Thursday, April 30, 2020

How I Met Jesus


How I Met Jesus – This was simple and insightful. We meet Jesus in several key places.

Preparing Our Hearts Today for Post-Pandemic Fellowship


Preparing Our Hearts Today for Post-Pandemic Fellowship – “For real fellowship, we look to the apostle Paul who models the right heart orientation for both close and far-away interactions. Paul did his most lasting and well-known ministry by distance.”

Who is Ruth in the Bible and Why is She Important?


Who is Ruth in the Bible and Why is She Important? – Her story of faith, dedication and loyalty inspires us all.

Teaching Men to Pray


Teaching Men to Pray The best way to learn how to pray is to be with others who are praying.

Zoomed Out: Freedom from Consuming All the Resources During Quarantine


Zoomed Out: Freedom from Consuming All the Resources During Quarantine – “Zoom out from your world and into a larger map view of what God is doing; zoom down into the Word and spend time there. Spend time in real, honest, wrestling prayer. Reach out to someone else and send a text of encouragement or gratefulness to them. We are in this together and so is our God. Let's not miss him.”

The Two Paths Out of Trials


The Two Paths Out of Trials – “There are two paths for people to take in the midst of trials. They can take the path of self-reliance or the path of trusting in God.”

Before Your Suffering Comes: Five Rocks to Put Beneath Your Feet


Before Your Suffering Comes: Five Rocks to Put Beneath Your Feet – “Before the storms of suffering blow against a person’s soul, we should try to put five foundation stones under their faith.”

Saying No to ‘Maskshaming’


Saying No to ‘Maskshaming’ – “If we are truly to love our neighbor well during the pandemic — and after — we must work to meet the people behind the masks. And, perhaps hardest for me, we must be willing to love those who choose not to wear them.” Maskshaming may also be directed toward those who do wear them.

How to Talk with a High School Senior Who Is Reconsidering Fall Plans


How to Talk with a High School Senior Who Is Reconsidering Fall Plans – “Encouraging students to accept that they do not need to know how the future will unfold will give them the freedom to live in the present and learn to make decisions from a place of freedom, not control.”

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

4 Phases for an Orderly Return to Church


4 Phases for an Orderly Return to Church – These are the kinds of things churches are weighing just now. It’s complicated because everyone approaches these issues from their own experience, preferences, and risk tolerance levels. It’s a time for all of us to “love our neighbor”.

Three Ways to Reach Out in This Unique Moment in Time


Three Ways to Reach Out in This Unique Moment in Time – “In this moment, we need to reach people where they are, connect with them online or virtually, and be intentional to bring Jesus to people in creative ways.”

5 Ways You Can Improve Church


5 Ways You Can Improve Church – “Don’t be content to sit as a consumer in your local church. With the help of the Holy Spirit, you can change your mentality and experience rejuvenated participation that seeks first the Kingdom of God.”

His Delight Is Not in Your Strength


His Delight Is Not in Your Strength – “God is not pleased by all that we can do — unless we do all that we do in his strength, and not our own.”

The Fear-Sabotaging Murmur-Quelling Discipline of Thankfulness


The Fear-Sabotaging Murmur-Quelling Discipline of Thankfulness – “Thank you that you are presently working in all things for our good and your glory—even in nasty viruses, canceled plans, and a stressed economy.”

10 Ways to “Jump Start” Your Personal Evangelism


10 Ways to “Jump Start” Your Personal Evangelism – These are simple “next steps”. Try them out.

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Navigating Different COVID-19 Recovery Convictions


Navigating Different COVID-19 Recovery Convictions – Charles Smith wrote: “Prediction: one of the most challenging aspects of the #COVID19 recovery will be disagreements over acceptable post-COVID social norms between friends and family. Hurt feelings will abound if we’re not careful. Extend lots of grace. Everyone is different.” 

Three Reasons Church Unity is Important


Three Reasons Church Unity is Important – “Here are just three reasons why unity is a value we must pursue.”

Nine Reasons to Hope in God’s Goodness


Nine Reasons to Hope in God’s Goodness – “Anticipating God’s goodness is the foundation of all hope. We can’t have hope unless we believe God is good—and will be good in the future.”

Keep Him from His Knees: Five Ways Satan Silences Prayer



When Everything Is Not Obvious


When Everything Is Not Obvious – “At some point everything may be obvious, but at present we don’t know all the answers—or, likely, even all the questions to ask.” 

8 Ways Temptation Actually Works for Our Good


8 Ways Temptation Actually Works for Our Good – “It can be difficult to see any good in temptation, yet we know that God has promised to work all things for our good—even temptation.”

Even in the ICU: Why Hope Will Conquer Death


Even in the ICU: Why Hope Will Conquer Death – “God remains faithful. He abounds in steadfast love even when sin bears down and defies our comprehension. In ways more spectacular than we can fathom, he works through the calamities that ravage this world to bring us into his glory.”

Monday, April 27, 2020

Jesus Loves Me, This I Know


Jesus Loves Me, This I Know – “I don’t know what’s heavy on your heart today, dear believer. But I’m willing to bet there’s something. After all, this life may be short but it’s hard. Whatever it is, sing to your soul, Jesus loves me, this I know and remember that nothing in this whole scary world can change that truth.”

Jesus Walked: The Selfless Pace of Christian Love


Jesus Walked: The Selfless Pace of Christian Love “So, how are you doing on pace? Are you keeping in step with the Spirit, who produces the fruit of love? Or are you presuming that he will adjust to your step, which has been set by the frenzy or laziness of the world?”

None of Your Pain Will Be Wasted


None of Your Pain Will Be Wasted – “In view of eternity’s duration, our pains are but momentary. In view of heaven’s glorious weight, our afflictions are light. In view of the coming joy, our pains will one day prove to have been almost insignificant — except in that they worked for us the eternal glory that we then will enjoy, and increasingly so, forever."

Our Idols Are Exposed in Times of Crisis


Our Idols Are Exposed in Times of Crisis – What are our most controlling idols? Eugene Park describes the idol of self and three ways to combat this idolatry. 

What's in Your Soul That the Gospel Needs to Run a Sword Through?


What's in Your Soul That the Gospel Needs to Run a Sword Through? – This is a question worthy of our meditations and prayer.

What Cravings Will Take from You


What Cravings Will Take from You – How Jesus Fulfills the Longing Heart.

No Parent Can Prevent Suffering: Raising Children Through Pain and Loss


No Parent Can Prevent Suffering: Raising Children Through Pain and Loss – “And that is our greatest longing as parents — not to keep our children from ever suffering, but to teach them to trust Jesus when they suffer. And we do that by trusting Jesus together as we endure suffering together.”

Saturday, April 25, 2020

When Feelin’ Bored, Restless, and the “Blahs”


When Feelin’ Bored, Restless, and the “Blahs” – “And thank you for the comforters you send us. Though you’re quite capable of sending neon rainbows, little cherubs, or ravens to feed us; more often you send a Titus (2 Cor. 7:6), or a Phoebe (Rom. 16:1).”

Why Gather? Thinking About Gathering When Churches Can’t


Why Gather? Thinking About Gathering When Churches Can’t – “A church is more than a gathering, of course. It gathers, then scatters, then gathers again. Its members continue to be part of the church throughout the week, as they serve and represent Christ in their homes, their workplaces, their neighborhoods. But a church is never less than a gathering.”

What Cravings Will Take from You: How Jesus Fulfills the Longing Heart


What Cravings Will Take from You: How Jesus Fulfills the Longing Heart – “In our unchecked drive to consume, we ourselves become the ones consumed.”

Conspiracy Theories in a Time of Coronavirus: How to Address the Problems They Reveal


Conspiracy Theories in a Time of Coronavirus: How to Address the Problems They Reveal – “Discerning leaders should be wise to recognize the growing need to confront conspiracies in their midst and to equip believers to engage loved ones and friends who have come to believe some of the fake news flying around.”

Friday, April 24, 2020

Simple Tips to Study the Bible


Simple Tips to Study the Bible – “There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all stories are telling one Big Story. It is the Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story.”

The Greatest Promise From John 3:16


The Greatest Promise From John 3:16 – “God’s love is limitless.”

Memorizing Scripture and Meeting with Jesus


Memorizing Scripture and Meeting with Jesus – Here are suggestions for why and how. It’s written for children and their parents.

How to Win Any Argument: The Key to Abortion, Feminism, Politics, and More


How to Win Any Argument: The Key to Abortion, Feminism, Politics, and More – “God lives in us. If he lives in you, reject the well-worn path of Ezekiel Bulver, and speak the truth, with humility and boldness, and in love.” This was a fascinating article on why truth doesn’t matter to most.

Why So Many High Schoolers Are Considering A Gap Year


Why So Many High Schoolers Are Considering A Gap Year – Of the students who are questioning their fall plans, most are looking to take a gap year or enroll in a part-time program.

Thursday, April 23, 2020

Anecdotes a Preacher Would Kill For


Anecdotes a Preacher Would Kill For – I’ve used most of these at some point but they’re worth seeing again.

What’s the Role of Questions in Meeting with Jesus?


What’s the Role of Questions in Meeting with Jesus? – “Good questions are the solution and help us meet with Jesus.”

Why We Don’t Evangelize


Why We Don’t Evangelize – Here are some reasons, some familiar and some you may have never considered.

After Coronavirus, What Will the Church Be Remembered for?


After Coronavirus, What Will the Church Be Remembered for? – “Christian witnesses throughout history have been known for hope, faith, and self-sacrifice, following a Savior who ran toward tragedy and pain, not away from it.”

Are We Living In Reality?


Are We Living In Reality? – “In all these shifting emotions, we need to constantly pray that God would graciously pull us up from the muck of our own perceived reality and into the beauty of the actual reality that we live in. My perceived reality says I am stuck at home. My actual reality says I have been given more time to engage with the people in my life that I have been called to love the most: my family.” 

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Your Family Is the Frontlines: Three Ways to Recover the Christian Home


Your Family Is the Frontlines: Three Ways to Recover the Christian Home – “Might a global pandemic be just the occasion Christians have needed to get serious about recovering the home?”

Fortified by Fire: How Suffering Makes Us Strong


Fortified by Fire: How Suffering Makes Us Strong – “Few experiences expose our inner selves quite like the experience of suffering. When trials come, we almost cannot help but hold out our hearts for all to see.”

The Christian Faith Is Not Based on the Evidence for the Resurrection


The Christian Faith Is Not Based on the Evidence for the Resurrection – “In considering the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, it is important to avoid giving the impression that the Christian faith is based on the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection. The Christian faith is based on the event of the resurrection. It is not based on the evidence for the resurrection.”

More and More


More and More – “This is what God desires for every believer: to become more and more like Jesus.”

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Living in Harmony During Isolation


Living in Harmony During Isolation – “When we spend a lot of time together with the people we love, it can reveal a lot about what our relationship with them is really like.”

Why Should I Meet With Jesus?


Why Should I Meet With Jesus? – “There are lots of people we could meet in the world. So, why meet with Jesus?”

Tactile Religion in a Time of Pandemic


Tactile Religion in a Time of Pandemic “Whenever we are able to go back to some sort of normalcy, I don’t see those contact rituals coming back until an effective COVID-19 vaccine is available (sometime in 2021, Lord willing). That will mean that church will remain strange, because tactile religion is such a common feature of Christianity that we don’t notice it until it is gone.”

Glorify God in Your Habits


Glorify God in Your Habits – “Let’s capture three ways, among others, that our habits of grace produce joy that honors God.”

Let There Be Light: How to Read Genesis 1–3


Let There Be Light: How to Read Genesis 1–3 – “Several aspects of biblical teaching need to be taken into account. Let us begin with a foundational issue: the nature of God.”


Does Life Have Meaning? Four Possibilities


Does Life Have Meaning? Four Possibilities – “Steven D. Smith, in his book Pagans and Christians in the City: Culture Wars from the Tiber to the Potomac, sketches four possibilities.”

Monday, April 20, 2020

When Do I Meet With Jesus?


When Do I Meet With Jesus? “Many people want to meet Jesus but don’t have a plan. They want to meet but never actually meet because they don’t have a plan.”

Coronavirus, Psalm 131, And The Faithful Father


Coronavirus, Psalm 131, And The Faithful Father – “David, the author of this Psalm, expresses a childlike faith. There were many times when he needed to trust God.”

Don’t Waste Your Medical Crisis


Don’t Waste Your Medical Crisis – Here’s a great testimony and some practical applications.

Why Do We Confess If Our Sins Are Already Forgiven?


Why Do We Confess If Our Sins Are Already Forgiven? – “Confessing our sin is the agreement with God that we have sin and it must be fought and killed.”

Maturity Changes Our Desires


Maturity Changes Our Desires – “What we loved as children we may not care for anymore. What we had no interest in as kids we can’t get enough of now.”

Saturday, April 18, 2020

Facing the Day


Facing the Day – “Sometimes just the prospect of facing another day in lockdown seems overwhelming. Today looks exactly the same as yesterday. Yesterday looked the same as the day before. And the tomorrows seem to stretch out ahead of me, with no prospect of a change let alone an end in sight.”

6 Bible Verses to Get You Through the Pandemic


6 Bible Verses to Get You Through the Pandemic – “As COVID-19 shakes us to the core, God will give us strength.”

How to Use Isolation to Get Close to God

How to Use Isolation to Get Close to God – “You can use the COVID-19 crisis to create a deeper relationship with the Lord.

Prayer in a Pandemic: Part Two


Prayer in a Pandemic: Part Two – “Praying in difficult times.”

What Did They Mean, “Believe in Christ?”


What Did They Mean, “Believe in Christ?” – “They meant something that isn’t mysterious, but it is costly.”

What Does the Holy Spirit Do?


What Does the Holy Spirit Do? – “This is a brief overview, not an exhaustive list.”

The Sanctifying Grace of Inefficiency


The Sanctifying Grace of Inefficiency – “Today, as millions across the world are locked down and shut in because of the coronavirus, as swaths of people face job losses and missed work opportunities, and as our calendars present a series of canceled events, we have little choice but to acknowledge our entrenched inefficiency.”

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Who is Jesus?


Who is Jesus? – “Many people don’t know who Jesus is or what Jesus did.”

Our Quiet Times are Rarely as Quiet as they Appear


Our Quiet Times are Rarely as Quiet as they Appear – “There is, however, something deeper going on below the surface. There is an internal struggle raging.”

Prayer in a Pandemic: Part One


Prayer in a Pandemic: Part One – “Social Distancing from Each Other, Drawing Near to God.”

Don’t Wait to Be Done with Sin: What Mercy Says in Calamity


Don’t Wait to Be Done with Sin: What Mercy Says in Calamity – “In both the premeditated murder of the Galileans and in the accidental deaths resulting from the tower’s collapse, Jesus wanted his hearers to hear an urgent message from God: repent.”

Give God Your Whole Heart


Give God Your Whole Heart – “When God exposes misplaced allegiances in our hearts, he’s not doing it to embarrass us.  He’s doing it because he wants our whole hearts. So he lovingly exposes the false gods to which we turn.”

What if We Applied “For Better or Worse” to Church Commitment?


What if We Applied “For Better or Worse” to Church Commitment? – “Church commitment in America is fragile for the same reason marriage rates are declining: people are more skeptical than ever of long-term commitments and less willing to risk a union with a partner who’s not the perfect fit.”

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

More Precious Than Praise and Possessions


More Precious Than Praise and Possessions – We are inclined to crave both but Jesus is better.

A Prolonged Sabbath in a Culture of Productivity


A Prolonged Sabbath in a Culture of Productivity “Can I allow myself and my children to give up being productive or educated or entertained for even a small amount of time? Can I allow us to be bored? To be unessential? To rest?”

An Encouraging Statistic About Death


An Encouraging Statistic About Death – This was an encouraging devotional thought for me today.

Why I Could Never Be an Atheist


Why I Could Never Be an Atheist – Here are several, simple reasons.

Apart From Me You Can Do Nothing


Apart From Me You Can Do Nothing – “When we learn to read the Bible in context—not just as a collection of memorable phrases—we’ll find that some familiar verses take on richer and deeper meanings.”

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

5 Post-Lockdown Regrets


5 Post-Lockdown Regrets – This is a thoughtful article. It asks what we are learning about ourselves in this time and what we are missing spiritually in this time. Lock-down reveals our idols and fears.

Why We Make So Much of Jesus


Why We Make So Much of Jesus – “It’s all about Jesus.”

More Than an Idle Threat


More Than an Idle Threat – Real Assaults on Religious Liberty Emerge in the Pandemic.

Wandering from the Truth


Wandering from the Truth – “Let’s take a closer look at wandering from the truth and how we can prevent it and even reverse it. In James 5:19-20, the Apostle James wrote to prevent and reverse wandering from the truth. It was a special danger in these times because they were times of suffering for the faith.”

How the Virus Transformed the Way Americans Spend Their Money


How the Virus Transformed the Way Americans Spend Their Money – “The coronavirus has profoundly altered daily life in America, ushering in sweeping upheavals to the U.S. economy. Among the most immediate effects of the crisis? Radical changes to how people spend their money.”

Monday, April 13, 2020

10 Concise Pieces of Evidence for the Resurrection


10 Concise Pieces of Evidence for the Resurrection – “The following is a concise statement of the pieces of evidence for the real, true, historical resurrection of Jesus Messiah.”

We're All Children Now


We're All Children Now – “We’re all children in times of fear. And that desperation is a gift.”

I’m Afraid of Surrendering to Christ — What Can I Do?


I’m Afraid of Surrendering to Christ — What Can I Do? “There is truth, and there is a lie. There is deception, and there is liberation. The lie, the deception, is that if you give yourself up wholly to God for him to do whatever he pleases to make you holy, God-glorifying, and fruitful, you will be joyless, miserable. That’s the lie.”

Help! I’m Losing Confidence in Prayer


Help! I’m Losing Confidence in Prayer – “But the power of prayer can be restored in our lives. James 5:13-18 gives us two insights to increase our confidence and passion in prayer.”

The Art of Remembering How Good You Really Have It


The Art of Remembering How Good You Really Have It – “They say you don’t miss something until it’s gone.”

What Good News Do We Have in the Midst of COVID-19?


What Good News Do We Have in the Midst of COVID-19? – “Things we’ve taken for granted—our health, our jobs, the stock market, the security of loved ones, the ability to go and do what we please—have crumbled. And what if God, in love, was attacking foundations that will eventually crumble anyway to move us to one that never will?”

Sunday, April 12, 2020

Easter Fear Is Natural


Easter Fear Is Natural – “Jesus’ unnatural resurrection helps us fear not.”

The Worst “If” in the Bible


The Worst “If” in the Bible – “It is the worst “if” not only in the Bible but in the world.”

What Only Suffering Can Say: How Trials Feed the Flame of Witness


What Only Suffering Can Say: How Trials Feed the Flame of Witness – “Nothing gets our attention like suffering. It’s hard to ignore pain — not just for those enduring fiery trials, but also for those who are watching. Our eyes and hearts are inevitably rivetted by tragedy.”

Saturday, April 11, 2020

The Day Jesus Stayed Dead: Waiting in the Heartache of Holy Saturday


The Day Jesus Stayed Dead: Waiting in the Heartache of Holy Saturday – “For centuries, Christians called the day between Jesus’s death and resurrection Holy Saturday. For many of us, however, the day has become just another normal Saturday.” It wasn’t like that the first Saturday after the cross.

The Day Before Jesus’ Resurrection


The Day Before Jesus’ Resurrection – “Though the priests and Pharisees had the Scriptures, they had no clue. Yet they did remember your promise of resurrection.”

Celebrating What We’ve Lost


Celebrating What We’ve Lost – “What would be bad, however, is if, when all this is over, we returned to the same level of trying to live off of cultural candy.”

What Makes a Church a Church?


What Makes a Church a Church? – “The course of redemptive history and geography in the Bible is the story of God making his rule and kingdom visible at different times in different ways.”

Alone on a Friday: Isolation, Identify, and the Forsaken Savior of the World


Alone on a Friday: Isolation, Identify, and the Forsaken Savior of the World – “If being alone during this pandemic is especially hard, look to the One who experienced loneliness at a level we never will precisely because he faced what he did for us on the cross.”

5 Ways to Prepare For the End Times


5 Ways to Prepare For the End Times – “The End Times are upon us. Are you ready?”

Friday, April 10, 2020

Thursday, April 9, 2020

‘I Am Leaving the World’: The Last Words of a Man Betrayed


‘I Am Leaving the World’: The Last Words of a Man Betrayed – “His last words on that awful Thursday are words we so desperately need to hear.”

How to Prepare Your Heart for Holy Week This Year


How to Prepare Your Heart for Holy Week This Year – “No plague has ever altered the truth of redemption, and this novel virus doesn’t change the reality that Holy Week and Easter reveal.”

The Full Extent of Jesus’ Love


The Full Extent of Jesus’ Love – “Having loved his own who were in the world, he (Jesus) now showed them the full extent of his love.” John 13:1 (NIV)

Do We Really Want to Go Back to Normal?


Do We Really Want to Go Back to Normal? – “But the truth is, whatever will become ‘normal’ on the other side of the coronavirus crisis will not be the old normal. It will be something new. We are not going back.”

Mercy Will Come


Mercy Will Come – “There lies the hope of the sinner’s heart: that God is merciful and forgiving. If God were to mark our sins and hold them against us, not one of us would stand.”

The First 23 of 500 Reasons Why I Believe


The First 23 of 500 Reasons Why I Believe – “I believe in God because...”

Face to Face


Face to Face – “How much are we going to come to regret the phrase ‘social distancing’?”

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Charging the Gates of Hell When You Can Barely Move


Charging the Gates of Hell When You Can Barely Move – “God stalls us to shape us. God exiles us to educate us. He wounds us to heal us.”

9 Ways the Gospel Speaks to Us During COVID-19


9 Ways the Gospel Speaks to Us During COVID-19 – “Now allow your mind to ponder some of the ways the gospel speaks to the disrupting realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. For starters, here are nine reflections.”

Is Jesus Weeping for Us in Heaven?


Is Jesus Weeping for Us in Heaven? – “The exalted Christ who cried over Lazarus is not crying at the right hand of God. Jesus does not continue to weep in heaven, and that is the good news we need.”

3 Things to Remember When Facing Valleys


3 Things to Remember When Facing Valleys – “Psalm 23 provides encouragement for the valleys we face in life—and today we’re facing some valleys.”

Jesus’ Question Two Days Before His Death


Jesus’ Question Two Days Before His Death“What do you think about the Messiah?” 

The Hope Of A Double Resurrection


The Hope Of A Double Resurrection – “It’s tempting to dwell on the weight of the global pandemic, but I would encourage you to step back. There is a far greater historical moment that you should be thinking about this week. It’s the most significant event in the history of the universe. It’s the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Gentleness Amid the Germs


Gentleness Amid the Germs – “I’m not sure what your home has been looking like these last few weeks, but ours is starting to get a bit restless. Not restless to necessarily ‘do more’ but restless in the sense of being more easily annoyed and more easily frustrated.”

Your Strength Will Fail


Your Strength Will Fail – “Why God Gives Us More Than We Can Handle.”

Something Like…


Something Like… - “While much has changed in my particular life due to COVID-19, much has also stayed the same. I’m thankful for both, actually.”

Nothing Is Certain Anymore


Nothing Is Certain Anymore—Nothing, That Is, But God’s Love.

Six “Do Nots” for Evangelism from the Old Testament


Six “Do Nots” for Evangelism from the Old Testament – “The Old Testament is rich in describing Christian evangelism. This wealth complements New Testament teaching and practice.”

Me-first or God-first?


Me-first or God-first? – “Are we blaming the right person? Are we so helpless and hopeless? I want to show you that blaming yourself is not only more truthful but more helpful and more hopeful.”

Monday, April 6, 2020

No Social Distance in Heaven


No Social Distance in Heaven – “God is not socially distant from us, even when we remain (for the present) socially distant from each other. What's more, there will be no social distancing in eternity!”

When Trusting God is Hard


When Trusting God is Hard – “Whether it’s young moms fearful for their children’s future or people afraid to leave their homes, we’re living in a world that’s sending out fear-producing shock waves. And right now, many of these fears are legitimate.”

24 Hours after Palm Sunday


24 Hours after Palm Sunday – “In our pandemic-slowed pace, may this be a week of surveying the wonders of your cross.”

3 Things To Teach Your Child When Talking About Death


3 Things To Teach Your Child When Talking About Death Cassie Pattillo provides helpful language and Bible passages for parents who want to learn more about how to talk about death with their children. 

College Student, Fight Spiritual Stagnation at Home


College Student, Fight Spiritual Stagnation at Home – “How are students supposed to spiritually grow in an environment that can be the polar opposite of what they experienced on campus? Here are four tips from someone who has walked the path before you.”

The Lord's Prayer in a Crisis


The Lord's Prayer in a Crisis – “What does the prayer we say to God say to us about times of trouble?”

Why God Doesn’t Feel Real During COVID-19


Why God Doesn’t Feel Real During COVID-19 – “As uncertain as these times are, here are some steps to help our wavering faith.”

Saturday, April 4, 2020

Why Being Discouraged About Not Gathering as the Church is A Good Sign


Why Being Discouraged About Not Gathering as the Church is A Good Sign – “No, the church isn’t a building, but the building is where our church gathers and we have been prevented from gathering for a while now. Don’t underestimate the value of place. Place is where the church gathers.”

How to Take Every Thought Captive During a Pandemic


How to Take Every Thought Captive During a Pandemic – “Things are difficult right now, but we don’t have to keep our minds stuck in that place. It is a constant battle but we will overcome. God gave us the Holy Spirit, who is a wonderful teacher and guide to help us through this.”

More “Us-ies” in a World of Selfies


More “Us-ies” in a World of Selfies – The title of the article says it all.

How Early Christians Handled Their ‘COVID-19’


How Early Christians Handled Their ‘COVID-19’ – “Those in the early church faced two life-threatening epidemics within its first 200 years.”

Friday, April 3, 2020

The Magnificence of Gospel Assurance


The Magnificence of Gospel Assurance – “What grand assurance we enjoy, as those who trust in the finished work of Jesus.”

Corona Cannot Prevail Against Her


Corona Cannot Prevail Against Her “These may be unprecedented days in our lifetimes, but they are not unprecedented in the life of the church.”

Welcome Whatever Keeps You from Pride


Welcome Whatever Keeps You from Pride – “Unless we learn to see the devastating power of pride, we will not see our thorns as blessings — and we may begin resenting God for having anything to do with them.”

Grieving Deeply with Faith: Not a Contradiction


Grieving Deeply with Faith: Not a Contradiction – “When we grieve in faith, God receives us the way we are.” We may be grieving many things today.

Thursday, April 2, 2020

What If Psalm 131 Wasn’t True?


What If Psalm 131 Wasn’t True? What would a life look like didn’t trust the Lord?

8 Practices That Divide


8 Practices That Divide – “There are certain practices which will stoke the flames of controversy and division rather than assisting us in mortifying our hearts which are so prone to division.”

“What Do You Want?”: Pastoral Reflections on Faithfulness


“What Do You Want?”: Pastoral Reflections on Faithfulness – “Faithfulness shows up in a ton of different, practical, and beautiful ways.”

Influencer of the Year


Influencer of the Year – “Few of us realize the power of the tongue for good or for evil. We therefore don’t maximize the good our tongue can do. But we also minimize the damage our tongue can do.”

The Fear that Produces Fearlessness


The Fear that Produces Fearlessness – “To put it succinctly, God is, He will never leave or forsake us, and we are called to fear Him, which produces an other-worldly fearlessness in us.”

Prayer Is for the Humbled


Prayer Is for the Humbled How God Meets Us in Desperation.

How to Proclaim Hope in the Shadow of Death


How to Proclaim Hope in the Shadow of Death – “In a matter of days, we will celebrate a holiday that has been at the center of Christianity for two thousand years—Easter. There has never been a more hopeless time, humanly speaking, than when the Son of God was in the grave. At that point, it seemed like the end.”

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Trusting God in Your Waiting Season


Trusting God in Your Waiting Season – “Maybe you’ve been there too, asking God, Where do I go from here? What’s the next step? or Is this ever going to change?”

How to Talk to Children About the Coronavirus


How to Talk to Children About the Coronavirus – “Let me give you some things that I can see and you can see in the Bible that God is planning to do with the coronavirus.”

How I Survive Social Distancing


How I Survive Social Distancing – “Staying informed and making wise decisions based on that information is a good thing. The problem is that we can develop an unhealthy habit in our hearts where we meditate on trouble and forget God.”

Coping With the Silence of Self-Isolation


Coping With the Silence of Self-Isolation – “Can we simply sit and be still with him? Can we cope with the silence? Or will we continue to fill it as much as we possibly can?”

I Didn’t Know I Loved You Like This


I Didn’t Know I Loved You Like This – Isolation from one another makes me love my church family that much more.

The Most Dangerous Job in the World


The Most Dangerous Job in the World“Many want to be preachers and Bible teachers without realizing how dangerous a job it is.”