptions of real events in the first place?”

Hospitality is Not Homebound

Hospitality is Not Homebound – The ministry of hospitality can happen anywhere you are.

What Is Sex?

What Is Sex? – “Gender, in our modern discourse, often refers to the accidental and sometimes wished-for properties of humans. Sex, however, points to a concrete reality on the basis of biological and metaphysical norms for males and females.”

Mark Batterson on the ‘Double Blessing’ of Handel’s Messiah

Mark Batterson on the ‘Double Blessing’ of Handel’s Messiah – Here’s the rest of the story you may have never heard.

What Does It Mean to Be Ready to Meet the Lord?

What Does It Mean to Be Ready to Meet the Lord? – Life if preparation for eternity. What do you as a believer need to do today to be ready to meet the Lord?

The Problem With “Spiritual but Not Religious”

The Problem With “Spiritual but Not Religious” – “What does someone mean when they use this oft-familiar phrase? Usually, what they mean is...they hold to a form of spirituality, but their spirituality is subjective, based on their feelings and needs, and requires no external commitment to others.”

You May Not Know What to Pray, but the Holy Spirit Does

You May Not Know What to Pray, but the Holy Spirit Does – “While we wait to experience the glory of eternity, we can trust that God is working. And, we can trust that the Holy Spirit is perfectly interceding for us.”

The Key to Our Victory over Sin

The Key to Our Victory over Sin – “Grace is the giving of a sovereign joy that triumphs over all competitors.”

Hope for the Girl with a Sexual Past

Hope for the Girl with a Sexual Past – “If you’ve repented and trusted in Christ to save you, no matter what your past looks like, you are redeemed. What beautiful, joy-inducing news!”

The Search For Life

The Search For Life – “We continually make the profound mistake of looking horizontally for what can only be found vertically: earth will never be your savior.”

9 Things You Should Know About Cohabitation in America

9 Things You Should Know About Cohabitation in America – “A new survey finds that cohabitation is pervasive in the United States, and is increasingly viewed as acceptable by Christians—even if it doesn’t lead to marriage. Here is what you should know—and that most American don’t—about cohabitation.”

The “Little While” of Our Aches and Sufferings

The “Little While” of Our Aches and Sufferings – “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.  To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Pet. 5:10-11

Weeds

Weeds – “Weeds. More of them. They are relentless. Through drought and flood. In season and out of season. Crowding out the chosen plants.”

Should I Give or Get Out of Debt?

Should I Give or Get Out of Debt? – There are several practical suggestions. What I would add is this perspective, “Do you want to invite God into your financial life through tithing (obedience) or do you want to get out of debt by your own efforts alone?”

How to Talk to Your Depressed Child

How to Talk to Your Depressed Child – “When you sit together at the dinner table or ride in the car with your depressed child, these five talking points may remind you both of important gospel truth.”

How to Pray for Your Pastor

How to Pray for Your Pastor – Pastors and staff would welcome such prayers on their behalf. I’m thankful for the constant prayers of my church family.

Read the Bible with Your Heart

Read the Bible with Your Heart – “It requires more faith, effort, prayer, humility, vulnerability, and often time to read God’s word with our hearts, but that’s because the heart is precisely where God wants his word to land.”

The Motivation of Transformation

The Motivation of Transformation – “Before and after pictures are compelling. In a glimpse they communicate that something—often someone’s life—has changed.”

God Loves You, Deal With It!

God Loves You, Deal With It! – “One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 103. Why? Because the love of God doesn’t trickle out of this psalm like pour-over coffee. It bursts forth like an opened fire hydrant.”

Stand Secure in the Love of Abba Father

Stand Secure in the Love of Abba Father – “If you are in Christ, you are not a slave who needs to be afraid. You are a son or daughter who stands secure in God’s love.”

How to Share Christ in a Workplace Where You’re Not Supposed to Discuss Him

How to Share Christ in a Workplace Where You’re Not Supposed to Discuss Him – “Scripture summons us to speak about the good news of what God has done in Christ. So where does that leave you and many others who spend much of their waking hours in jobs that don’t allow for that?”

3 Ways to Teach Scripture to Children

3 Ways to Teach Scripture to Children – Here are suggestions for sharing God word with children at home.

Will We Remember Our Life in Heaven? Even the Trauma?

Will We Remember Our Life in Heaven? Even the Trauma? – Here are some answers to a complicated question.

I Was a Misunderstood Muslim: Common Misconceptions About Islam

I Was a Misunderstood Muslim: Common Misconceptions About Islam – How can we more effectively engage our Muslim neighbors in Gospel conversations?

Christian Sexual Ethic Is Going To Be the Dividing Line — and Not Just Because of Christians

Christian Sexual Ethic Is Going To Be the Dividing Line — and Not Just Because of Christians – “Sexual ethics have indeed become what many of us refer to as a status confessionis issue. A status confessionis issue is one that is essential to the church’s message. It means that issues arise of such importance in the life of the church that the church must make declarative proclamation that not to believe something that the church deems essential is to declare one’s self outside the bounds of faith.”

Impasse Ahead!

Impasse Ahead! – “Here is my thanksgiving column this year: gratitude to God for allowing me to stay alive long enough to stop assuming that the same road going nowhere will turn out OK this time around.”

3 Ways to Stay Christian During Election Season

3 Ways to Stay Christian During Election Season – “Who is winning or losing should never rule our hearts.”

Your Unfulfilled Desires are a Treasury, Not a Tragedy

Your Unfulfilled Desires are a Treasury, Not a Tragedy – “While we are fixated on what we don’t have, God’s focus is on what we are becoming for the sake of His purpose.”

Visualize the Entire World’s Wealth

Visualize the Entire World’s Wealth – This infographic shows the different levels of average wealth per adult around the world.

New and Old Garments

New and Old Garments – “There are parts of the Bible I’ve read so many times that I’m prone to mistake familiarity with them for understanding of them. But once in a while, when I set my familiarity aside, I can take a look at what’s actually there.” 

Pastor, Don’t Imply that Church is Optional

Pastor, Don’t Imply that Church is Optional – “I wonder if, in the decades that followed, the truth that going to church doesn’t make you a Christian morphed into a different idea—that being a Christian doesn’t necessarily include going to church. I wonder if people started thinking that personal, individual faith in Jesus is the only important thing.”

Why You Should Go to Church [28 Biblical Reasons]

Why You Should Go to Church [28 Biblical Reasons] – “Being a part of a church isn’t just important, it’s essential.”

Why Does the Bible Stress the Power of Jesus’s Name?

Why Does the Bible Stress the Power of Jesus’s Name? – “Jesus is Yahweh, and whatever was true of that name is now true of the name Jesus.”

4 Messages Esther Offers the #MeToo Generation

4 Messages Esther Offers the #MeToo Generation – “Here are four principles from Esther’s story to encourage and challenge this generation of believers.”

When Parenting Isn’t Enjoyable

When Parenting Isn’t Enjoyable – “When our ambition is to enjoy Christ, our expectations for parenthood will be put in the right place. We will no longer feel like failures for encountering the hardship and toil that Scripture tells us to expect.”

How to Pray for Unbelieving Family Members

How to Pray for Unbelieving Family Members – As we move toward family holiday gatherings in the next few weeks, here are some good reminders about the “family mission field”.

The Ever-Present Drift Toward Pharisaism

The Ever-Present Drift Toward Pharisaism – “It’s so easy to become a modern Pharisee.”

I Am Not Afraid

I Am Not Afraid – Whatever you are facing today, the Lord has what you need.

When Loneliness is Your Closest Companion

When Loneliness is Your Closest Companion – “She didn’t sound bitter, just sad. She was grieving, and when one is walking in grief, I’ve learned that it’s important to encourage the sorrowful to use their voice to express that grief. Telling your story is a significant part of the healing process when walking that painful road.”

The Fruit of the Spirit

The Fruit of the Spirit – “Every era has its spiritual blind spots, and demonic forces will, by all means, capitalize on them.”

When You Don’t Desire God’s Word

When You Don’t Desire God’s Word – “The difference between reading and meditating on it is the difference between raking and digging.”

We Dare Not Ignore the Devil

We Dare Not Ignore the Devil – “Every era has its spiritual blind spots, and demonic forces will, by all means, capitalize on them.”

6 Members Who Build Up the Church

6 Members Who Build Up the Church – “Dear church member, pursue these qualities in your own life and encourage them in others. Pray for yourself and others. Pray that you will build up the church as faithful and patient members who attend, encourage, confront, pray, and serve. This builds up the church of Christ.”

There Once Was A Farmer

There Once Was A Farmer – “There once was a young farmer who found great pleasure in working the soil. And though his pleasure was great as he tilled the soil, his pleasure was rooted in the harvest he saw in his mind.”

Our World Wants to Transcend Aging. Christians Should Embrace It.

Our World Wants to Transcend Aging. Christians Should Embrace It. – “God casts a rich vision for growing old—one Christians should champion in a world that fears, fights, and attempts to hide aging.”

Will There Be Rodents and Insects in Heaven?

Will There Be Rodents and Insects in Heaven? – I get questions like this all the time and find Randy Alcorn’s response here to be a blessing.

What Is the Apocrypha? Listening to Four Centuries of Silence

What Is the Apocrypha? Listening to Four Centuries of Silence – “Should everyone read the Apocrypha? No. But every Christian would do well to know what’s in it — what is harmful, and what is helpful.”

Debating the Historical Adam Debate

Debating the Historical Adam Debate – Here’s a good balance of keeping the main things the main things in God’s word.

Not My Fault

Not My Fault – “Do you notice the difference? The language of brokenness and shame is passive language. It is describing something that has happened to you. The language of ‘sin’ is active language. It is something you do.”

Infographic: How Is Your Prayer Life?

Infographic: How Is Your Prayer Life? – “Over 14,000 people recently shared about various aspects of their prayer lives with us. In the infographic below, we invite you to dig into the data, looking at established prayer habits, common pain points, and useful practices and tools for prayer.”

How Did Jesus Suffer Eternal Punishment in Only 3 Hours?

How Did Jesus Suffer Eternal Punishment in Only 3 Hours? – “How did Jesus receive the full punishment for sin (eternal damnation) if he didn’t suffer eternally? To answer it, we must ask four additional questions that get at the logic of the atonement.”

Take Care How You Hear: How to Receive God’s Word

Take Care How You Hear: How to Receive God’s Word – “We fall out of Bible-reading habits a hundred ways, and all of them are deadly serious. Jesus warned us, with a story, about the perils we face.”

Why It Matters that We Call the Final Book of the Bible Revelation, not Revelations

Why It Matters that We Call the Final Book of the Bible Revelation, not Revelations – It may not seem like a big deal but words do matter when it’s God’s word.

Are We Seeing The First Non-Christian Majority Generation?

Are We Seeing The First Non-Christian Majority Generation? – Aaron Earls shares some statistics from studies about those who attend church. Churches can take some steps toward drawing in younger generations, such as being open to change and preaching Christ centrally.

Blessed Are the Refreshers

Blessed Are the Refreshers – “I can’t imagine navigating storms, bearing burdens, and handling heartaches alone.”

We Dare Not Ignore the Devil

We Dare Not Ignore the Devil – “How we think about satanic forces also determines in significant ways how we live.”

What the Persecuted Church Can Teach Gen Z

What the Persecuted Church Can Teach Gen Z – “Over the past few years, new regulations in China have made it illegal for teens to attend church and for teachers, pastors, and parents to teach religion to anyone younger than 18. For disregarding these regulations, many have been arrested and imprisoned.”

The Overstated Collapse of American Christianity

The Overstated Collapse of American Christianity – “Three reasons the narrative of rapid secularization is incomplete.”

9 Things You Should Know About Astrology

9 Things You Should Know About Astrology – “Here nine things you should know about the ancient practice of celestial divination.”

4 Lies that Hinder College Evangelism

4 Lies that Hinder College Evangelism – They are the same things that hinder all personal evangelism efforts.

The Great Commission Is Guaranteed

The Great Commission Is Guaranteed – Let’s get to work.

The Best of Times & The Worst of Times

The Best of Times & The Worst of Times – “We rejoice because though consequential areas of life often appear to be moving in unfavorable directions, we are confident in the Lord’s kind providence in all of these things.”

Six Reasons Romans 7 is Written from the Perspective of a Post-conversion Christian

Six Reasons Romans 7 is Written from the Perspective of a Post-conversion Christian – Here’s why.

God Wrote a Book: The Wonder of Having His Words

God Wrote a Book: The Wonder of Having His Words – “One of the greatest facts in all of history is that God gave us a Book.”

Will We Work and Have Jobs in Heaven?

Will We Work and Have Jobs in Heaven? – “We will delight in our position in our Heavenly home.”

Advice for Christians Who Work Sundays

Advice for Christians Who Work Sundays – “Those who must work on Sunday that the principle of resting one day in seven is God’s wisdom.” 

How Should Christians Think About the Day of the Dead?

How Should Christians Think About the Day of the Dead? – “Christians should be aware that behind the masks and the laughs lay serious spiritual problems.”