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 Verses
A Thrilling Adventure
"Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So He said, "Come." Matthew 14:28-29, NKJVWhen it comes to experiencing God, I have to choose Him at all cost. I have to be willing to step out of the boat, as Peter did in Matthew 14, risking total failure in the eyes of others, in order to discover firsthand His power enabling me to walk on the water when He bids me, “Come.” Again and again, I’ve been confronted with hard choices when I’ve had to throw caution to the wind and abando..Continue reading→
Amos 5:14-15
“Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.”Continue reading→
Lamentations 3:22-23 (01-07-17)
It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed , because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.— Lamentations 3:22-23 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... What sustained you through the night? What will get you through today? What will enable you to achieve, even thrive, in the days that lie ahead? The LORD's mercies. These incredible resources never really run out! Each new day brings a fresh supply of them. God is faithful to..Continue reading→
Life-Giving Power
Your word has given me life. Psalm 119:50, NKJVSometimes when we are depressed, we feel lifeless. It’s hard to get out of bed in the morning. We seem to have no energy to do even the most routine functions. If you are depressed by the greatness of your problems, read God’s Word! That’s where you find help. That’s where you find joy. Let the rushing waters of the living Word drown out all other sounds and voices. There is life-giving power in the Word of God! At the most difficult times in my li..Continue reading→
Ephesians 5:1-2
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”Continue reading→
Hope
TWENTY!
Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many? (John 6:9). As a boy, my childlike imagination had no trouble believing in the Lord's miracles. In fact, I loved to imagine what it would have been like to have been there and seen them. We are blessed these days with several very good films depicting the life of Christ. They have put depictions of these miracles on the screen for us. Some of these videos are very much like I had imagined..Continue reading→
He Did It for You!
Jesus says to a doubting Thomas:Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29). When God entered time and became a man, he who was boundless became bound. Imprisoned in flesh. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God ..Continue reading→
What Do We Do to Jesus?
Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him (Matthew 27:27-31). The soldiers' assignment was simple. Take the Nazarene to the hill and kill him. But they wanted to have some fun first. Strong, armed soldiers circled an exhausted, nearly dead, Galilean carpenter and beat up on him. The beating was commanded. The crucifixion was ordered. But the spitting? Spitting isn't intended to hurt the body — it can't. Spitting is intended to degrade the soul, and it does. Ever ..Continue reading→
God’s Masterpiece
If you pass your days mumbling, "I'll never make a difference; I'm not worth anything," guess what? You'll be sentencing yourself to a life of gloom without parole! When you do that, you're questioning God's judgment. You're second-guessing the Creator's taste. David says you were "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). God can't stop thinking about you. A later line in David's psalm confirms it. David tries to calculate the number of thought..Continue reading→
I Choose
It's quiet. It's early. For the next 12 hours, I'll be exposed to the day's demands. It's now that I must make a choice. And so I choose... I choose love. I will love God and what God loves. I choose joy. I choose peace. I will live forgiven. I choose patience — rather than complain that the wait is too long, I'll thank God for a moment to pray. I choose kindness — for that's how God has treated me. I choose goodness. I choose faithfulness. Today I'll keep my promises. My wife will not question my love. I choose gentleness. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself. I choose self-control. I will be impassioned only by my faith and influenced only by God. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When this day is done, I'll place my head on my pillow and rest.Continue reading→
Daily Wisdom
Psalm 100:4 (01-14-17)
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. — Psalm 100:4 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Clearly this exhortation comes from the days of God's physical Temple in Jerusalem. Let's also remember that for us, God's New Covenant people, God's Temple is the church (1 Cor. 3:16) and our own bodies (1 Cor. 6:19). Let's value and celebrate with joy our church family. Let's also glorify ..Continue reading→
The Devil’s Already Defeated
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone . . . forever. Revelation 20:10, NKJVAs a girl growing up in western North Carolina, I loved to hike in the mountains. But whenever I set out, my mother’s admonition, “Watch out for snakes!” would ring in my ears. Although I can remember killing only one snake myself, I was present at various times when snakes were killed by others. Each time I observed a fascinating phenomenon. After the snake was killed, its body invari..Continue reading→
1 John 4:20-21
“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”Continue reading→
Psalm 100:3 (01-13-17)
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. — Psalm 100:3 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... God made us. While we were in our mother's womb, he made us with his loving care with a purpose for life and a promise to be with us every step of the way. God cares for us, much better than even the very best shepherd cares for his sheep. So let's live as those who know our Leader, Creator, an..Continue reading→
Prayers
Daily Prayer for January 11
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1, RSV Our dear Father, we ask you to come to us from heaven and surround us with your goodness and mercy, with your light and life. We are weak, poor, and lost just when we need to stand firm and hold on. But you are faithful. You stay by us and help us. Continue to help and sustain us, we pray. Do not let our lives be lived in vain. May something of eternity be w..Continue reading→
No Partiality
PassageRomans 2:8-11 PrayerDear Father, holy and righteous judge,I know that you will render to every man according to his works. To those who are factious and obey wickedness instead of the truth, there will be wrath and fury.You have foretold tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, to the Jew first and also the non-Jew, but glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, to the Jew first and also to the non-Jew. For you show no partiality.Help me do what is good, b..Continue reading→
Daily Prayer for January 10
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. Isaiah 40:1-2, NIV Lord our God, how great is your love, and how great is your help! May each one of us feel sheltered in your hand, knowing that our faults and shortcomings no longer matter. We can go straight toward the goal you have set, for you will help us..Continue reading→
No Presumption
PassageRomans 2:1-7 PrayerDear Father, holy and righteous judge,Help me not to condemn myself by passing judgment on someone else when I may be doing the same or similar things. How could I escape your judgment and do this?Help me not to presume on the riches of your kindness and forbearance and patience. Help me understand that your kindness is meant to lead me to repentance. Take away the hardness and impenitence that may be in my heart. Give me a heart of flesh, not stone.Change my behavior a..Continue reading→
Christian Quotes
Weinel: without God and with
Wednesday, November 16, 2016 Feast of Margaret, Queen of Scotland, Philanthropist, Reformer of the Church, 1093 Commemoration of Edmund Rich of Abingdon, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1240 Meditation: Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. —Psalm 42:11 (ESV) Quotation: As a man increases in moral strength of character, so his conscience becomes more sensitive; he realises more keenly the distance..Continue reading→
Muggeridge: communicating the Gospel
Tuesday, November 15, 2016 Meditation: Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. —1 John 4:11-12 (NIV) Quotation: The Christian religion finds expression thus, in the love of those who love Christ, more comprehensibly and accessibly than in metaphysical or ethical statements. It is an experience rather than a conclusion, a way of life rather than an ideology..Continue reading→
John Chrysostom: humility
Monday, November 14, 2016 Commemoration of Samuel Seabury, First Anglican Bishop in North America, 1796 Meditation: For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. —Romans 12:3 (NIV) Quotation: Humility is the root, mother, nurse, foundation, and bond of all virtue. ... St. John Chrysostom (345?-407) (see the book) See also R..Continue reading→
Law: Creation’s law and order
Sunday, November 13, 2016 Feast of Charles Simeon, Pastor, Teacher, 1836 Meditation: [Jesus:] “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” —Matthew 22:37-39 (ESV) Quotation: The one supreme, unchangeable rule of love, which is a law to all intelligent beings of all worlds, and will be a law to all eternity is this, viz., that God..Continue reading→
Questions & Answers
Why I Celebrate Christmas
Every year, the Christmas season approaches and you cannot escape the onslaught of marketing designed to capture every last dollar from those with money to spend on Christmas. Most businesses shut down for the holiday and Christmas morning in most towns looks like a ghost town. However, while some people fully acknowledge Christmas, many people now make a big deal out of being offended because of the very notion that there is a Christmas holiday at all. They will instead come up with alternative..Continue reading→
Does The Bible List The Names Of Demons?
Does the Bible list the names of demons? If so, what do they mean? Sacrificing to Demons Did you realize that when the ancient pagans sacrificed to their “gods,” they were literally making sacrifices to demons? That’s what the Bible teaches about who these sacrifices are actually for. As incredible as it sounds, God connects sacrificing to pagan gods to actually sacrificing to fallen angels or demons. Demons are about 1/3rd of the angels that rebelled with Lucifer or Satan, and became totally c..Continue reading→
Rapid Response: “We Don’t Need God to Explain the Beginning of the Universe”
In our Rapid Response series, we tackle common concerns about (and objections to) the Christian worldview by providing short, conversational responses. These posts are designed to model what our answers might look like in a one-on-one setting, while talking to a friend or family member. Imagine if someone said, “Christians claim God created the universe, but modern science explains the origin of the universe. God is not needed to order to explain how the universe came into existence.” How would ..Continue reading→
So Who Did You Thank on Thanksgiving?
Like most Christian holidays, Thanksgiving has become a secular institution in America, moving from a meaningful religious celebration to a benign cultural tradition. This is the case for most other Christian holidays as well. Let’s face it, Christmas is more about Santa than Jesus, and Easter is more about the Bunny than the Resurrection. But most people in our country fail to see Thanksgiving as a Christian holiday at all, and this is primarily because they don’t know the history of the people..Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
How to Put God in Charge of Your Ministry
Work dominates our lives — especially those of us in ministry. The typical American spends about 150,000 hours — or 40 percent of his life — at work (I suspect that for pastors, the number is even higher!) In other words, you’ll spend more time working in ministry, thinking about ministry, and commuting to your ministry than you will eating, relaxing, and vacationing — all combined — this year. Now, God wants you to succeed in ministry. In fact, in the Bible, God offers this guarantee: “Put ..Continue reading→
Sex Trafficking: How One Click Led an NYC Church to Action
It all started in a Facebook community group. It could’ve ended there but something happened that changed everything. “The Facebook group was a place where people in our part of town share things,” Nathan Creitz, pastor of City Life Church in Ridgewood, Queens, New York, recounted, “and somebody on there shared a link and said something like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening in our neighborhood.'” Creitz clicked on it — and immediately wished he hadn’t. “It was a picture of scantily cla..Continue reading→
New Bishop Of Sheffield Announced As Traditionalist Anglo-Catholic Philip North
The traditionalist Anglo-Catholic Philip North is being promoted to be the new Bishop of Sheffield, Downing Street has announced.Continue reading→
Catholics In Malta Condemn ‘Abominable’ Document On Marriage And Divorce
The Catholic faithful, from a conservative organisation Veri Catholici, have spoken out after their bishops appeared to sanction granting the sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion to divorced and remarried Catholics.Continue reading→
Hot Topics
World Watch List: At Least 1,207 Christians Martyred in 2016
Authoritarian North Korea retained the top ranking as the worst country for Christians. Curry said North Korea considers Christians traitors and can execute them just for owning a Bible. Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and Eritrea filled out the top 10 nations where Christians endure extreme persecution. (WNS)–Persecution against Christians worsened again in 2016, with an estimated 215,000 experiencing “high, very high, or extreme persecution” in 50 nations arou..Continue reading→
Catholic Hospital Fights Transgender Discrimination Claim
Jionni Conforti, 33, filed suit against St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center of Paterson, N.J. on Jan. 5 in federal court. Conforti, who is biologically female but identifies as male, brought suit under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) because St. Joseph’s refused to remove Conforti’s uterus on the grounds that doing so would violate the Catholic teaching that God made people male and female. (WNS)–A Catholic hospital in New Jersey faces a lawsuit for allegedly refusing to remove the uterus of a w..Continue reading→
Evangelical Experts Oppose Trump’s Plan to Ban Refugees
World Relief and others argue that compassion and security are not opposing forces. Despite previous plans to admit the highest number of refugees in decades, the United States would be shutting its doors to thousands displaced by conflict in the Middle East—at least temporarily—under an executive order President Donald Trump is expected to sign this week. Christian aid groups responsible for resettlement mourned and criticized the impending decision to stop accepting any refugees into the US ..Continue reading→
Debating Atheists: Arrival of Evil (part 4/5)
Understanding evil reveals an important part of reality. As much as we try to avoid it, evil is part of the universal human condition – something theists and atheists both have in common. You may be surprised, however; that the way atheists think about evil actually shows God exists. For the previous post on part 3, atheist arguments for the Arrival of Biological Information, click here. Unlike other points in this series so far, probing evil touches the heart. It gets emotional. The argument I..Continue reading→
Women
Freed from the Life I’ve Always Wanted
From the time I was a little girl, all elbows and ears, I imagined myself living in a two-story house one day, pure white, no shutters, and with a wide porch. I spent hours curving my blunt-tipped scissors around pages of the fat JCPenney catalog, clipping out handsome husbands; wives with thick, beautiful hair; a few sweet-faced children; bathroom towel sets in shades of sea-foam and jade; couches and electronics and cozy ..Continue reading→
Losing Myself
When I was in college, I had a lot of friends who told me that what they really wanted to do in life was be a mom. Yes, they were getting degrees and they wanted to work, but really, their highest hope was to become a mother. I nodded and affirmed them. I hoped that one day I would become a mom, too—but I never really knew how to respond to their longing for children. I’d never felt that; what I did feel was a desire to pursue other things—dreams of wri..Continue reading→
Black and Blue Wife
“But Ruthie, you have a PhD!” This was my older sister’s shocked reaction when I spilled my secret over the phone and told her that, due to many years of domestic violence, I was separating from my husband of nearly two decades. I faced the same sort of disbelief a few days later when I visited the local Domestic Crisis Center requesting temporary housing for myself and my adolescent son and I was asked to complete an application. Among other things..Continue reading→
How to Discipline in Love
Parenting small children can feel like Groundhog Day: correcting the same behaviors over and over again, often with no discernible improvement. When children disobey a clear expectation, parental anger can surge as a response. What should we do with that anger? Is it sinful? Or is there such a thing as righteous anger over the disobedience of a child? And most importantly, how can we keep anger from corrupting an act of discipline (training and c..Continue reading→
Life & Society
Monster Or Messiah: How Should The Church Respond To Donald Trump?
Trump has sharply divided the Christian community, with some delighting in his victory while others despair.Continue reading→
Republican-Led Panel Strikes Down Virginia Bill Requiring Restroom Use to Align With Birth Gender
RICHMOND, Va. — A Republican-led House subcommittee in Virginia has killed a bill that would have required those using restrooms and locker rooms at government-run facilities, including public schools, to align with birth gender. According to reports, the seven-member House of Delegates subcommittee dispensed with the “Physical Privacy Act” on Thursday with a voice vote and no debate, disappointing its sponsor, Del. Robert Marshall, R-Prince William. “They don’t even want to defend their oath,..Continue reading→
‘Most Importantly, We Are Protected By God.’ Donald Trump Inauguration
'We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement and, most importantly, we are protected by God.'Continue reading→
Controversial Cathedral Prayer Service For Trump Inauguration Will Feature Muslim Call To Prayer
A Muslim call to prayer will be heard at an interfaith service to mark Donald Trump's inauguration in Washington National Cathedral on Saturday.Continue reading→
Persecution
School Calls Police on Seven-Year-Old Who Brought Bible Verses to Read at Lunchtime
PALMDALE, Calif. – A seven-year-old first grader was recently reprimanded in front of his entire class and a police officer was dispatched to his family’s home because the child had brought notes with Bible verses on them to school. Christina and Jaime Zavala live in Palmdale, California. In January, they enrolled their son in the first grade at Desert Rose Elementary School in the Palmdale School District, according to a recent letter from the nonprofit group Liberty Counsel. To encourage her ..Continue reading→
Muslim Mob in Northern Nigeria Kills Pastor’s Wife on ‘Blasphemy’ Accusation
JOS, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Nigerian officials scrambled to calm religious tensions after Muslims in Kano state on Thursday (June 2) killed a Christian pastor’s wife on a baseless “blasphemy” charge, according to reports. Bridget Agbahime, a kitchen utensil vendor at Kano city’s Kofar Wambai Market, asked a Muslim engaged in ritual Islamic cleansing, identified as Alhaji Dauda, to move his ritual from her shopfront. She had had similar conflicts with the suspect. On this occasion she po..Continue reading→
Movies
The Story of God: Heaven, hell, hope and justice
Flickr, by Simon Rahn. CC 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 two, “Heaven and Hell.” Years back, I was out to dinner with a friend when we began talking religion. She was agnostic and I was in the middle of a pretty ugly bout of cage-stage Calvinism. She kept trying to change ..Continue reading→
Sony Animation reveals the cast for Nativity film The Star
The studio hasn’t released any pictures yet, to my knowledge, but today Sony Pictures Animation sent out a press release announcing the voice cast for its upcoming film The Star, which tells the story of the first Christmas from the animals’ point of view. Here is the key paragraph from today’s press release: The voice cast will be led by Steven Yeun (Bo the donkey), Kelly Clarkson (Leah the horse), Aidy Bryant (Ruth the sheep), Keegan-Michael Key (Dave the dove), Kristin Chenoweth (Mouse), Anth..Continue reading→
Wrestling with ‘Silence’
Raised in a Christian community, I constantly heard stories of martyrdom. The Bible is replete with such tales, whether it’s the three men thrown into a fiery furnace or early apostles stoned for threatening the status quo. Youth leaders would solemnly tell of saints who were burned at the stake, singing songs of praise even as the flames lapped at their feet. These were not stories of tragedy but of triumph. The focus was not on those who killed the missionaries, but on the faith that endured u..Continue reading→
Box office: Hidden Figures holds on to the top spot while six new films fail to find an audience
A drama about three African-American women who broke racial barriers in the early 1960s held on to the top spot at the box office on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, while half a dozen new wide releases failed to find an audience. Hidden Figures, which focuses on three black women who worked at NASA in its early days, topped the chart for a second straight week with an estimated $20.5 million between Friday and Sunday — a drop of only 10.3% since last week. That raises the film’s North Am..Continue reading→
New details about — and a new trailer for — The Shack
With seven weeks to go before the film comes out, new details about The Shack — and a new trailer for the film — have come online. First, Publishers Weekly has a profile of The Shack novelist William Paul Young, who notes that a significant change has been made to the story’s main character: Although Young called the film a “faithful adaptation” to his novel, the author noted a major difference between the main character in the book, Mack, and the character onscreen. “I framed the book within so..Continue reading→
The Story of God: Chosen
Photo by Ted, Flickr. CC Licensing. Season two of “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman” debuts Monday, Jan. 16, at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Central) on the National Geographic Channel. Once again, I’ll be writing about it here each week from a Christian perspective as a preview. The first episode of the season deals with “The Chosen One.” Given its topic — chosen people in various religions — I initially assumed that this first episode would deal with the central figures of various faiths. Jesus, Mohamm..Continue reading→
Return to “The Story of God” on Jan. 16
(Photo credit: National Geographic Channels/Matthew Paul Turner) One of the highlights of last year was writing about National Geographic’s “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman.” Being part of Patheos’ “blogging carnival” was a great writing experience and a chance for me to re-examine my faith. I was deeply challenged by that discussion and, in the end, it made my faith stronger. National Geographic Channel will debut season two of “The Story of God” on Monday, Jan. 16 at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Centra..Continue reading→
Box office: Hidden Figures nearly beats Rogue One
A movie about the space race nearly beat Star Wars at the box office this week. Hidden Figures, which tells the true story of three African-American women whose mathematical and scientific prowess was key to NASA’s success in the early 1960s, grossed an estimated $21.8 million between Thursday and Sunday nights. That was nearly tied with Rogue One, which earned $22 million this week — though Hidden Figures could pull ahead when the final figures come out tomorrow. Hidden Figures went into wide r..Continue reading→
From “Rogue One” to “Empire Strikes Back”: What I watched on my winter vacation
Don’t let the headline mislead you: this isn’t all about “Star Wars.” As I write this, I’m coming off a very long vacation. On Dec. 23, I left work for two weeks to enjoy the holidays and recuperate from a very busy fall. I go back to work and school tomorrow and, as providence would have it, it’s also shaping up to be a busy week for this blog. For now, I’m enjoying the last few hours of break. It wasn’t the greatest vacation — quite a few stressors made it a bit hectic — but for the first time..Continue reading→
Music
Kat&Jared EP by Kat&Jared
"Everyone goes through difficult seasons. When we're in those seasons we can either choose to magnify our problems or we can magnify who God is. These five songs are really just a collection of songs that celebrate the life that comes by choosing to enter into God's presence." Kat Hartmann Kat&Jared, Kat and Jared Hartmann, are worship leaders and songwriters whose passion is to help people discover the life that comes from friendship with God and spending time in His presence. Kat and Jared spent the first nine years of their marriage traveling the world with Flyleaf, a platinum selling[...]Continue reading→
Sing it Now: Songs of Faith & Hope by Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire has never been one to "rest on her laurels" (Associated Press) and continues to prove that her strong work ethic couples well with passion as she prepares to release SING IT NOW: SONGS OF FAITH HOPE on February 3, 2017 jointly through Nash Icon Records and Capitol Christian Music Group. For an entertainer with an illustrious career that has elicited 35 No. 1 singles, over 56 million albums sold worldwide, prestigious industry awards, lead acting roles and brand endeavors, new is a rarity yet an art form she has perfected. From the set of her forthcoming music[...]Continue reading→
Blue Eyed Devil by KRUM (fka Playdough)
Veteran emcee KRUM is dropping a completely free project on February 3, and the pre-order is now available. The album is called Blue Eyed Devil and will be the first full project by KRUM since he changed his name from Playdough. The album features production from Theory Hazit, Rob Viktum, Harry Krum, Freddie Bruno, and more. KRUM says to look out for music videos and promos in the next few weeks.[...]Continue reading→
Nu Age Soul EP by Phil J.
Phil J. released his new completely self-written, produced, and mixed free EP project.[...]Continue reading→
Blessings (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) – Single by Lecrae
Lecrae is taking a shot at radio with his new single, "Blessings," that drops tomorrow (January 27). After more than a decade in the industry, the Atlanta MC has hustled his way through the independent scene often carrying the sometimes-dreaded title of "Christian rapper." But perhaps that label is what will make his version of "Blessings" stand out, as he explained to HipHopDX before his show at The Roxy on Wednesday (January 25). "I get to change the narrative a little bit, let people see some of the behind-the-scenes of what I mean when I say it and my perspective," Lecrae[...]Continue reading→
After All These Years by Brian & Jenn Johnson
More than 10 years since their last solo release, Bethel Music's Brian Jenn Johnson will debut their highly anticipated album After All These Years on January 27, capturing the wonder, conviction, and tenderness of heart behind the story of who they've become and who they've remained over the past season. Cowriting every song on the album together, After All These Years varies stylistically from previous projects, as each track is marked by a distinct and bright 80-piece symphony orchestra paired with timeless lyrics and instrumentation. Songwriting, leading worship and overseeing Bethel Church's Worship Department for over 15 years, the album[...]Continue reading→
FUTUREGEN by AMP
FUTUREGEN, AMP's Junior release, shines a spotlight on the Future Generation and the expansive potential they hold. A symphony that swings from modern electronica to grand orchestrals, the album brings into focus the next rising generation, rallying them on to run toward the prime joy of making Christ known and glorified. The track list, featuring AMP's signature sound and lyricism, is both electric and vertical, passionate and authentic, contagious and full of praise. It exhibits the musical and spiritual growth of each individual in the group, and in doing so, overflows into an active encouragement for all believers to vigorously[...]Continue reading→
Books
The Theology Professor and His Ailing Wife
Life brings occasions, both good and bad, that serve as natural chapter breaks in our own narrative. Dealing with the good ones is enjoyable, and there’s usually time to prepare for things like a wedding and the birth of a child. There’s no preparation for the bad ones, though. They happen, and you flee to wherever—whomever—you find refuge. For John Feinberg, longtime professor of biblical and systematic theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and his wife, Pat, that day came on Novemb..Continue reading→
Men who won’t work
Nearly a third of American men aren’t working. These include the unemployed, men who can’t find jobs. But there are two-and-half times more men who aren’t even trying to find a job. Because their lack of work is voluntary, they aren’t counted in the unemployment rate. But the number of men between 25 to 54 who are “economically inactive” is soaring. This has nothing to do with educational attainment, the business cycle, or the availability of jobs. Many men just don’t feel that traditional mascu..Continue reading→
Four Myths Christians Believe About Politics
Back in February, we at the Summit hosted a forum addressing the interaction between the gospel and politics. As the past few months have taught us, politics can be a messy, confusing, infuriating venture. Christians often don’t know what to do with politics—myself included. On one side, I feel like I may not be speaking up enough on key issues. On the other side, I feel like I may be speaking up too much and causing a stumbling block for the gospel. That’s the tension I wrestle with, and that m..Continue reading→
Turning 40 While Single and Childless
I was 28 years old the first time someone called me “barren.” At a book club hosted by one of my friends, I met a 22-year-old graduate student who had just moved to the city. After our group discussion, she and I ended up in the kitchen talking about food, life, and expectations. As I shared with her the story of my recent broken engagement, I confessed, “I thought I’d be married by now.” Later that week, she emailed to say she enjoyed our conversation and that she, too, thought she’d be “marr..Continue reading→
Ten Ways Jesus Ruined His Own Campaign
It’s campaign and election season for all of us, but I’m even deeper in campaign mode than usual. I’m in the throes of my husband’s run for the state house while also in my own “campaign”—publisher’s terminology—as my tenth book releases this week. And that book (Crossing the Waters: Following Jesus through the Storms, the Fish, the Doubt and the Seas) is itself the fruit of following Jesus’ three-year campaign in Galilee. To better understand those events, I hiked the Gospel Trail solo around t..Continue reading→
5 Books to Read Before Voting in a Presidential Election
Peter Wehner, former presidential aide, helps us wrestle with deeper issues than Candidate A versus Candidate B. Campaign season has a way of raising everyone’s blood pressure, inflaming partisan passions and cultural resentments. How can we step back from a ferocious news cycle and find enduring wisdom on how to approach the task of choosing a national leader? CT asked Peter Wehner, senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a veteran of three Republican presidential administrati..Continue reading→
Free Stuff Fridays (Nabeel Qureshi Edition)
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Zondervan. There will be 5 winners this week and each of them will receive a great package of material from Nabeel Qureshi. The winners will receive: No God but One: Allah or Jesus? “Former Muslim Nabeel Qureshi’s new, New York Times bestselling book No God but One examines the most important questions at the intersection of Islam and Christianity. Nabeel shares stories from his life and ministry, casts new light on current events, and explores pivotal incidents in the histories of both religions, providing a resource that is gripping and thought-provoking, respectful and challenging. Readers of Qureshi’s first book, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, will appreciate this careful and respectful comparison of Islam and Christianity. While Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus showed us the conversion of Nabeel’s heart, this new follow-up, No God but One, shows us the conversion of Nabeel’s mind. Both religions teach that there is No God but One, but thi..Continue reading→
Friendship Evangelism Is Not Dehumanizing
In her new book, Joyful Witness in the Muslim World: Sharing the Gospel in Everyday Encounters, Evelyne Reisacher—an associate professor of Islamic studies and intercultural relations at Fuller Theological Seminary—casts a vision for Christians entering relationships with Muslims based on shared joys. She does so by tracing how these relationships can blossom in six spheres: the internet, the arts, environmentalism, humanitarian service, urban contexts, and theological conversations. Relation..Continue reading→
The Life They Never Expected: Andrew and Rachel Wilson on Raising Special-Needs Kids
Parents, particularly those of children with special needs, are bombarded with how-to books and advice. But a book that addresses the parent’s heart is a rare find. Andrew and Rachel Wilson provide just that as they chronicle their emotional and spiritual story as their son, Zeke, and then daughter, Anna, are diagnosed with autism in The Life We Never Expected: Hopeful Reflections on the Challenges of Parenting Children with Special Needs [review] (Crossway, 2016). The book reflects..Continue reading→
American
Woman Complains About Body Image Issues After Late-Term Abortion of Girl With Spina Bifida
Missouri mom Jessica McCoy had a late-term abortion a few months ago after learning that her unborn daughter had spina bifida and a chromosomal abnormality. The mother of three born children has been sharing about her abortion publicly, both describing her grief at the loss of her daughter and justifying her decision to have her unborn daughter killed because of the girl’s disabilities. Several women’s publications picked up McCoy’s story this week after she posted photos on Instagram describi..
Texas Lawmakers Initially Approve Bill to Ban Abortions on Babies Just Because of Their Race or Gender
Today, the Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 415, the Dismemberment Abortion Ban, on second reading. The bill was preliminarily approved by the Senate on a bipartisan 22-9 vote. In addition to every Republican of the Senate supporting the measure, two Democrats – Senators Eddie Lucio Jr. (D-Brownsville) and Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) – voted for the life-saving measure. Senate Bill 415 and House Bill 844, the Dismemberment Abortion Ban, outlaw the barbaric and inhumane procedure that ends the li..
More Patients in Quebec Killed in Assisted Suicide as Hundreds Request Lethal Drugs
CBC news reported (March 14) that the number of euthanasia deaths in Québec significantly increased in the second half of 2016. According to the CBC news report: A total of 461 patients were granted doctor-assisted death during the first year of Quebec’s medical aid in dying law, according to data obtained by CBC’s French-language service, Radio-Canada. The number of requests increased significantly in the second half of 2016. From December 2015 to end of June 2016, 253 patients requested the ..
Woman Was About to Have an Abortion When Something Incredible Happened to Save Her Baby’s Life
Two volunteers at the 40 Days for Life vigil in Pensacola spoke to a deeply troubled young woman who had conceived a child as the result of a sexual assault. “She was hurting and felt that abortion was her only solution to the recent trauma she had experienced,” said Ernie, the local coordinator. Counselors offered encouragement, assistance, prayers and tears. But still, she believed abortion was her only option … and she went inside the abortion center. The volunteers kept praying – and trust..
Australia
Bringing them up in the Lord
BIBLE SOCIETY NEWS Wednesday 21 December 2016 About 60 million children in China are “left behind” in their home villages, to be looked after by their grandparents or relatives because their parents are trying to find work in cities. This enormous group of neglected children – more than a quarter of the 215 million children in China – is in great need of hope, encouragement and care. These “left-behind” children are highly vulnerable to serious crimes such as sexual abuse and assault and suff..
Back where it all began
BIBLE SOCIETY NEWS Saturday 20 December 2016 Next year is a special year. Bible Society Australia will be celebrating its bicentenary, but 2017 is not only about thanking God for all he’s done in the past through his word. Bible Society Australia is calling upon you, your church and your community groups to help us continue the legacy of equipping our people with the life-giving word of God. Get The Word Out (GTWO) is Bible Society Australia’s year-long focus on providing one nation on earth ..
Everything you helped us achieve in 2016
BIBLE SOCIETY NEWS | Greg Clarke Monday 19 December 2016 Bible Society Australia isn’t about any one person. From the very start we’ve been a Society. Bible Society is the thousands of supporters and volunteers like you. And it’s through your generosity this year we’ve been able to: Train 30 literacy teachers in South Sudan under Professor Twong Yolong – so thousands of Collo people, traumatised by war, can read and write Translated the scriptures to the Tay, Nung and Muong people in Vietnam –..
Egyptian Christians killed in bomb attack on church
A bomb blast in St Peter’s church in Cairo on Sunday killed 25 people and wounded 49, mostly women and children. The bombing during morning mass was the deadliest attack on Egypt’s Christians since a 2011 bombing killed 21 people at a church in Alexandria. The Sunday bombing is the latest indication of how challenging it is for Christians living in Egypt, who account for about 10 per cent of Egypt’s 92 million people. The Bible Society of Egypt has requested prayers f..
Law & Government
Men With Scabies Arrested After Committing Homosexual Sex Act on Display Bed at Bed Bath & Beyond
(NorthJersey.com) – Two men were arrested and charged with engaging in lewd behavior on a display bed at Bed Bath & Beyond during regular business hours. Police officers responded to the Route 3 Riverfront shopping center at 5 p.m. Monday on a report from a witness that two men were engaged in a sex act, records show. Police arrested two 28-year-old men, one from Nutley and the other from North Carolina. Both were charged with lewdness, criminal mischief and possession of marijuana, according ..
Alabama Man Charged With Capital Murder for Killing Unborn Child in Beating Girlfriend
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — An Alabama man has been charged with capital murder for allegedly killing his unborn child while beating his girlfriend. According to reports, Reginald Sharp, 27, knocked his girlfriend to the ground in a domestic incident last July and then beat her with his fists and a belt. She was 26 weeks (six months) pregnant. The woman was transported to St. Vincent’s Hospital, where her baby was stillborn the next day. The county coroner listed the child’s death as “intrauterine feta..
Trump Mocks Schwarzenegger, Jokingly Asks for ‘Prayer’ for ‘Apprentice’ Ratings at National Prayer Breakfast
(ABC News) — President Trump jokingly requested prayer for Arnold Schwarzenegger as he addressed attendees at this morning’s National Prayer Breakfast. “They hired a big movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to take my place, and we know how that turned out,” Trump said at the top of his remarks. He continued, “The ratings went right down the tubes. It’s been a total disaster. And Mark [Burnett] will never, ever bet against Trump again, and I want to just pray for Arnold, if we can, for those rat..
Boy Scouts to Allow Girls Who Identify as Boys
(New York Times) — Reversing its stance of more than a century, the Boy Scouts of America said on Monday that the group would begin accepting members based on the gender listed on their application, paving the way for transgender boys to join the organization. “For more than 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America, along with schools, youth sports and other youth organizations, have ultimately deferred to the information on an individual’s birth certificate to determine eligibility for our single-..
Entertainment
Martin Scorsese talks Spirituality and Silence
Comment countSilence was one of the most provocative, moving bits of cinema I saw last year. It’s complex and murky and inspiring and troubling and beautiful–all of which, in a way, reflects how I interact with faith itself. Perhaps, when we attempt to understand and embrace the transcendent, it can be no other way. The movie is arguably one of Martin Scorsese’s most overtly religious works. But as many have noted, almost every movie that Scorsese has ever done is about, in some way, faith. Scor..
Why Silence Deserved Oscar’s Love
Comment countAndrew Garfield and Yōsuke Kubozuka in Silence, photo courtesy Paramount PicturesWhen Academy Award nominees earlier this week, plenty of Oscar’s snubs made headlines. No Amy Adams? No Sully? Where’s Hugh Grant? But the Academy reserved its biggest oversight for one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed directors: Martin Scorsese. Silence, the film that Scorsese spent 26 years planning and making, earned just a single nomination—for Rodrigo Prieto’s gorgeous cinematography. Nothing for Andr..
The Story of God: Is There Anybody Out There?
Comment countMorgan Freeman from National Geographic’s The Story of GodFor two seasons, National Geographic’s The Story of God With Morgan Freeman has taken us behind the curtain to see the world’s religions, both great and small, at work. This Monday in the second season finale, Freeman and his crew tackle the biggest question of all: Is there a reason for all this religion? In other words, is there a God? But proof of God, as Oxford Theoretical Physicist Ard Louis says on the show, is impossib..
The Story of God: Finding Heaven in Hell
Comment countMorgan Freeman from National Geographic’s The Story of God.What is heaven? What is hell? And how do they impact how we live right now? “Heaven and Hell,” the latest episode of The Story of God With Morgan Freeman (airing Jan. 23) grapples with those questions. They’re questions that have fascinated me, too. They always have, ever since I was a little boy. In the episode, Freeman and others take an interfaith trip through the Good Place and Bad Place. The show takes us to a cave in T..
Health and Science
Is Genesis History? New Film Affirms Truthfulness of Biblical Record
A soon-to-be-released documentary-style film, featuring footage from around the U.S. and interviews with over a dozen scholars and scientists, will provide visual evidence and scientific arguments for the Bible’s accounts of Creation and the Flood. On February 23, hundreds of movie theaters across the U.S. will participate in a one-night showing of the film “Is Genesis History?” The film, produced by Compass Cinema and structured as a documentary, features interviews with respected Christian sc..
Researchers Experiment Creation of Human-Pig ‘Chimera Embryos’ to Address Shortage of Donor Organs
LA JOLLA, Calif. — A team of biologists at the Salk Institute in California has reportedly created the first-ever human-pig chimeras in an effort to test the idea of growing organs in animals that can later be used in human transplants. “This biomedical advance has long been a dream and a quandary for scientists hoping to address a critical shortage of donor organs,” National Geographic writes. “Every ten minutes, a person is added to the national waiting list for organ transplants. And every d..
Why Our Body Destroys Itself
The science and spirituality behind the latest Nobel Prize in medicine. With every patient I treat, I hear myself echo the same sentiment: I know this hurts. I’m sorry. It will be over soon. In the emergency department, healing rarely comes without pain. It may be the wrenching of a joint back into place, the lancing of an abscess, or the administering of antibiotics through the business end of a large needle. But with the exception of the few who decide at the first flash of my scalpel that pe..
Perplexed Scientists Think C-Sections During Childbirth Are Affecting Human Evolution
Photo Credit: Lisa EspinosaWhy is obstructed labor such a common complication during human childbirth? A team of evolutionary scientists thinks recent human evolution and the modern practice of childbirth via C-section contribute to the problem. Obstructed labor happens when a baby is unable to smoothly pass from the mother’s womb through the birth canal. A major cause of both maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality, obstructed labor is especially common in poorer countries and results in ..
US
The Superbowl and vocation
The Superbowl is this weekend, time for the obligatory polls about whether or not God gets involved in the outcome of sporting events. One-quarter of Americans believe that he does. About a half believe that God rewards faithful athletes with health and success. Certainly, the easy answer is that of course God doesn’t care about a sporting event because He has much more important things to do. But if God attends to the fall of a sparrow, why wouldn’t He attend to the fall of a pigskin? The real ..
The anti-Trump “resistance”
French Resistance fighters, 1944 Democrats have gone into full resistance mode, with Democratic Senators boycotting confirmation hearings to prevent a vote on President Trump’s candidates. (Republicans suspended the rules and approved Treasury Secretary candidate Steven Mnuchin and HHS Secretary candidate Tom Price anyway. See this.) Meanwhile, a self-described “alternative left” has emerged that is pressuring Democratic elected officials not to co-operate with the Republicans. Notice how the us..
Trump’s Supreme Court nominee
President Donald Trump has nominated Colorado appeals court Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the late Antonin Scalia. Reportedly, Judge Gorsuch is from that same mold: eloquent, learned, articulate, and an “originalist” when it comes to interpreting the Constitution. He is the author of a book against euthanasia and supported Hobby Lobby in its suit against the Obamacare birth control mandate. An Anglican, he would be the only Protestant on the bench, joining the 5 Ca..
“Pregnant people”
The British Medical Association has issued guidelines saying that to avoid offending the transgendered, health workers should not refer to “pregnant women.” Rather, say, “pregnant people.” After all, a biological female–no, that wording is forbidden too; we must say “assigned female”–who identifies as a man can have a baby. And since we must go by self-identification, that means that men can be pregnant. The Transgender movement has at least destroyed feminism. Now that men can claim the identit..
Church & Theology
“Enlightenment” and True Freedom
“I think, therefore I am.” René Descartes penned this popular line in his 1637 treatise, Discourse on the Method, and it’s a good summary of the book itself. Heralding the importance of scientific discoveries and the necessity of doubting one’s own view of the world, Descartes’s work is often considered the first domino to fall in what is now called the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment, with its explosion of scientific discoveries and philosophical arguments, had one task:..
New Book — Rooted: Theology For Growing Christians
As you may know, my friend Jeff Medders and I wrote a short, accessible book on the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. It’s called Rooted: Theology for Growing Christians, and it released this weekend from Rainer Publishing. As two men who’ve served in church leadership in various ways, we kept running into laypeople who were accidental Universalists, Arians, mystics, and even worse. We’ve found that it’s often not their fault; rather, they spent most of thei..
Church Grammar: Theology as the Language of Christianity
If you’re anything like me, you’ve had your favorite dinnertime evangelists, the local Jehovah’s Witnesses, show up at your door. They’re kind. They smile. And they even tuck in their shirts. To top it all off, they speak Christianese pretty well. Or do they? Though they sound like Christians, they come bearing bad news–an anti-gospel that denies the divinity of Jesus and only offers the possibility of Heaven for a select few people. Their gospel sounds so close to the bib..
Jesus Hanging Out with Wild Animals
The Temptations of Christ, 12th century mosaic at St Mark’s Basilica, Venice. On a recent episode of Word Matters, Trevin Wax and I discussed Mark’s rendering of Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness, particularly the unique insertion of the phrase, “He was with the wild animals” (Mark 1:13, HCSB). After discussing the prominent views of this passage throughout church history, Trevin and I both landed at the same conclusion: Mark is recapitulating the temptation scene of Ge..