Live in the Unhurried Pace of Jesus

Live in the Unhurried Pace of Jesus – “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” 

 

3 Ways God Protects His People

3 Ways God Protects His People – “Psalm 91 is such a strong comfort. It describes God’s deeply personal concern with the trials his people face—and he wants them to know that they have reason to hope. And the psalm does it in three ways.”

5 Ways to Pursue Holiness

5 Ways to Pursue Holiness – “When was the last time our churches had a conversation about holiness?”

Sabbath Isn’t Just Rest; It’s Rebellion.

Sabbath Isn’t Just Rest; It’s Rebellion. – “When we rest in the gospel, we ironically fight against the culture. We rebel because we refuse to find our validation in that which the world says validates us. So rest, Christian, and in so doing, fight.”

Parents, Quality Time is a Function of Quantity Time

Parents, Quality Time is a Function of Quantity Time – “Quality time is a function of quantity time.”

Parenting Kids and Planting Oaks

Parenting Kids and Planting Oaks – “Oak trees are also meant to provide us with a visual reminder of Jesus Christ and his redemptive work. Isaiah 61 contains a prophecy of the Messiah who would come and what he would produce.”

 

What a Story. What a Savior

What a Story. What a Savior – “Nothing is uglier than self-righteousness. Nothing is more important than the way we love you, and others.”

 

Foster Your Friendships

Foster Your Friendships – “The Bible has a lot to say about friendship. We could even argue that friendship is one of the Bible’s major themes—the Bible is the Book of Friendship!”

5 Reasons You’re Struggling to Say ‘No’ to Your Kids

5 Reasons You’re Struggling to Say ‘No’ to Your Kids – “Here are five reasons why you might be struggling.”

My Biggest Struggle with Daily Devotions

My Biggest Struggle with Daily Devotions – “My biggest struggle with daily devotions is not carving out the 20 to 30 minutes needed to read the word and spend time with God. The most difficult part is slowing down my heart and mind enough to get anything from it.”

The Elusiveness of Contentment

The Elusiveness of Contentment – “The truth is most people spend most of what they earn, regardless of how much they take in. We can’t just blame the economy. We need to look inward.”

Don’t Always Be Efficient

Don’t Always Be Efficient – “I love it when I can move swiftly through my own tasks for the day, ticking off to-do boxes with a satisfied smile. Efficiency is fantastic. Except when it isn’t.”

The Oft-Unopened Gift of Shame

The Oft-Unopened Gift of Shame – “Godly shame causes us to blush, points us to the Gospel, and promotes holiness.”

You Still Need Good Friends

You Still Need Good Friends – “These two insights about friendship — that friends helps us see more of God and that they free us to do more for his glory — explain what makes friendship precious.”

 

Are Some Sins Worse Than Others?

Are Some Sins Worse Than Others? – “Are all sins the same in God’s eyes, or are some sins worse than others?”

Not One Solitary Mention of the Child Being Killed

Not One Solitary Mention of the Child Being Killed – Here’s another example of the obvious omission in the abortion debate.

Three Biblical Questions For Fans Of The Chosen

Three Biblical Questions For Fans Of The Chosen – It’s always worthwhile to ask good questions and be discerning.

5 Reasons Why Children Like Going to a Church

5 Reasons Why Children Like Going to a Church – “Here are five reasons why children like going to a church.”

 

Take Time to Be Unproductive: How Busyness Can Waste a Life

Take Time to Be Unproductive: How Busyness Can Waste a Life – “What if God doesn’t expect us to be productive every moment? What if growing comfortable with slowness, with quiet, with not filling every moment can help reconnect us to God, others, and even with our own humanity?”

Eight Signs You’re in a Healthy Relationship

Eight Signs You’re in a Healthy Relationship – “Here are eight key traits of a healthy relationship that can help create the foundation for long-term, side-by-side growth and happiness as God intended.”

 

Back to School Prayers for Students: Share These With Parents

Back to School Prayers for Students: Share These With Parents – “One is a prayer that parents can pray with their child. The other is a prayer that parents can pray for their child.”

Even the Darkness

Even the Darkness – “Whatever it is, wherever it’s come from, you can take courage that God sees your situation from a different perspective.”

Trembling Before God on Sunday

Trembling Before God on Sunday – “Don’t fear God as your enemy; fear him as one who was your enemy, and who is very great.”

What Questions Do You Have about Your Faith?

What Questions Do You Have about Your Faith? – “We shouldn’t ignore, deny, or shun our questions or our doubts.”

10 Lessons I’ve Learned During My 10 Days of Quarantine

10 Lessons I’ve Learned During My 10 Days of Quarantine – For all who have quarantined or will at some point, here are some good lessons to consider.

Consider Yourself Dead to Sin

Consider Yourself Dead to Sin – “We have already given too much of our lives doing things godless people do. It is time we consider ourselves dead to sin (Romans 6:11).”

The Secret Name; The White Stone

The Secret Name; The White Stone – No one knows you like Jesus.

The Pilgrim’s Progress

The Pilgrim’s Progress – A Reader’s Guide to a Christian Classic

Not Just a 16.9-Ounce Bottle of Grace

Not Just a 16.9-Ounce Bottle of Grace – “Praying Psalm 63:1-5.”

How Earthly Worship Differs From Heavenly Worship

How Earthly Worship Differs From Heavenly Worship – “Three aspects (at least) of our worship during this earthly age should differ from the heavenly worship of the age to come.”

Extravagance

Extravagance – “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”

Encountering Storms Even in the Center of God’s Will

Encountering Storms Even in the Center of God’s Will – “Many biblical heroes fought hardship and anxiety while being in the center of God’s will.”

3 Things to Pray for those Hurting, Suffering and Grieving

3 Things to Pray for those Hurting, Suffering and Grieving – This would be good to keep close by when praying for the struggles of those around us.

‘To an Unknown God’: How Christians Can Press Into Thorny and Divisive Issues Today

‘To an Unknown God’: How Christians Can Press Into Thorny and Divisive Issues Today – “Let me share several ways Christians can engage well with the hard issues of today.”

5 Ways to Maintain Unity amid Disagreement

5 Ways to Maintain Unity amid Disagreement – “Here are five encouragements.”

Show us the Father: Discipline for the Disobedient

Show us the Father: Discipline for the Disobedient – “Why does our heavenly Father discipline us?”

Let’s Talk About Bodies

Let’s Talk About Bodies – “It can feel confusing to know how God wants us to think about our bodies. What is too much? What is too little? Are bodies spiritual or are bodies unspiritual?”

FAQ: Is it Okay to Question the Bible?

FAQ: Is it Okay to Question the Bible? – “If you find that you’re questioning the Bible, does it mean you lack faith?”

The Secret to Happiness

The Secret to Happiness – “According to a 2020 University of Chicago poll, Americans were the unhappiest they had ever been since conductors started collecting data in 1972.”

 

See, Savor, Be Seized

See, Savor, Be Seized – “You have come to make your blessings flow, far as the curse is found—everywhere there is evidence of sin and death. Not just inside of us, where sin and sorrows grow, but also where thorns infest the ground—which is everywhere.”

Where Do We Find Unity Now? The Surprising Path to Real Peace

Where Do We Find Unity Now? The Surprising Path to Real Peace – “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other?”

How to Starve Bitterness

How to Starve Bitterness – “If we do not actively starve bitterness, it will bring death to us. So how do we starve it?”

I Shall Be Satisfied Then

I Shall Be Satisfied Then – “Then I shall be satisfied, when I can break this prison of clay, and be free.” Be encouraged.

Which Sins Are Feeding Your Sin of Lust?

Which Sins Are Feeding Your Sin of Lust? – “A breakthrough—dealing with anger, or pride, or anxiety, or laziness—may have ripple effects that eventually help disarm the big bogeyman that has been hogging all the attention and earnest concern.”

Six Strategies for Winning the Abortion Debate Without Losing Your Opponent

Six Strategies for Winning the Abortion Debate Without Losing Your Opponent – “Here are six simple strategies that will help you win the abortion debate without losing, or alienating, your audience.”

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism: Not Just a Problem with Youth Ministry

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism: Not Just a Problem with Youth Ministry – “American Christianity has become a “generous host” to this low-commitment, entertainment-driven model.”

A Doctor Shares the Secret to Dying Well

A Doctor Shares the Secret to Dying Well – “If a person’s life is characterized by faithfulness, his death is as well.”

 

Your Preparation to Be a Martyr Starts . . . Now

Your Preparation to Be a Martyr Starts . . . Now – “These martyrs died for their faith while continuing to give verbal witness for their hope in Christ.”

The Transgender Fantasy

The Transgender Fantasy – “True flourishing cannot come at the expense of rejecting our nature and our embodiment.”

Thinking Sensibly About Ourselves

Thinking Sensibly About Ourselves – “When walking the narrow road of the Christian life, many of us fall into one of two traps when it comes to our gifts: viewing ourselves too highly or too lowly.”

There is One Gospel

There is One Gospel – Here’s a new song I really enjoyed hearing. Hope it blesses you.

What I’ve Learned from 25 Years of Marriage

What I’ve Learned from 25 Years of Marriage – Here are some good reminders and encouragements for your marriage.

 

Death is not Dying

Death is not Dying – “This life is a vapor, the shadowlands of beauty and sin and grief. A splashing, shallow kiddie pool compared to the swirling depths of magnificent ocean-treasures awaiting us one day, if we bow in humble submission before God.”

3 Questions Every Man Should Ask Every Day

3 Questions Every Man Should Ask Every Day – Here are “three self-awareness questions” to implement into your daily life. 

Satan Has Vested Interests in Making Unbelievers Think They Are Going to Heaven

Satan Has Vested Interests in Making Unbelievers Think They Are Going to Heaven – “Where the experience contradicts the revealed Word of God, the Word must be accepted over the experience.”

Why Small Groups Should Not Try to Fix Others

Why Small Groups Should Not Try to Fix Others – “What we can do, instead of trying fix, is serve.”

U.S. House Officially Abandons Support for Traditional Marriage

U.S. House Officially Abandons Support for Traditional Marriage – “It is discouraging how quickly our politicians and fellow citizens have abandoned the biblical, historic, and traditional view of marriage. But instead of letting that lead us to despair, we must set our resolve to the task ahead.”

Fitted Sheets

Fitted Sheets – “Can I tell you a story about fitted sheets? I promise it’s not as boring as it sounds.” We need each other.

How Is the Sexual Revolution Affecting Women and Girls Today?

How Is the Sexual Revolution Affecting Women and Girls Today? – “There is one thing that the sexual revolution has done to women and girls that I don’t think we really consider very often. It is pervasive. It is far-reaching. The ramifications are really destructive.”

 

VP Kamala Harris: People of Faith Can Support Abortion Rights

VP Kamala Harris: People of Faith Can Support Abortion Rights – “It is outrageous of Kamala Harris to think that she has any business using her position as VP to tell Americans what their faith does or does not require of them.”

Being the Moon

Being the Moon – “He hasn’t made us powerless; just as the moon’s gravitational pull is the primary cause of earth’s high and low tides, we hold sway in the world. But our role is never to be the world’s savior – only to point to the actual Savior.”

The Weapons of Our Warfare

The Weapons of Our Warfare – “When Jesus walked among us, he did not take arms against his enemies. He did not hire a political strategist or form a coup. His weapons of war were much different, and as believers, so are ours.”

How Parents Must Correct Our Overcorrections

How Parents Must Correct Our Overcorrections – “Having been raised at the center of their families’ conversations, Millennials often entered the work world expecting that their voices would matter to the same extent to their bosses, earning them the unflattering reputation of being entitled.”

Why Our Attention Needs Stewardship

Why Our Attention Needs Stewardship – “According to a recent study, as many as 47 percent of Americans consider themselves addicted to their phones. Even if we’re not addicted, most of us can admit to cognitive dissonance in reconciling the benefits technology provides with the resources, such as time and attention, it consumes.”

The Christian’s Confidence in Christ’s Compassion

The Christian’s Confidence in Christ’s Compassion – “Throughout the four Gospels, readers are flooded with examples of the compassion of Christ.”

A Little Test of Character

A Little Test of Character – “There is little more repulsive than people looking past you, through you, or over your shoulder looking for somebody more important or significant to speak with.” 

“One Anothers” You Won’t Find in the New Testament

“One Anothers” You Won’t Find in the New Testament – “Our relationships with one another reveal to us what we really believe as opposed to what we think we believe, our convictions as opposed to our opinions.”

5 Reasons Why Far Too Many Christians Don’t Share the Gospel

5 Reasons Why Far Too Many Christians Don’t Share the Gospel – “Sharing the Gospel is easier than you think and more important that you can imagine.”

Why Pro-Choicers Insist Pro-Life Arguments Are Religious

Why Pro-Choicers Insist Pro-Life Arguments Are Religious – “When I make my case, I don’t cite the Bible. I don’t invoke God. I’m not making a religious argument. My case against abortion brings in legal, moral, scientific, and philosophical reasoning. Abortion-choice advocates, however, bring up religion for a reason: It’s an effective tactic.”

How to Find Peace in the Midst of Difficult Circumstances

How to Find Peace in the Midst of Difficult Circumstances – “How can you find peace when you’re in the midst of a circumstance that could alter the course of your life? Here are three things.”

The Unrepenting Repenter

The Unrepenting Repenter – “The deceived repenter would be a worse sinner if he could, but society holds him back. He can tolerate and even enjoy other worldly professing Christians and pastors well enough, but does not desire holy fellowship or the fervent warmth of holy worship.”

Before Us, Beside Us, and Behind Us

Before Us, Beside Us, and Behind Us – The Lord shepherds us well and we would do well to walk through life with Him always.

10 Ways to Fight Like a Christian

10 Ways to Fight Like a Christian – “Paul mentions two kinds of speech: that which builds up and that which pulls down. This verse and the surrounding passage show us 10 ways that we can handle conflict well.”

God Will Turn You Every Which Way but Loose

God Will Turn You Every Which Way but Loose – “Your God, in his providence, will turn you every which way but loose. Do not believe the lies that say God wants your life to be as smooth as possible. To expose those lies, let us look at the life of one of the most faith-filled men of scripture.”

Worship Gives Me A Reason When Reason Can’t Be Found

Worship Gives Me A Reason When Reason Can’t Be Found – “There is no reason to sing. There is no reason to smile. There is no reason to lift my hands or say a creed or surrender to God. At least, that’s what my heart sometimes tells me when I walk into a room on a Sunday morning after a hard, hard week. Worship gives me a reason when reason can’t be found.”

Parents, Let’s Pastor Our Children

Parents, Let’s Pastor Our Children – “According to a Barna survey in 2021, only 42 percent of all “Christian parents”—and only 51 percent of “practicing Christian parents”—are “very” concerned about their kids’ spiritual growth.”

No Success Without Suffering

No Success Without Suffering – “Spiritual success requires suffering. There is no eternal reward without sacrifice.” 

How to Get More Out of Church

How to Get More Out of Church – “We will likely get more out of church when we put a little more into it.”

 

A Healing Psalm

A Healing Psalm – “God’s pure Word protects from the wicked’s painful words.”

Should We Say, “This World Is Not Our Home”?

Should We Say, “This World Is Not Our Home”? – “Often, we think of Heaven as our going up into an angelic realm to live with God in His place. But in fact, the Bible says the ultimate Heaven will be God coming down from His place to live with us in our place—the New Earth.”

Purity Means Seeing More, Not Less

Purity Means Seeing More, Not Less – “We must see that the pursuit of purity means opening our eyes and seeing more of ourselves, more of others, and more of the Savior.”

How to Battle Theological Confirmation Bias

How to Battle Theological Confirmation Bias – “Confirmation bias is the basic human tendency to search for evidence that supports personal beliefs and to overlook contradictory claims.”

Desperate and Dependent

Desperate and Dependent – “I can’t go to the store and purchase wisdom, character, integrity, honesty, diligence, perseverance, or salvation for my children or grandchildren, but I can ask God to give it. And so I ask.”

Isn’t One Enough?

Isn’t One Enough? – “Sometimes you just know the Lord is at work. That’s not to say he’s not at work when you don’t sense it. He’s always at work, after all. But sometimes, while he’s at work, he is at work in ways that are particularly noticeable.”

 

Teaching Boundaries to Youth: 16 Resources for Guiding Teens

Teaching Boundaries to Youth: 16 Resources for Guiding Teens – “Check out these 16 sites and sources, most of which are free.”

To Men Who Want to Marry: How to Prepare to Lead Well

To Men Who Want to Marry: How to Prepare to Lead Well – “As we pursue Christ and grow as leaders, providers, and protectors, we will be more prepared to date — and ultimately, marry — a godly woman, if God wills.”

True Companions

True Companions – “To the ancients, friendship was the crown of life and the school of virtue. To us, it’s both of you clicking a button on Facebook. How far we have fallen.”

 

A Doctor Shares the Secret to Dying Well

A Doctor Shares the Secret to Dying Well – “The gospel provides far better resources than any man-made way of coping with the existential angst of death.”

Are God and Satan Playing Chess with My Life?

Are God and Satan Playing Chess with My Life? – “Time to be real. If I’m to tell it straight, I’ve felt a few times lately like God and Satan are playing chess, and I’m a pawn.”

 

The New Left and the Radical Transformation of America

The New Left and the Radical Transformation of America – “If you want to understand the ideological controversies behind today’s headlines, you need to look to the past—and to one specific event that took place exactly 60 years ago today.”

59% of American Christians Say They’re Persecuted, May Not Understand Real Persecution

59% of American Christians Say They’re Persecuted, May Not Understand Real Persecution  - “Persecution against Christians is real and we should be talking more about it. But it’s not what the American Church is facing, and conflating what’s happening in other countries with online backlash and political spats in the U.S. does a disservice to that conversation.”

Remembering Gospel Truths Amidst Evil

Remembering Gospel Truths Amidst Evil – “We live in a place where evil runs rampant and sin dwells in the hearts of many.  We are mere sojourners passing through this world, proclaiming the hope of the world to come, with our eyes fixed on Jesus.”

Why I Still Go to Church Even When I Don’t Want To

Why I Still Go to Church Even When I Don’t Want To – “The reasons not to go pale in comparison to the reasons why I—a doubting, skeptical, pragmatic, optimistic believer—still want to go to church and why I still believe in the Church.”

Doing Missions When Nationalism Is the Local Religion

Doing Missions When Nationalism Is the Local Religion – “Nationalism isn’t a neutral ideology, a benign cultural stump around which the missionaries must plow. Nationalism is an idolatrous ideology presenting itself as a religious surrogate and a competitor to the Christian gospel.”

God’s Immutability Secures Ten Thousand Promises

God’s Immutability Secures Ten Thousand Promises – “If God is immutable, then this gives Christians some wonderful, implicit promises. For every aspect of God’s character and nature will exist in perfection forever.”

 

God is One

God is One – “God has revealed himself as Triune. He is both one and three. Yet many hear that statement as contradictory. Obviously, in mathematics 1 does not equal 3. And it would be a contradiction if God was one and three in the same way. But he is not.”

Pray the Psalms – A Transforming Practice

Pray the Psalms – A Transforming Practice – “Here are my reflections on why praying the Psalms could, over time, change your life and mine.”

The Lasting Legacy of Ordinary Believers

The Lasting Legacy of Ordinary Believers – “Keep at it. A consistent, faithful life will be unusual in this world and you may be mightily used for the kingdom of God. Even if you’re not like Elijah or John Knox.”

Differing Spiritual Temperaments

Differing Spiritual Temperaments – By temperament, I mean, that “aspect of personality concerned with emotional dispositions and reactions and their speed and intensity.”

How to Experience God’s Presence

How to Experience God’s Presence – “We live among a busy and distracted people. Followers of Jesus need to live in God’s presence. We need more than a theology of God’s presence: we need the experience of his presence. He is here, now. Are we awake?”

Is the Land of Israel Still Spiritually Significant?

Is the Land of Israel Still Spiritually Significant? – “There are three ways in which the land of Israel remains spiritually significant today.”

If Your Brother Sins Against You: How to Forgive and Let Go

If Your Brother Sins Against You: How to Forgive and Let Go – “Have you also found that it can be much easier to pray for your own sins than to deal with others’ sins against you?”

Trust Through the Dark Brings Triumph in the Dawn

Trust Through the Dark Brings Triumph in the Dawn – “Christian, the night may feel long, but the light will dawn again. You can’t put trust in circumstances changing in the way or timing you desire, but you can trust the One who rules over them. And he cannot be unfaithful to his promises.”

Learning to Follow God’s Will

Learning to Follow God’s Will – “You are to be able to find out God’s will tomorrow by becoming very familiar with the trajectories of God’s word.”

The Art of Arguing Well: Six Strategies for Winning the Abortion Debate Without Losing Your Opponent

The Art of Arguing Well: Six Strategies for Winning the Abortion Debate Without Losing Your Opponent – “Here are six simple strategies that will help you win the abortion debate without losing, or alienating, your audience.”

Are There Two Creation Accounts?

Are There Two Creation Accounts? – “Genesis 1 is like the road map of the entire state. Genesis 2 is like the inset, focusing on a particular city.” 

How to Handle the “Why” Questions

How to Handle the “Why” Questions – “However we frame it, we want to know why—why me, why you, and why does a loving God allow His people to suffer at all?”

How to Keep Yourself from Loving Money

How to Keep Yourself from Loving Money – “Trying to find satisfaction in money has disastrous results.”

 

Our Father in Heaven

Our Father in Heaven – “At the very beginning of our prayer Christ wants to kindle in us what is basic to our prayer – the childlike awe and trust that God through Christ has become our Father.”

How Might Jesus Do Counseling? Four Roads into the Human Heart

How Might Jesus Do Counseling? Four Roads into the Human Heart – “It’s easy to get stuck when we are trying to give good scriptural counsel, and sometimes that’s not the fault of the counselor. Before we walk off assured that others’ hard-heartedness is to blame, however, we can try reframing our counsel using one or more of these elements.”

The preciousness of Christ to his people above everything

The preciousness of Christ to his people above everything – “In this article, I am going to give a glimpse of why Christ is indeed the greatest treasure to believers above any earthly treasure.”

Why Christian Teens Have an Identity Crisis

Why Christian Teens Have an Identity Crisis – “Teens are struggling to know who they are and if they matter.”

 

Bad Spies

Bad Spies – “Do you ever secretly scoff at Israel’s failures in the wilderness, thoroughly convinced that you would’ve done so much better?” 

We Need to Be More Sparing About When We Shout ‘Fire’

We Need to Be More Sparing About When We Shout ‘Fire’ – “We need to be careful that we aren’t always insisting that such and such is ‘an attack on Christian values’ or is necessarily government overreach that will impact believers when it isn’t always so.”

The Key to Knowing God’s Will

The Key to Knowing God’s Will – “Knowing God increasingly and knowing God’s will increasingly are part of the same experience of knowing.”

 

The World Population Will Reach 8 Billion This Year

The World Population Will Reach 8 Billion This Year – “According to a new United Nations report on world population predictions, the world’s population is expected to reach 8 billion by mid-November later this year.”

Isn’t Christianity Just an Oppressive Set of Rules? – “The idea of Christianity as following a set of rules misunderstands things completely. Like most half-truths, it ends up being a whole lie. A Christian is someone who trusts in Jesus as the One who saved them from disaster and rules their life.” 

Nipping Gossip in the Bud

Nipping Gossip in the Bud – “One reason gossip can be so difficult to define is that it so often masquerades as something more mundane, perhaps even beneficent. I’m sure you have witnessed plenty of prayer requests shared on someone’s behalf that seemed to include unnecessary details or salacious information.”

Satan Has Vested Interests in Making Unbelievers Think They Are Going to Heaven

Satan Has Vested Interests in Making Unbelievers Think They Are Going to Heaven – “Let’s pray for the unbelievers in our lives, that God will open their eyes and ‘grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth’” (2 Timothy 2:25).

You Are Not a Slave to Sin—Even if You Feel Like One

You Are Not a Slave to Sin—Even if You Feel Like One – “Tell yourself the truth. The biggest cause of defeat in the Christian life is that we go on repeating the lies of the enemy.”

The Last Enemy

The Last Enemy – “Those of us who are approaching that deadly day have nothing to fear but God Himself.”

When Suffering Doesn’t Make Sense

When Suffering Doesn’t Make Sense – “The Bible reiterates that the reasons for suffering can be mysterious and confusing, and from our vantage, incomprehensible.”

Three Signs of False Teachers

Three Signs of False Teachers – “In order to get close to sheep, a wolf employs deceptive tactics to keep the sheep from discerning his dangerous presence before he can achieve his aims.”

How to Give (and Receive) Repentance

How to Give (and Receive) Repentance – How can we live in community when we’re offended by and offending others? Here’s a place to start.

How Do Hearts Grow?

How Do Hearts Grow? – “How do you know your heart is maturing, that you’re developing, that you’re more than just your yesterday-self?”

The MOST Effective form of Spiritual Warfare

The MOST Effective form of Spiritual Warfare – “Jesus, of all the artillery you’ve given us for spiritual warfare, none are more effective than gratitude and worship.”

Why Does God Allow the Righteous to Suffer?

Why Does God Allow the Righteous to Suffer? – “If he is all-loving and all-powerful, why does God allow the righteous to suffer?”

The Water and the Blood

The Water and the Blood – Here are several suggestions on the meaning of this phrase in John’s gospel and a balanced approach to it.

When God Took Away: His Goodness in My Grief

When God Took Away: His Goodness in My Grief – “Ofttimes the primary reason why godly men are called to suffer is for the sake of witness they may give to the sincerity of their love for Christ and the reality of divine grace in them.”

Richard Dawkins Is (Partly) Right about Pro-Life People

Richard Dawkins Is (Partly) Right about Pro-Life People – This is a helpful piece on the apologetics discussion of abortion.

Help from 1 John for Those Who Struggle with Assurance of Salvation

Help from 1 John for Those Who Struggle with Assurance of Salvation – “Trust in the truths of Scripture, not the lies of your thoughts.”

 

It’s Not Just You and Jesus

It’s Not Just You and Jesus – “We are the people of God, not just a person of God.”

Was Jesus in the Grave for Three Days?

Was Jesus in the Grave for Three Days? – Here’s a simple answer to an often-asked question.

15 Tactics for the Fullness of Joy

15 Tactics for the Fullness of Joy – “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)”

3 Steps to Examining Your Faith

3 Steps to Examining Your Faith – “We should examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). How are we to do this? Here are three steps we should take.”

A Nobody in One Country, Famous in the Next

A Nobody in One Country, Famous in the Next – “It turns out it’s possible to live a completely ordinary life in one country and to be famous in another. Hebrews 11 certainly makes me think so. I wonder if this experience is more common than we think.”

 

40-Year-Old Moses vs. 80-Year-Old Moses

40-Year-Old Moses vs. 80-Year-Old Moses – “God does some of his best work in the wilderness.”

3 Ways to Help Post-Christian Friends Understand the Gospel

3 Ways to Help Post-Christian Friends Understand the Gospel – “How can we tell post-Christian friends about their ultimate need for forgiveness, reconciliation, and salvation when the terms don’t make sense?”

 

Three Reasons Not to Yell at Your Kids

Three Reasons Not to Yell at Your Kids – “Before we had kids, we might have looked with pity or disdain on this poor man. ‘I will never yell at my children.’ But after having children, at some point, that day comes—the day when it’s all just too much. And we yell. And that’s a problem.”

Citizens of the Kingdom; Aliens in the World

Citizens of the Kingdom; Aliens in the World – “We should not be unconcerned for our temporary country where God has dropped us like seeds. We are there to show them Christ, to appeal to our countrymen to become eternal citizens of God’s Kingdom, and to prepare for the day when Christ will appear.”

How to Fight Back Against Feelings of Spiritual Apathy

How to Fight Back Against Feelings of Spiritual Apathy – “The road back to spiritual vibrancy isn’t an easy one. But you’re never so far gone that you can’t come back stronger than ever.”

 

Doors and Broken Handles: Discerning Where God Wants Us to Go

Doors and Broken Handles: Discerning Where God Wants Us to Go – “What do you look for in closed and open doors so that you don’t end up flat on your back with the handle in your hand? I think there are ways we can be sure that a door is shut or open.”

How a Steadfast Heart Guards You in Crisis

How a Steadfast Heart Guards You in Crisis – “When the winds are howling around you, you’re bending so far you’re afraid you’ll break. He’s given us the revelation of who He is and how He is working in the world, may we root our hearts in Him.”

Don’t Run From Tension. Embrace It.

Don’t Run From Tension. Embrace It. – “Here are four reasons Christians should embrace tension.”

What is Heaven? A Place of Learning

What is Heaven? A Place of Learning – “When you enter heaven, how much will you know? Will you have all knowledge as it pertains to your life? Perfect knowledge as it pertains to everything?” 

To the Parent of a Prodigal

To the Parent of a Prodigal – “While being a parent of a prodigal carries with it a weight that only such a parent can know, there are some key principles in this biblical story that can be a help and encouragement to any parent.”

A Declaration of Dependence

A Declaration of Dependence – “I am incredibly grateful for and deeply benefit from the Declaration of Independence penned by Thomas Jefferson; however, my soul needs to be stamped with deeper declaration daily: a declaration of dependence.”

Pilgrimage to Dust

Pilgrimage to Dust – “As saints united to Christ by faith, we follow after our Savior. Our bodies will continue to weaken in this life as we walk each day closer to death, but our story doesn’t end there either. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we know we too walk towards something greater.”

Maturing Toward Childlikeness

Maturing Toward Childlikeness – “It may seem counterintuitive, but Christian growth is a gradual downward movement toward the maturity of childlikeness. Have you ever met a Christian in their later years whose eyes sparkled bright with life? That is a person growing toward childlikeness of heart, not away from it.”

Politics, Patriotism, and the Pulpit

Politics, Patriotism, and the Pulpit – “Our most fundamental and defining identity and location is the kingdom of Christ, not any kingdom on earth.”

Casting Vision for Your Marriage

Casting Vision for Your Marriage – “Church people like to talk about vision—vision for the local church, for student ministry, for missions. What could happen if we taught people to seek God for a vision for their marriage?”

Debunk 8 Abortion Myths

Debunk 8 Abortion Myths – These are the most common things heard regarding abortion. Agendas and truth don’t always line up well.

Abraham was justified before Jesus’ incarnation. Is faith in Christ necessary for justification?

Abraham was justified before Jesus’ incarnation. Is faith in Christ necessary for justification? – “Abraham was justified by faith long before Jesus’ incarnation. Is it necessary that our faith be in Christ specifically?” This is helpful in understanding how Old Testament personalities go to heaven.

 

Where to Find the Real Proverbs 31 Woman

Where to Find the Real Proverbs 31 Woman – “The main purpose of Proverbs 31 is to show how incredible godly wisdom is. Solomon pleads with young men to desire wisdom the way they desire the perfect wife.”

2 Ways to Conquer the Stresses and Anxieties of Life

2 Ways to Conquer the Stresses and Anxieties of Life – “Here are two ways the Lord is teaching me to deal with the stresses my life brings, big or small.”

Don’t Be Discouraged by Pride Month

Don’t Be Discouraged by Pride Month – “Scripture says that pride comes before a fall (Prov. 16:18). In America, pride comes before July—for an entire month. It’s the time of year when companies, sports teams, and politicians change their branding to incorporate the new religious icon of our time, the rainbow.”

5 Ways to Pursue Holiness

5 Ways to Pursue Holiness – “The work of the Spirit is to gradually make our character more like the Savior’s until we one day stand holy in his presence, wholly his.”

Christ was the Great Unlike

Christ was the Great Unlike – “When it comes to Christ, he is more unlike than like what we know.”

Seventy Years Without Shipwreck

Seventy Years Without Shipwreck – “Five Reasons That Some Fall Away.”

Immersed into Mission

Immersed into Mission – “The mission of the church is to disciple the nations, to call people to trust in Jesus, to follow Jesus, and to obey Jesus. This is the what of the mission, and it is globally focused.” 

How to Pledge Our Allegiances on July 4

How to Pledge Our Allegiances on July 4 – “Though nationalism and patriotism are not themselves intrinsically sinful, when the Christian person elevates them over his or her commitment to the living God, His Kingdom, and His Word, they become idolatrous.”

Community: A Struggle to Fit

Community: A Struggle to Fit – “When it comes to community in the church, many people feel like onlookers. For many, deep fellowship seems far off. Some feel excluded because they ‘do not fit in,’ and others are unsure how to engage.” 

 

The Life of Job: Multiple Losses, Grief, and Recovery

The Life of Job: Multiple Losses, Grief, and Recovery – “One of the first steps in supporting those grieving multiple losses is to help them unpack the losses they have experienced.”

Rules of Engagement

Rules of Engagement – “How can we as Christians speak faithfully and helpfully into the chaos? What ‘rules of engagement’ should we follow as we seek to interact with people who disagree sharply with the teaching of Scripture?”

States of the Union: Maintaining Momentum After Dobbs

States of the Union: Maintaining Momentum After Dobbs – “Careful discernment will be necessary to navigate the road ahead. Think of Roe as a massive boulder in the road. What does the road look like after being crushed by a boulder for 50 years?”

Sing to One Another

Sing to One Another – “When our voices blend together in corporate singing, we declare our dependence, gratitude, and praise to the Lord.”

8 Traits of the Most Evangelistic Christians – “Several factors can increase the likelihood believers will share their faith with others.”

8 Traits of the Most Evangelistic Christians – “Several factors can increase the likelihood believers will share their faith with others.” – “Several factors can increase the likelihood believers will share their faith with others.”

Praise God for the Reversal of Roe v. Wade, and Continue to Pray for Heart Change

Praise God for the Reversal of Roe v. Wade, and Continue to Pray for Heart Change – “While the spiritual and moral trajectory of America still seems downward, this decision will undoubtedly save many lives. It gives me hope that perhaps God may forestall judgment for the sake of the next generation.”

 

How to Respond to a Colleague Mourning Roe

How to Respond to a Colleague Mourning Roe – “Being prepared with clear information and insights, refusing to be reactive, and cultivating attentiveness to the Spirit’s leading will help you winsomely present the gospel at work.”

Who Is the Man of Lawlessness?

Who Is the Man of Lawlessness? – “This man of lawlessness claims to be the final climactic antichrist.”