I love to be in huge crowds. Whether it’s at a mall, a concert, or a sporting event, I love to consider the people surrounding me. Oftentimes I stop and wonder things like, “Who are they? What is their story? What are they going through right now?” The sheer number of diverse circumstances and stories is incredible to ponder. Every soul is unique, and taken together, we seem to make a sort of collective tapestry of human experience. A Thousand Different Needs Corporate worship is similar...Continue reading→
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Thoughts
“We Will Come to You” (Christian Mission to Refugees)
Fear might drive government policy, but it should never affect Christian witness to the hurting people of our world. Watch NowContinue reading→
How Do You Super Bowl?
Sunday night, the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons will shove each other around on synthetic grass for seven pounds of sterling silver. And millions will be watching. Super Bowl 50 drew 112 million viewers. It’s a major cultural moment, and with that many eyes on the screen, it’s a once-a-year marketing opportunity. A year ago, 62 commercials were scattered during the game breaks. Major corporations plan and rehearse all year for one coveted 30-second spot ($5 million each!). Somet..Continue reading→
What Is The Word Of Faith Movement?
What is the “word of faith” movement? Is it biblical? Miracles in our Mouths?I remember hearing a pastor of a large megachurch say, “You’ve got a miracle in your mouth. You can speak things into being that are not yet.” When I heard it, it actually reminded me of a Bible verse where it says, “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” (Psalm 33:9), but the “he” wasn’t a man, it was God. It’s similar to when “God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light” (Gen 1:3). W..Continue reading→
Daily Wisdom
Psalm 116:1-2
“I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.”Continue reading→
Romans 8:23 (08-23-16)
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.— Romans 8:23 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Life can be very difficult at times. Anyone who has lived long knows this. At the same time, even our worst nightmares are staging periods for our great redemption. Our loneliest moments are the waiting room for our final adoption into the very presence ..Continue reading→
Psalm 94:18-19
“When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”Continue reading→
Genesis 8:22 (08-22-16)
While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.— Genesis 8:22 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... We face one of two realities. One reality is this: tomorrow will come, the earth will turn, and the seasons will pass in their appointed order. The second reality, God will interrupt his appointed order; Jesus will come and we'll share in his glory. These realities are as sure as the sun's coming up i..Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
12-year-old boy accused of stealing church bus for 7-mile ride
Surveillance video at the church shows the bus that was stolen by a 12-year-old boy. A 12-year-old boy from the U.S. state of Illinois is facing charges of stealing a church bus and going for a seven-mile ride before he was stopped by the police. The theft occurred at the Valley Baptist Church in Oswego village. Surveillance video showed the boy riding his bike to where the buses were parked at around 5:30 p.m. After a few minutes, the video showed the bus heading towards the e..Continue reading→
Church plans to turn purchased home in Tennessee into worship centre
Infinity Fellowship bought this home and plans to turn it into a house of worship. A church is planning to convert a two-story home in Nashville, Tennessee into a worship facility and community centre despite opposition from several residents. The Infinity Fellowship purchased the 4,234-square-foot home from the Cassidy family for $280,500. It is located in one of Nashville's oldest and most affluent predominantly African-American neighbourhoods, The Te..Continue reading→
Vicar ‘likens homosexuality to child abuse’ in Facebook comments
St Mark's Church, Tunbridge Wells, whose vicar is Dr Peter Sanlon, who has been embroiled in a row over comments about homosexuality. The vicar who has threatened the Church of England with a split over homosexuality has been embroiled in a row over comments he made appearing to compare a church-led Gay Pride event with child abuse. Dr Peter Sanlon of St Mark's Church in Tunbridge Wells posted controversial remarks on Facebook saying that gay people ..Continue reading→
7 Easy Ways to Boost Giving at Your Church
Mark Cuban once said… “Tithes…Sales cure all.” Now, I understand having a stronger tithe base doesn’t cure all. But it sure does help alleviate several church tensions for pastors. Use these 7 ways to boost your church giving. 1. Buy a Giving Themed URL Most churches have a giving link on their website, but it takes some time to explain to congregants how they can find it. I tried something a few years ago and our online giving grew from 25% to 55% of total monthly giving. Buy a domain that i..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
Blackhawk Presbyterians for Fidelity Launched
“It is a significant movement recognizing the inertia of a denomination increasingly and irretrievably apostate under current management and the necessity of identifying, encouraging and equipping faithful sisters and brothers for worship, work and witness.” “Blackhawk Presbyterians for Fidelity” (BPF) was launched on November 11, 2016 in Rockford, Illinois during a gathering of representatives from part of the remnant in the Presbyterian Church (USA) praying and laboring to be faithful to over..Continue reading→
Pronoun Privilege
At some colleges and universities, it’s common for students to introduce themselves, whether in class or in student group meetings, by name, followed by a string of pronouns. “I’m Lizzie; she/her/hers,” for example. My fall classes started recently, and I had to face the pronoun question. It’s simple for me: My appearance matches my preferred pronoun, so I don’t worry about anyone misstating it. But some of my students are transgender or gender nonconforming, and they want to announce how other..Continue reading→
Iraqi Christians Reveal Untold Brutality of Living Under ISIS’ Rule
Although Daddo and Badriya resisted many of IS’ attempts to convert them, she told Reuters last month that she eventually told the terrorists what they wanted to hear. “My heart would race when they tried to get me to convert. They would try to get me to (say the Muslim declaration of faith). I told them I didn’t know how to say it, and I said it in reverse,” she said. “I would say what they wanted.” Iraqi Christians who survived living under Islamic State rule in occupied territories are now s..Continue reading→
Some Vossian Thoughts on the Visible-Invisible Church Distinction
“1. There are visible and invisible aspects to the church. 2. These aspects are not separate churches, but have a large amount of overlap. 3. The visible and invisible do not entirely overlap: there are many false sons within her pale, and some true believers outside her administration.” I’m reading the 5th volume of Vos’s Reformed Dogmatics right now, and he has a very interesting analogy for the relationship of the visible aspect to the invisible aspect of the church: The invisibility of the..Continue reading→
Life & Society
Obama Admin Appeals Nationwide Ban on Policy Allowing Male Students in Girls’ Restrooms
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has filed a notice of appeal a judge’s preliminary injunction banning the enforcement of the government’s recent restroom directives for public schools, particularly surrounding those with gender dysphoria. “Please take notice that Defendants, the United States of America; the United States Department of Education; the United States Department of Justice; the United States Department of Labor; the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; John ..Continue reading→
Pastor Bill Johnson Says Some Christians Believe God Is Good Only Because the Bible Says So, Accuses Them of ‘Lazy Theology’
Pixabay Pastor Bill Johnson of Bethel Church thinks some Christians believe God is good only because the Bible says so, but the way they interpret His goodness is a different thing altogether. Because these Christians practice "lazy theology," they end up feeling pain and disappointment whenever their prayers don't get answered, Johnson told The Christian Post. What's worse, God's character ends up getting challenged. These Christians unfortunately subscribe to the idea that "b..Continue reading→
Pastor Greg Laurie on What Christians Should Do While Waiting For Jesus’ Return
(Pexels) What should Christians do while waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ? Pastor Greg Laurie from Harvest Christian Fellowship suggests that people should be wise with how they choose to spend their time. On his blog, Laurie shared the story told by Jesus about a man who went on a journey and entrusted his wealth to his servants. "This was not an uncommon practice in those days," wrote Laurie. "A wealthy man or king would have many servants in his household, from those who would ..Continue reading→
Joel Osteen Shares the Secret to Victory: Talk Yourself Into It
Reuters The key to achieving success is quite simple. Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church believes that people must first talk themselves into victory before achieving it. "Did you know that you can talk yourself into defeat or talk yourself into victory? You can also talk yourself into weakness or talk yourself into strength," he wrote on his blog. "When you speak to yourself the right way, courage comes, determination comes, vision comes." Whenever people look at a task ahead of them and ..Continue reading→
Movies
Goodbye, Family Christian Stores
This week, it was announced that Family Christian Stores — one of the world’s largest Christian retailers — will close all 240 of its stores. This isn’t really shocking; Family Christian had gone through bankruptcy a few years back. But it will have an impact; more than 3,000 employees are going to lose their jobs as the stores shutter and Christian culture loses one of its largest and most diverse suppliers of books, music and trinkets. Granted, this is just the nature of the beast these days. ..Continue reading→
Have you caught up with “It’s My Favorite”?
Hey everyone, Not going to lie: it’s been a week. Work, school and home life have been busy, and the general insanity of our world right now has really robbed me of a lot of energy and will to write. It’s a shame, because I have some really good stuff on deck for you. One new series I want to write and one Oscar-related miniseries of articles, and I’m hoping that starting this weekend those will start posting. And in the weeks ahead I’m going to really be jumping into the reviewing pool again ha..Continue reading→
Watch: New music video for The Shack with new footage
Itching to see The Shack — or at least to get a taste of it before it comes out five weeks from now? Well, maybe this will tide you over: the powers that be have released two new songs from the film’s soundtrack, one of which even has a music video. Here is the video, for a new acoustic version of Skillet’s ‘Stars’: The studio has also released the full version of ‘Keep Your Eyes on Me’, which is sung by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and has previously been heard in the trailers. Here is a Spotify ..Continue reading→
The Story of God: Proof of the Divine
Photo by Amanda Slater, Flickr. C.C. Licensing. Season two of “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman” airs Mondays at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Central) on the National Geographic Channel. Once again, I’m writing about it here each week from a Christian perspective as a preview. This post is about episode three, the season finale, “Proof of God.” In the final episode of “The Story of God’s” second season, Morgan Freeman travels the world speaking to people who believe they’ve experienced proof — often tang..Continue reading→
Oscar nominations — my own two bits, and a complete list
It looks like La La Land is the movie to beat at this year’s Oscars. The film, a jazzy musical that stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a musician and an actress trying to make their way in Hollywood, racked up 14 Academy Award nominations this morning — tying the record set by 1950’s All About Eve and 1997’s Titanic. However, because La La Land was nominated twice for original song, it is actually nominated in 13 categories — which is more than the 12 categories that All About Eve was nominate..Continue reading→
Let’s talk Oscar noms!
Some quick thoughts on the 2017 Academy Award nominations, which were announced earlier today. A full list of nominees is available here. At first blush, my biggest surprise is that there isn’t a ton here I would bicker with. The list of nominees this year is really darn good, spread out over several movies. Maybe it’s because I saw fewer movies than normal this year or simply because so many of the nominated films are on my best-of list, but I can’t really find a bad choice among the films. Re..Continue reading→
Star Wars Episode 8 gains a title
Earlier today, the official Star Wars Twitter feed ended more than a year of speculation by revealing the title of the latest entry in the saga, due out this December: It’s official. STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is the next chapter of the Skywalker saga. This December. #TheLastJedihttps://t.co/ySkVwQcMTPpic.twitter.com/eHrPgbsRJq — Star Wars (@starwars) January 23, 2017 [Read More...]Continue reading→
Encountering the Mystical in the ‘The Fits’
The fascinating film about adolescent encounters with the sublime gives us plenty to ponder. If you’re looking for a film that inspires lively conversation, you’ve got to check out The Fits. Anna Rose Helmer’s debut feature film runs a brief, but intense, 72 minutes, leaving plenty of time for discussion and debate afterwards. It caused a stir last year at Sundance, and critics have been talking about it ever since. Fortunately, Amazon Prime subscribers can currently stream it for free—and for ..Continue reading→
Review: The Resurrection of Gavin Stone (dir. Dallas Jenkins, 2017)
The Resurrection of Gavin Stone is a “faith-based” comedy about a washed-up former child star who, having trashed a hotel roof bar, is told to do a couple hundred hours of community service at a Chicago-based megachurch and ends up starring in their Easter play. It’s a safe, formulaic and utterly predictable film — precisely the kind of “Christian” movie I tend not to review here — but because of my interest in movies about Jesus, I was interested in seeing how this film would depict the play. T..Continue reading→
Music
Run The Race (Single) by Holly Starr
The new single from Holly Starr, co-written with and produced by Bryan Fowler (Ryan Stevenson, Tobymac, Mandisa, Hollyn).[...]Continue reading→
One-Way Conversations by Hollyn
Hailing from Ohio, this Dove Awards New Artist of the Year nominee has been working the past year on her debut full length album titled "One-Way Conversations". Listeners were introduced to this vibrant you lady on TobyMac's latest release with the songs "Backseat Driver" and "Lights Shine Bright" and later with her debut #1 single "Alone (featuring TRU)". As a songwriter, Hollyn co-wrote all of the songs on her debut full length album and worked with producers Bryan Fowler (Ryan Stevenson), Wit and 42 North (Andy Mineo), Cole Walowac of Capital Kings, Eric Ramey (Britt Nicole) and more. The album[...]Continue reading→
The Garden (Deluxe Edition) by Kari Jobe
Grammy nominated Kari Jobe is the premiere female worship leader in Christian music. Coming off her last live album, Majestic, which featured the worship anthem 'Forever' and radio hit 'I Am Not Alone', Kari Jobe has returned to the studio to record her new album, full of brand new worship anthems for the church and for personal reflection. Finding inspiration from life's joys and hardships, Kari leans into the firm foundation of Christ through it all. With career sales that top 1 million, Kari still comes back to the reason why she started in the first place- leading people into[...]Continue reading→
Back To Life by Anthony Evans
Recording Artist and Worship Leader Anthony Evans' highly-anticipated new album Back To Life releases February 3, 2017 through Sherman James Productions. A collection of worship songs, this new album features NBC's The Voice alumnus on 11 worship-themed tracks exploring authenticity, vulnerability, honesty and the way that the culmination of those three things brought him Back to Life. It marks Evans' eighth solo studio album and will be available through all digital retailers and exclusively at Lifeway Christian Stores. Back To Life is available for pre-order on January 6, 2017. "Over the last year, God has given me one revelation after[...]Continue reading→
Canopy by nobigdyl.
"I wrote Canopy coming out of a time of isolation and darkness. It felt like my life was completely falling apart and I'd have to start over again from nothing. God showed me that sometimes there's safety and protection in isolation. Sometimes, the darkness makes it easier to see the light," confessed nobigdyl. when speaking of the anticipated release. 'Canopy' is nobigdyl.'s first album release since his debut in 2015 with the 'Smoke Signal' EP. Check out indie tribe and nobigdyl at his website, nobigdyl.com.[...]Continue reading→
Books
A Look at Notable 2016 Publications
TEDS President offers his list of best books “There is no end to the making of many books,” says the author of Ecclesiastes. In the United States alone, there were close to one million titles published during the past year, with revenue approaching $1.8 billion. Hundreds of titles competed for our attention during 2016. I offer the following observations with the recognition that I have no doubt missed several important works that some of you would have included in such a survey. The books not..Continue reading→
Recommended Biographies By or About Women
Faith Cook is an author, biographer, and hymn writer. She grew up as a missionary child in war-torn China and has chronicled her story in an autobiography. Her own biographical work has been on both men: Fearless Pilgrim: The Life and Times of John Bunyan William Grimshaw of Haworth and women: The Nine Day Queen of England: Lady Jane Grey, Selina: Countess of Huntingdon: Her Pivotal Role in the 18th Century Evangelical Awakening, and Anne Bradstreet: Pilgrim and PoetContinue reading→
Bibliotheca Bible – a Review
There are many things that I have great admiration for, but perhaps one of the things I enjoy the most is seeing a long-awaited, labor of love come to full fruition. The tenacity, hard work, dedication, and pitfalls along the way in seeing something through to the end is something that, for lack of better terms, gets me emotionally invested in a project. Yet not all projects are equal and not all catch my particular attention – but if we’re truthful, that’s precisely what makes these types of th..Continue reading→
Christianity Today’s 2017 Book Awards
Our picks for the books most likely to shape evangelical life, thought, and culture. Make a list of all the blessings the Protestant Reformation has brought, and eventually—long after jotting down iconic phrases like “salvation by grace alone through faith alone”—you’ll get around to the CT Book Awards. Books, of course, had existed long before Luther posted his 95 Theses. But there’s no denying that reading and the Reformation, with a vital assist from Gutenberg’s printing press, soared toget..Continue reading→
Where Should Our Women be Discipled?
Pastors and elders want thinking women in the church, right? And yet popular beliefs that came out of the nineteenth century’s cult of domesticity still seem to linger in the evangelical culture today. Back then, people taught that women’s brains were inferior to men’s intellectually and that women needed to reserve their energy and blood flow for reproductive purposes. These are ideas we usually joke about now, even to provoke a woman in innocent fun, because we know them to be scientifically p..Continue reading→
10 Books Every Christian Teenager Should Read
A reader recently asked the question: Do you have a suggested list of books for teenagers, something like a “Ten best books every Christian teenager should read?” It surprised me that I have never compiled such a list, especially since I’ve got two teenagers of my own. I decided I’d better remedy this oversight straight away. Here, then, is a list of ten great books every Christian teen ought to read—or at least consider reading. Please note that these are not necessarily the ten best books your teens will read in their lifetime. Not all of these books will stand the test of time as Christian classics. But each of them is suited to twenty-first century teenaged readers and together they will provide a foundation for the Christian life that will prove both deep and wide. I list them in no particular order. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul. It is rare that a book is elevated to the ranks of the classics, but The Holiness of God is a prime candidate. Sproul’s book will introduce teens..Continue reading→
Signposts to God and More (RJS)
Books, books, books … What is the best book you’ve read on Science and Christian faith? It seems to be the season … not the holiday season, but the book season. I recently received three new books. Books by a physicist, a biologist (with training in theology as well), and a philosopher. All three tackle questions of science and Christian faith. Each of the three presents an interesting perspective – and I intend to dig into them more completely over the upcoming months. Peter Bussey’s book, Sign..Continue reading→
2016 Reading Challenge Update: September & October
This year I have been participating in the 2016 Reading Challenge, a fun way to increase and diversify your reading through another year. I took the challenge and set this year’s goal at 104 books. However, because so much of my reading has to go toward reviewing books that are recently published and of interest to Christians (both for reviews published here and in WORLD magazine), I decided to pick from all over the list rather than working through it in order. What follows are the books I completed in September and October and, in parentheses, the reading challenge category they fulfill. Below that is the complete list of categories I need to cover. As you can see, I did not finish many books over the past couple of months, something that is not unusual as my reading ebbs and flows over the course of the year. You can see my previous updates for January, February, March-April, May, June, and July-August. Sexual Morality in a Christless World by Matthew Rueger. This is a brilliant w..Continue reading→
6 Reflections on Community Inspired by Bonhoeffer
My church has recently launched a series on community called Better Together. In conjunction with the sermon series, I, in collaboration with my senior pastor, wrote a small group curriculum to compliment the series. I love community, which is why I love small groups. Like many of you, I work hard on our small group system at my church to equip leaders and to help many in my church experience the fullness of community—the good, the bad, and the ugly. However, as I continue to reflect on communi..Continue reading→