The Secret to Finding and Keeping Friends

“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them!” (Luke 6:31)
Okay, here it is—this is the secret to finding and keeping lasting friendships: become women who want to see the women around them flourish. They have a word for that in Hebrew—it’s shalom. But not shalom like you might think. Not the overused, under-appreciated translation that we’re so used to throwin..

ROMANS 5:1 NLT
1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by
faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our
Lord has done for us.

God offers righteousness as a free gift to everyone who
receives the Lord Jesus Christ.

Righteousness means right-wise-ness, or being right. So
righteousness is right standing, or good standing with God. It
does not mean human “perfection.”

Righteousness is a gift from God — not something you can earn
or achieve. God simply decl..

Job 19:25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

I read Job from a different perspective after Hurricane Katrina ravaged our city. I never dreamed in a million years that I would see such devastation. There were miles and miles of utter destruction, not a bird or animal or human would be anywhere in sight. It resembled a movie set, torn up infrastructure with no life. Many people committed suicide, many others had emotional breakdowns; many thousands l..

The blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
Hebrews 12:24
Morning
The blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! § The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. § For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me.” … By that will ..

Matt. 9:2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven”.

I recently preached on the miracle Jesus performed on the paralytic that was let down through the roof. There is a lot about this story that is mind blowing but the most amazing to me is what Jesus said first, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven”. Jesus didn’t approach the problem like anyone else did becaus..

PIKESVILLE, Md. — A Maryland mosque held an event on Sunday to honor a Muslim terrorist who shot and killed the former Pakistani governor of Punjab in 2011 over his statements in opposition to the nation’s laws prohibiting blasphemy against Islam.

Gulzar E Madina Mosque in Pikesville hosted an “Urs” observance on Feb. 12, which is an event marking the anniversary of the death of a Muslim entity considered a saint. Mumtaz Qadri was executed last February for murdering the governor.

“Whoever dis..

Editors’ note: Last month a unanimous jury sentenced Dylann Roof to death for killing nine black churchgoers as they attended Bible study in a Charleston, South Carolina church. The reaction to Roof’s sentencing has rekindled discussions—even among his victims’ families—about whether Christians should support capital punishment. To consider both side of the debate, TGC is presenting personal essays on the death penalty by Matthew Arbo, assistant professor of biblical and theological studies at O..

Editors’ note: Christians in the Wes, face a number of explicit threats to the authority of Scripture. But explicit threats alone don’t weaken our trust in the Bible. Subtle threats—those that creep in unnoticed—also foster skepticism. Writing for Themelios, TGC president Don Carson outlines 10 ways we subtly abandon the authority of God’s Word. Below are some excerpts from his timely essay.

On the danger of appealing to selective evidence:

The most severe forms of this drift [appealing to sel..

PassageRomans 12:16-21
PrayerDear Father, God of the lowly,Help me live in harmony with others – without haughtiness, without conceit, willing to associate with the lowly.Help me to repay no one evil for evil, but to take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.As far as it depends on me, let me live peaceably with everyone.Let me seek no revenge for myself, but leave it to your wrath, O God. Help me, Father, not to be overcome with evil, but to overcome evil with good.In the name and auth..

February 18, 2017, Norma McCorvey passed away. Her long, hard journey on this harsh Earth behind her, she finally rests in the peace of our Lord. At last.

Norma was one of the most broken people I have ever met, but her impact on the lives around her cannot be measured.

Norma carried a crushing, unbearable weight around for most of her life. She felt the burden of the 58 million lost lives since the Roe v. Wade decision because Norma was Roe. I hate to type that because she was so much #moreth..