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→
Home
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
Heaven Is Beautiful
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. 1 Corinthians 2:9, NKJVThe Creator Who created all the earthly beauty we have grown to love . . . the majestic snowcapped peaks of the Alps, the rushing mountain streams, the carpets of wildflowers, the whir of a humming bird’s wings . . . this is the same Creator who has prepared our heavenly home for us! If God could make the heavens and earth as beautiful as w..Continue reading→
Titus 2:11-12
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,”Continue reading→
Ephesians 4:22 (01-02-17)
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts..— Ephesians 4:22 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... That's a challenging verse, isn't it?! We each surrendered our heart to God and our old self was crucified with Christ when we became Christians (Romans 6:6). Jesus reminds us that this surrender is something each of us should do daily (Luke 9:23). We need to put the old sinful life aside every day and choose..Continue reading→
Putting Holes in the Darkness
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16, NKJVOne night when Robert Louis Stevenson was a small boy, his nanny called him to come to bed. Oblivious to her summons, he was staring at something outside his nursery window. The nanny walked over, stood at his shoulder, and inquired patiently, “Robert, what are you looking at?” The little boy, without taking his eyes away from the window, exclaimed in wonder as he pointed to..Continue reading→
Psalm 90:12
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”Continue reading→
Daily Wisdom
Proverbs 16:9 (01-10-17)
A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. — Proverbs 16:9 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... We're now a week-and-a-half into a new year. How are you doing with those changes and commitments you made for the new year? Don't give up or quit on them... even if you're having trouble staying on track. But, let's remember that the only real commitment for this year that is absolutely necessary to keep is that we ask the Lord where he want..Continue reading→
A Day Set Apart
If you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, . . . then you will find your joy in the Lord. Isaiah 58:13-14, NIVIn the beginning, by His own example, God patterned our week to include not only the discipline of work but also one day out of every seven that would be “set apart,” different from the other six days. For the majority of people today, there is very little difference between the way they keep Sunday and the way they keep Saturday. Sunday has become more of..Continue reading→
1 Peter 1:15-16
“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.””Continue reading→
Isaiah 2:22 (01-09-17)
Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?— Isaiah 2:22 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... "If only I had a friend." "If only my father hadn't left." "If only she was more supportive." "If only..." People can fail us, but we still pin so many of our hopes on them. They are fallible and mortal just like we are. So while we are involved in the lives of other people, let's also remember to keep our hopes connected to the Son of G..Continue reading→
Prayers
Daily Prayer for January 5
The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Matthew 4:16, NIV Dear Father in heaven, be close to us as we seek you in the quiet of our hearts. Grant us the strength of your Spirit, the strength to wait patiently for your help in our lives. Help us to hold to all that is good. Help us to feel, each one of us, that we are your children and that we may rejoice in your fatherly care. May your will be done more and more..Continue reading→
Mutual Faith
PassageRomans 1:16-17 PrayerDear Father,Help us never to be ashamed of the Good News but to have great pride in it, since it is your power of salvation for everyone, the Jew first, then the non-Jew.In it you revealed your righteousness from one degree of faith to another. As your prophet Habakkuk declared, "The just shall live by faith."Grant me, Father, to be filled with faith and to show it in my faithfulness. In fact, I am able to live every day by my trust in you! I am sustained by my trus..Continue reading→
Daily Prayer for January 4
He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.” But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand, and my reward is with my God.” Isaiah 49:3–4, NIV Lord our God, we thank you for the help you have given us over and over again so that we can stand before you, rejoicing in the certainty of faith. We thank you for guiding and leading our lives and for letting us see a goal ahead, a goal t..Continue reading→
Mutual Sharing
PassageRomans 1:8-15 PrayerDear Father,Thank you in Jesus Christ for every devoted Christian whose faith is proclaimed abroad. I thank you that they are a strength to me. Help me be a strength to them. May our mutual sharing of faith be a rich spiritual blessing from you.Help all of us to realize that we are under obligation to explain our faith to the learned and unlearned, the cultured and the backward, the wise and the foolish, everyone!Fill us to overflowing with an eagerness to proclaim the..Continue reading→
Christian Quotes
M’Intyre: on the image of God
Friday, November 4, 2016 Meditation: ... then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. —Genesis 2:7 (ESV) Quotation: When He fashioned man, the Deity breathed into the human form the divine life, “and man became a living soul.” Man is created to be a witness and likeness of God. God and man are so near to one another that it was possible for the Eternal Word to become Man without ceasing to be ..Continue reading→
Hooker: the real presence
Thursday, November 3, 2016 Feast of Richard Hooker, Priest, Anglican Apologist, Teacher, 1600 Commemoration of Martin of Porres, Dominican Friar, 1639 Meditation: Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is wh..Continue reading→
MacDonald: making easy work hard
Wednesday, November 2, 2016 Feast of All Souls Meditation: [Jesus:] “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” —Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) Quotation: Do you think that the work God gives us to do is never easy? Jesus says his yoke is easy, his burden is light. People sometimes refuse to do God’s work just..Continue reading→
Manley: first things first
Tuesday, November 1, 2016 Feast of All Saints Meditation: But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our ..Continue reading→
Questions & Answers
Why Doesn’t God Save Everyone?
Why does God choose to save some people but not others? Freewill or Human Responsibility? The Bible reveals that mankind is responsible for their sins and gives them the freewill to choose what to do, but a hyper-Calvinism would say that God elects some to destruction, but doesn’t that strip humans of their freewill? No, because they are still freely choosing to reject Jesus Christ, even though it is God Himself Who draws men and women and children to Himself (John 6:44). How those both work to..Continue reading→
How Do Christians View Stem Cell Research?
How should Christians react to stem cell research? Is it ethical to do so? What are Stem Cells? The human stem cells that we are addressing first are the embryonic human stem cells that are so small that it can barely be seen with the naked eye. It takes a microscope to even see the entire cell, so we’re talking about something that’s very, very small, but these very tiny cells have created a giant controversy. Stem cells from embryos are taken to produce human tissue that can be invaluable to ..Continue reading→
Rapid Responses to Difficult Questions – Part 2 (Cold Case Christianity Broadcast #77)
In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast, J. Warner Wallace provides a short, conversational response to two questions (or objections) related to Christianity. J. Warner responds to the claim, “I don’t believe the Gospels were written by eyewitnesses,” and the objection, “You can’t trust the Gospels because there are variations between the ancient manuscripts.” Here is the audio podcast (the Cold-Case Christianity Weekly Podcast is located on iTunes or our RSS Feed):Continue reading→
Top 7 Bible Verses on Adapting or Adaptability
Here are seven Bible verses that may help you in adapting to a new place, job, or some other major change in your life. Philippians 4:11-12 “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” Whenever we live a life that is hard and strewn with difficulties, and yet we are contented,..Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
Queen’s Former Chaplain Warns ‘Dying’ Church Of England Is Capitulating To Liberal Culture
The Queen's former chaplain has warned the Church of England is capitulating to culture, days after he resigned for opposing a Quran reading in a cathedral service.Continue reading→
God Loves Us Despite Our Shortcomings, Says New Bible College Principal Calvin Samuel
"God did not call us to pull down Mohammed, but to lift up Jesus Christ." Joel Edwards, former head of the Evangelical Alliance, at the induction of Dr Calvin Samuel as principal of the London School of Theology.Continue reading→
Your Pastor is Broken (and It’s Okay)
An old friend, Richard, recently called me. He used to live in town and attend my church. For the past seven years or so, he’s been a member of a large church in Phoenix. We were catching up and reminiscing about old friends when he said to me, “I had coffee with my current men’s pastor yesterday, and he told me some honest things about his marriage and about something stupid he said to his wife.” I chimed in, “That’s cool!” He awkwardly paused, and then said with a confused tone, “How is tha..Continue reading→
Controversial Former Queen’s Chaplain Urges Christians To Leave ‘Dying’ C of E For ‘Biblical’ Churches
An ex-chaplain to the Queen is calling on Christians to leave the Church of England for other more conservative congregations.Continue reading→
Hot Topics
Progressive Regression
“Progressives have given us this very large state that cultural radicals, multiculturalists, people involved in identity politics grab on to. They used the Supreme Court rather than the legislatures to overturn gay marriage bans. They use the apparatus invented by early 20th-century progressives for the benefit of movements and ideas for which those progressives would not have had any sympathy.” Kim Holmes, a former assistant secretary of state and Heritage Foundation vice president, is the aut..Continue reading→
It All Comes Down to Sex
With STD’s as common as children born outside marriage, one might think adolescents refraining from sex would be a positive contribution to the common good. No strain on social services or health insurers for those who “just say no” to a roll in the hay. A story on president-elect Trump’s “extreme” policies included this fear-mongering observation about a charter school that does promotes sexual restraint: Charter schools created with the help of the Barney Initiative are also proving to be an..Continue reading→
When I Don’t Feel Successful
“The verdict God speaks over us trumps every other verdict spoken over us by our voices or the voices of others. God uses our failures to wean us off self-righteousness and point us to Jesus, in whom we find a righteousness that is sufficient for our confidence, value, and unshakable joy. In Christ, the power of God’s saving and justifying love can wash away the shame and self-loathing of our sin and failure.” Since Adam and Eve bit on the first temptation, failure has been a part of our human ..Continue reading→
Raw Tears and Holy Fury: Confronting the Reality of Human Trafficking
“There is much that shocked me about this story, but perhaps the most shocking part is where she was rescued from. The house where she was being held captive was Blackwood, a rural backwater just miles from my home. In the space of a week Eva had been trafficked from Lithuania to the South Wales Valleys. She had been exploited, humiliated and suffered horrific abuse.” Human Trafficking. I knew about it, or at least I thought I did. Certainly I knew that all over the world evil people do all kin..Continue reading→
Women
Fall-Apart Moments
It had been a great morning . . . right up until five minutes before the school bus arrived. That was when things completely fell apart. One daughter suddenly had to go to the bathroom, the other copped a major brat-itude and called me a “Meanie!” Meanwhile, their school shoes were nowhere to be found and neither daughter was listening to anything I was saying. As the screech of bus brakes signaled its arrival, we barreled outside in full-on sprint mode—me still in my pa..Continue reading→
Parenting in a Porn-Saturated World
My husband and I have decided to talk to our son about porn before he starts kindergarten next year. We may not use the word porn at first. But as we continue to teach him to respect his own body and the bodies of others, we need him to understand that there are images and videos out there that don’t honor the dignity of others and that looking at these pictures can harm him in serious ways. If this seems a bit premature, consider the statistics on kids and porn. While some s..Continue reading→
Becoming the Woman I Already Was
“What if Charity is actually a man and hasn’t told Dad?” one of the boys said at the table one evening during dinner. Another chimed in, “Yeah, I think Charity is really a man.” “I’m not a man,” I protested. “I’m a woman. I dress like a woman. I’m married to your dad.” I sighed, hardly believing I was having this conversation with my stepsons. “Are you going to chime in here?” I asked Steve. He just smiled. “I’m not even going to acknowledge those comments with a respon..Continue reading→
Why Do We Compare Our Stories?
I was at the end of my rope. My husband had been out of town for three days already and his trip was only half over. We were smack in the middle of a busy few months of work trips for him, leaving me home alone with twin toddlers (while pregnant with another baby) most days of the week. So I opened up about my exhaustion and discouragement to a friend one night. She knew our situation and was eager to listen to my outburst of discouragement. But as the words spilled..Continue reading→
Life & Society
Church Of England Wrestles With Fracking In New Report
The Church of England has published a briefing paper on the controversial issue of Shale Gas and Fracking in the UK.Continue reading→
President’s Inauguration And The Bible: An Unconstitutional Convention
Donald Trump will use two closed Bibles to swear the oath of office at his inauguration on Friday.Continue reading→
Santa Clara Officials Remove Cross From Public Park Following Atheist Lawsuit
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Officials in Santa Clara, California have removed a 14-foot cross from a public park in response to a lawsuit filed by a prominent professing atheist organization. The granite cross had been displayed in what is known as Memorial Cross Park for the past 64 years after being donated by the local chapter of the Lions Club. But in 2012, the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) wrote to then-Mayor Jamie Matthews to assert that the cross violated both the fe..Continue reading→
Brief Defending Mississippi’s Conscience Act: No One Has ‘Right’ to Force Part in Same-Sex ‘Weddings’
JACKSON, Miss. — Attorneys representing the governor of Mississippi defended the state’s “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act” in appeals court on Friday, declaring that “[n]o one has a ‘fundamental right’ to force an unwilling participant to attend or provide services at his or her wedding.” “[T]here is nothing wrong with a statute that confers an absolute immunity from state punishment or discrimination upon those who … refuse to participate in abortions, warfa..Continue reading→
Movies
Silence: Scorsese’s Spiritual Masterpiece
Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street, Silence. One of these is not like the others. How could the same director who repeatedly reveled in the high cost of unchecked male rage also deliver the meditative and masterful Silence? Feudal Japan seems so far removed from the Mean Streets of New York City. Catholic priests dispensed wisdom and sacraments in both milieus, but the pace, tone, and body count is so different in the two films. While most Scorsese pictur..Continue reading→
Does the chariot race sequence in Ben-Hur need dialogue?
There are many problems with Timur Bekmambetov’s remake of Ben-Hur, but one of the more emblematic ones, I think, is the way he insists on adding dialogue to the chariot race. Bekmambetov can’t rely on the thrill of movement alone: instead, he has to pump the soundtrack full of exposition and dull action-movie banter. How does his film compare to the earlier ones, in this regard? In the 1925 silent film, you can often see characters’ mouths moving as their chariots fly down the track, but only o..Continue reading→
Blog Goals 2017
Flickr. Photo by Hey Paul Studios. CC Licensing. I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year. I’m sure that, for many, it was nice to say “so long” to 2016, and I hope that the new year is treating you kind. Our holidays were great, filled with time with family and friends and some chances to recharge our batteries. I’m still on vacation from work for another week, and I’m hoping to use this time to really gear up for the coming 12 months so I can attack 2017 afresh next week. I thought it might be..Continue reading→
Watch: Ten clips from The Purple Rose of Cairo
“Heaven, I’m in Heaven…” I just discovered that ten clips from my official second-favorite film of all time, The Purple Rose of Cairo, were posted to Fandango’s Movieclips YouTube channel about two weeks ago. The clips contain about 28 minutes of footage altogether, or just over a third of the film’s 82-minute running time. I wouldn’t recommend watching them without seeing the entire film first, but they do contain some of the film’s funniest and most poignant moments. Check them out below (thou..Continue reading→
Box office: Rogue One is now the #2 movie of 2016 in North America (but only the #9 movie worldwide — so far)
Rogue One ruled the box office for a third straight week as 2016 came to an end. The Star Wars prequel earned an estimated $49.5 million in North American theatres between Friday and Sunday. That raises the film’s domestic total to $424.9 million and makes it the second-highest grossing film of the year in North America — behind Finding Dory — and the 14th-highest grossing film of all time domestically. Overseas, it’s a slightly different story. Rogue One has earned $350 million to date internat..Continue reading→
2017 Film Journal
As per my 2016 Journal, videos and DVDs are in italics. Films I saw for the first time have an asterisk (*) next to them. Not counting extras and promo items. Jan Jan 1 — The Other Half [2016] * Jan 3 — Unless [2016] *Continue reading→
Watch: New clips and a featurette for Scorsese’s Silence
Nearly three decades in the making, Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of Silence is finally playing in a few American theatres, and it will expand to the rest of the continent over the next two weeks. To pique the interest of prospective moviegoers, Paramount has released a new featurette on Scorsese’s “passion” for the project, as well as a few clips. Here is the featurette: At least three clips from this incredibly challenging film have surfaced online too. In this one, Fathers Rodrigues (Andrew G..Continue reading→
The top ten posts at FilmChat in 2016
Happy New Year! Last year, for the first time, I compiled two lists of my most-viewed blog posts from the year that had just ended: one list covered the top ten posts from this blog’s entire archive, while the other covered the top ten posts that had been written in 2015. Now it’s time for the 2016 lists. And here they are: – The 10 most-viewed posts in 2016, regardless of when they were written: 1. History and tradition in movie depictions of the cross (April 2013) This one’s a perennial, and t..Continue reading→
Same Kind of Different as Me release date postponed again
Just a quick update regarding the release of an upcoming “faith-based” film. Deadline is reporting that Same Kind of Different as Me, based on the memoir by Ron Hall, Denver Moore and Lynn Vincent, has been dropped by Paramount Pictures, which was going to release the film in February. The film will now be released by Pure Flix Entertainment, the studio behind God’s Not Dead, on October 20, 2017. This is the second time the film — which stars Greg Kinnear, Renee Zellweger, Djimon Hounsou and Jon..Continue reading→
Music
United Again – Single by Matt Hammitt
Addressing the current state of division among the nation, GRAMMY® nominated Matt Hammitt debuts the lyric video for single "United Again" (FCM Records, Seth Mosley), encouraging communities to find strength and unity among God. Amid protests and demonstrations on Inauguration Day, the song serves as an anthem for the Church, unifying those who feel disheartened by the present political climate. "Today, it seems there's only one thing that most Americans can agree on; that our nation is divided, shares Hammitt. "Many are asking the questions about how, or even if, our country can heal. A long list leaders have claimed that[...]Continue reading→
WOW Gospel 2017 by Various Artists – “WOW” Series
WOW Gospel 2017 is the premiere annual collection of top selling artists from Traditional to Contemporary Gospel! This power packed compilation returns with the best Gospel praise anthems, ballads and radio hits of the year. The WOW Gospel 2017 double disc CD set and companion DVD features 31 tracks from legendary ground-breaking gospel talents like Donnie McClurkin, Kirk Franklin, Todd Dulaney, Tasha Cobbs, Erica Campbell/Big Shizz many more! Previously garnering gold and platinum certifications along with a core faithful fan base, this WOW Gospel installment may be the best yet! The companion DVD will feature live and concept videos from[...]Continue reading→
Chain Breaker by Zach Williams
Husband, father, singer, songwriter, worship leader, campus director at his home church in Arkansas, and now, most recently added to Zach Williams' list of titles is recording artist. Zach Williams' first full-length album, Chain Breaker, comes from a place of humility and honesty as these songs are a direct reflection of God's redemption in Williams' life as he heals from a past life of addiction, darkness, and hopelessness. Says Williams, "Jesus came and died on the cross so there would be a way for the chains of those struggles and addictions to be broken. If you have pain, He's a[...]Continue reading→
Nobody Famous by Jered Sanders
"We've got a lot to talk about, ya'll," states Jered with this release. 'Nobody Famous' marks Sanders third release along the side of the 'Black Friday' EP which dropped this past November. In a year's time, Jered is primed to impact CHH like few other CHH artists have achieved.[...]Continue reading→
Tears – Single by Matt Hammitt
GRAMMY® nominated Matt Hammitt debuts latest single "Tears," as a part of the second solo project of his career. Going for adds on Feb. 3, the song will impact AC and Hot AC/CHR radio and has already hit No. 1 on Play MPE's Top 20 Christian downloads and streams. Hammitt is the first signed writer to Songs for FCM, the Full Circle Music publishing company helmed by GRAMMY® winning producer Seth Mosley. In the Spring of 2017, Hammitt will release his full-length studio album featuring the single.[...]Continue reading→
For KING & COUNTRY Releases ‘Priceless’ Movie For Digital Download
Good news for all the for KING & COUNTRY fans if you weren't able to catch Priceless in theaters last fall, it is now available for Digital HD Download from Amazon and iTunes. When you purchase a digital copy of the movie, you'll also receive special features such as a live performance by for KING & COUNTRY, The Making of Priceless, The Heart Behind the Film, Deleted Scenes, and Trailers. If you prefer DVD or Blu-Ray, the film will be available on Valentine's Day and you can pre-o..Continue reading→
iShine Presents The B413 ‘NO FILTER LIVE’ TOUR 2017
Together with iShine, Provident Label Group, Essential Artist Services and Tween Gospel Alliance, they announce the B413 "No Filter Live" Tour. This unique tour, which will hit three key markets in spring 2017 Bowling Green, KY (April 22), Austin, TX (May 5) and Ft. Smith (May 6) is a two-hour event specifically designed for tweens and their parents to best prepare the tween demographic for life beyond entering their teen years, to deeply enrich the child's faith and help equip parents to s..Continue reading→
Books
My vocation trilogy
I have written three books on vocation. I just realized that this constitutes a trilogy. They aren’t The Lord of the Rings, but they are connected and build into a whole. (1) God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life. This sets forth the doctrine of vocation. (2) Family Vocation: Your Christian Callings in Marriage, Parenthood, and Childhood. Written with my daughter Mary Moerbe, this book explores in depth the various vocations within the family, showing too how the teachings about Go..Continue reading→
“Family Vocation” giveaway
GoodReads is giving away five copies of Family Vocation: God’s Calling in Marriage, Parenting, and Childhood. I wrote that book with my daughter Mary Moerbe. It goes beyond God at Work, not just in exploring the family vocations in depth–important in itself, if we want to revitalize Christian marriage and parenting–but also in including material on vocation in general that I learned after publishing that earlier book. All you do is click “Enter Giveaway” on the widget after the jump. Five entran..Continue reading→
Last Chance
Pre-order Pricing Ends Monday for Marry Wisely, Marry Well Marry Wisely, Marry Well teaches Christian young people how to start building a future marriage house even before beginning a relationship. It helps them learn to make a wise choice of a spouse, and how to start preparing for a future relationship that is truly built on Christ. 40% Pre-order Discount Ends MondayContinue reading→
10 books to add to your reading pile this Winter
In its longest shortlist ever, the Australian Christian Book of the Year Shortlist has been announced today. From pondering how God fell off Australia’s radar to exploring the church’s involvement in the holocaust to the devastating impact of nuclear tests on an Aboriginal community and the Christian woman who fought against them, the shortlist is one of the most diverse ever. Run by SparkLit, an organisation seeking to empower Christian writers, publish..Continue reading→
Top Ten Books 5
Jesus Roiling His World Ministry in the 1980s included a two year teaching opportunity on the faculty of Moody Bible Institute and being called as pastor to Bella Vista Church, Rockford, MI, where I served 24 years. You can imagine the many books that I read to keep my mind and heart vibrant. Yet, reflecting on the decade of the 80s, two books were profoundly influential on my view of Jesus and pastoral ministry. In the line-up today is book #5 of ten that shaped my life: Donald B. ..Continue reading→
The Sermon on the Mount in Korea
A wonderful new translation of the (=my) Story of God Bible Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount is now available through Ecclesia Books in Korea. Always a red letter today to see these translations, and others in the series are to follow...Continue reading→
My 5 Favorite Books of 2015
It seems like everyone makes a best books list around this time, so adding my list probably isn’t going to shatter anybody’s world. In any event, there are a few reasons why I’ve compiled this list. First, I love reading and I love to share what I’m reading. Second, I’m also always encouraged by others’ thoughts and their lists often help me pick out a few last books for my Christmas wish list. Third, I get a lot of books from publishers, and while I don’t feel compelled t..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..