Last spring I had the privilege of speaking at a conference for NFL players put on by Pro Athletes Outreach (PAO), a group which exists to unite a community of pro athletes and couples to grow as disciples of Jesus and positively impact their spheres of influence. They have a fantastic outreach to professional football and baseball athletes and their wives. I’ve seen firsthand the amazing difference they’re making. In the off-season I exchanged emails and texts with dozens of NFL players and cha..Continue reading→
Home
Thoughts
Motherhood Is a Marathon
I wanted to do great things for God. In the spring of my senior year of college, on the brink of embarking upon my own journey into adulthood, my future was undecided and that was simultaneously terrifying and thrilling. As a philosophy major, my path was narrower than I had realized, but I was sure it would take me on some grand and glorious adventure. I knew the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. “Glorify” sounds like such a grand term. It evokes images of battlefie..Continue reading→
1 Peter 5:7–8: How Not to Battle Anxiety
Anxieties attack our faith and torment our peace. The question with anxiety is not whether it will come, but rather, how can I fight it when it does? Watch NowContinue reading→
Is Love of Money Really the Root of All Evils?
Is the love of money the “root of all evils” or only the “root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10)? “All evils” is the formal English equivalent of the original Greek (pantōn tōn kakōn). It is remarkable that all older versions of the Bible translate 1 Timothy 6:10 in the more literal way: “The love of money is the root of all evils” (or all evil). This includes the Wycliffe Bible, Luther Bibel, Geneva Bible, King James Version, Douay-Rheims, Darby Bible, and Revised Standard Version. Bu..Continue reading→
Daily Verses
Colossians 2:9-10
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.”Continue reading→
Mark 7:15 (07-15-16)
"There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man."— Mark 7:15 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... We get so hung up on externals, appearances, and facades. Jesus cuts to the core of God's concern — our spiritual heart condition. He wants us to not only focus on what we put in our body, but what we allow to grow in our hearts and simmer in our heads. The inner world is what needs ..Continue reading→
James 1:21
“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”Continue reading→
2 Chronicles 7:14 (07-14-16)
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."— 2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... While this is a passage often emphasized when talking about the problems with nations and governments, let's remember that the truest application of this must find its home in us and in our churches. We can begin ..Continue reading→
John 15:10
“If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”Continue reading→
Daily Wisdom
Psalm 121:1-2
“A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”Continue reading→
Proverbs 9:10 (09-10-16)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.— Proverbs 9:10 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... There are many fields of academic pursuit that are noble and beneficial, but true wisdom and the highest understanding can be found in only one place — a reverential knowledge of God! My Prayer... Lord God, Holy Savior of Israel and my Abba Father, thank you for the grace of prayer. Thank you for your steadfastness and faith..Continue reading→
Isaiah 46:4
“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”Continue reading→
Ezekiel 9:9 (09-09-16)
Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.— Ezekiel 9:9 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... In times of evil and adversity, God's people can lose sight of the Father's "great and precious promises." God has faithfully kept these promises through the ages. This past faithfulness is our reminder ..Continue reading→
Prayers
Daily Prayer for July 16
But as for me, I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. Micah 7:7–8, RSV Dear Father in heaven, as your children we stand before you and lift our eyes to you. We are poor, needy people, often wretched and tormented. Let your eyes rest upon us. Grant us the help we need. Bless us when we gather in the name of Jesus Christ, that we may be a people who learn to serve you on all the paths we follow, even if it proves bitterly hard. Give us true faith for every moment. May we have joy and confidence that you are with your children, that you remain with them forever, until the great time of redemption when we will rejoice with all past generations and with all who are living today. Amen.Continue reading→
Saved to Serve
Passage: 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 Prayer: Dear Father, May our faith serve to call them to wait for your Son from heaven, whom you raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath that will ultimately come upon an unrepentant world. Thank you for a love that reaches down and takes from within the world of sinners a people for yourself. Thank you for redeeming us, those sinners, for making us holy through your power, and for saving us for your eternal kingdom. My God, you are so great, so awes..Continue reading→
Daily Prayer for July 15
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10, RSV Lord our God, grant that we may find the power of your Spirit so that we may live on a higher level, no longer controlled by our lower natures but strengthened to take up the battle of life. May we be children of the Spirit and may we walk in the Spirit. Guard us against carelessness and keep us joyful and courageous. Help us and counsel us on all our ways so that we may honor you and testify that you are our God, our true help. Amen.Continue reading→
A Marvelous Message
Passage: 1 Thessalonians 1:2-8 Prayer: Dear Father, Thank you for the great numbers of believers in Jesus Christ, for their works of faith, their labors of love, and their steadfastness of hope which they have in Christ. Thank you for choosing all of us and calling us to yourself by the Good News about Jesus. Thank you that this marvelous message came to us not only in word, but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. Thank you for the example of your apostles as demonstrations of w..Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
Church of England sets up new body on sexuality
Rt Rev Graham James, the Bishop of Norwich, will chair a new body on sexuality set up by the Church of England. Church of England bishops have set up a new body to "take forward work on sexuality" which will be chaired by Graham James, the Bishop of Norwich. The establishment of the 'Bishops' Reflection Group on Sexuality' was announced this afternoon after senior Church of England clergy met in Oxford this week. The bishops discussed sexuality as well as a range of othe..Continue reading→
Church attendance has risen since Fr Jacques Hamel’s murder, says Archbishop
The number of people attending mass in the area where Father Jacques Hamel was murdered has increased since his death, said the Archbishop of Rouen. ReutersA white rose is attached to a post in front of the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray where Father Jacques Hamel, was killed. The Catholic priest whose throat was slit as he celebrated mass on July 26 was declared a "martyr" by Pope Francis on Wednesday, strongly implying he will one day become a saint. Archbishop Dominique Lebrun, who over..Continue reading→
Pope Francis: Church pastors must spend time with the poor
ReutersPope Francis addresses the Wednesday general audience at the Vatican. Pope Francis has spoken out against pastors who self-indulge and distance themselves from the sufferings of the poor, in his traditional midweek address in St Peter's square. "Jesus was not a prince," said the Pontiff on September 14, the Catholic Herald reports. "It is awful for the Church when pastors become princes, far from the people, far from the poorest people. That is not the spirit of Jesus." The Pope w..Continue reading→
How We Pastors Can Stop Preaching Legalism
While reading Timothy Keller’s new book, Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism, I ran across a quote that, I believe, is wildly telling. In this passage, Keller is talking about legalism (dependence on morality to save us) and antinomianism (the belief that God’s grace doesn’t mean we have to live holy lives). “Here is where the issue affects your preaching. If you think legalism is simply too much emphasis on the law, then you will think the antidote is to talk less about obed..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
Are Chip and Joanna Gaines “Cultural Heretics”?
Supporters of same-sex marriage once leaned on libertarian terminology to make their case. “Just live and let live,” we were told. Nowadays, despite surveys showing that only half of Americans support same-sex marriage, the traditional view, accepted by nearly all societies across the world for thousands of years, is treated as if it is a fringe position, worthy of public scorn. The Cosmopolitan article says the revelation about the Gaines’ church is startling due to “the diversity of their audi..Continue reading→
Was Jesus Married to Mary Magdalene? Revisiting a Stubborn Conspiracy Theory
In sum, this Huffington post article is an unfortunate exercise in “whack a mole.” It is the same old conspiracy theory of prior generations, fed to a new audience that perhaps wouldn’t know any better. And that is the sad part of this whole story. The average person reading this article will probably accept it as fact. But, despite the bold claims of the article’s title, there are few real facts to be found here. When I was a kid, I always used to enjoy the “whack a mole” game at the local arc..Continue reading→
A Minister’s Regrets
I am sorry that I did not rest in a routine of personal devotions early on.Settled into a place at a time and seeking the face of God sounds natural, like morning ablutions, but it is a living holy world you are entering and so there is bound to be dark spiritual resistance. It is the Holy One, infinite, eternal and unchangeable, whose face you are seeking. What a struggle for some of us, to impose upon the flesh a spirit of contrition, penitence and hunger for the divine, yet how essential to g..Continue reading→
Repenting … And I Love It!
Regular repentance results in increased holiness and prayer. As we talk with our Savior about our sin, the Spirit causes us to loath that which he loathes. As we pray, we find ourselves having transformed desires. As we repent, we find we want to understand his Law better and worship him more. Increased are our desires to worship him, please him, keep his Law, enjoy more holy affections, and do more holy deeds. Someone may ask, “Why does your church spend so much time every Sunday reading the L..Continue reading→
Life & Society
Archbishop Of Canterbury Slams ‘Shocking Blight’ Of UK Hunger
The Archbishop of Canterbury slammed the "shocking blight" of hunger in the UK on Tuesday. Justin Welby backed a £1.3million campaign to cut down on food waste in London as part of a drive to tackle hunger in Britain. The Evening Standard's initiative was also supported by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Justin Welby has been a longstanding supporter of tackling food poverty.Reuters "I welcome the Evening Standard's campaign on tackling food poverty and wast..Continue reading→
Christian Author Jen Hatmaker Responds After Books Pulled Because Of Pro-LGBT Views
Several of Jen Hatmaker's books have been produced by LifeWay's B&H Publishing, including the best-seller "7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess."Facebook / Jen Hatmaker A popular Christian author who had her books withdrawn from LifeWay shops after announcing her support for gay rights has spoken out after receiving backlash. In a lengthy Facebook post on Monday, Jen Hatmaker said she had come to her conclusion "with prayer and careful study and deliberation", and insisted: "We w..Continue reading→
Priest Goes Around San Francisco to Pray for Those Killed in Streets
Reuters A Roman Catholic priest has been going around the city of San Francisco, California for the past four years to pray for those killed in the streets. Rev. Michael Quinn from the Archdiocese of San Francisco has made it his mission to say prayers and sprinkle holy water on city streets that have become sites of homicide. He and his two companions in the mission—Julio Escobar and Alma Zamora—go around the city every week to pray for homicide victims, no matter what crimes or sins they co..Continue reading→
Ban on Religious Christmas Songs Lifted by Florida Mall Following Public Outcry
Pixabay A major shopping mall in Florida that receives millions of visitors every year had imposed a ban on Christmas songs and hymns about Jesus but was eventually forced to rescind the prohibition due to public criticism. Officials from the University Town Center (UTC) Mall in Sarasota County earlier issued a controversial decree directing choral groups performing in the commercial area not to sing Christmas carols, particularly those written in English. "For choral groups, the Mall prefers..Continue reading→
Music
Leeland Announces Pre-Order For New Album
Today Bethel Music announced the pre-order of Leeland's first album as part of their artist collective. "We're excited to announce that Leeland's first album with Bethel Music is now available for pre-order on iTunes. 'Invisible' offers a refreshing perspective on a gospel that is alive and moving in us and through us," Bethel shared. Invisible will mark Leeland's first release since 2014's Christ Be All Around Me EP and will be available July 22. Click here to pre-order the album now and get 3 instant song downloads "Invisible," "Carry It All Away" and "Son Was Lifted Up." Invisible Track Listing 1. My Treasure 2. War 3. Spirit 4. Ever Love You Lord 5. For Your Glory 6. Perfect Love 7. Lock & Key 8. Invisible 9. Breath of God [...]Continue reading→
Project 86 Announces PledgeMusic Campaign for 10th Album
Project 86 has launched a special PledgeMusic campaign in support of their upcoming tenth studio album and their 20 year anniversary as a band. The project will be comprised of ten original songs and five covers. All of the songs will be available to backers on a one song per month basis, beginning with a cover of Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" as an immediate download for all backers. The PledgeMusic campaign is designed as both a preorder for music to come and a celebration of music past, with offers including vintage merch. Accompanying tour dates are coming soon, with Project 86 promising to play fan favorites from their early days alongside current tracks. Above all, the band sees the campaign as a way to celebrate the past two decades alongside their fans. "You have stuck by us for twenty years. We want to meet you, spend[...]Continue reading→
Word Entertainment Scores Two Trophies For Christian Retailing’s Best Awards
It was announced earlier this week that Word Entertainment was honored two times at the annual Christian Retailing's Best Awards. Big Daddy Weave's acclaimed album Beautiful Offerings (Fervent Records) won in the music category and When Calls the Heart Complete Season 2 (Word Films) won for the DVD Movie division. The awards, honoring the best new products of the year, were given on Monday, June 27 in Cincinnati during the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS). "At Word Entertainment, we are passionate and intentional about delivering the best in Christian entertainment to people everywhere," shares Rod Riley, President & CEO, Word Entertainment. "Big Daddy Weave's Beautiful Offerings and When Calls the Heart Complete Season 2 are two projects that we have seen impact thousands and thousands of lives with the good news of the Gospel. To be recognized with awards for each of these projects from Christian Retailing's[...]Continue reading→
Metalcore Group Toarn Signs With Luxor Records
Christian metalcore band Toarn has announced their signing with Luxor Records, making their upcoming EP Giant Killer their debut with the label. Toarn released a new song titled "In Flander's Fields" alongside the label news, giving fans an initial taste of Giant Killer prior to its July 15 release. Preorders for the EP are available through major retailers like Amazon, BestBuy and Barnes & Noble as well as through VictoryMerch.com. The Washington-based band has developed a grassroots following through the release of past independent projects Protoevangelium and Brood of Vipers. Toarn will be hitting the road with Hemarosa in support of the release, with tour dates listed here. You can listen to "Flander's Field" below.Continue reading→
Britney Spears Endorses Pastor/Author Max Lucado
Britney Spears has a new album coming out and is about to kick off a two-year residency in Las Vegas, so she’s out there working the publicity machine. During a recent Twitter chat, a fan asked Britney what her favorite book was, and the singer replied, “Anything by Max Lucado.” Lucado is a Texas-based preacher and author of a hundred (yes, a hundred) Christian-themed adults and kids’ books. Their titles include Grace for the Moment, Outlive Your Life: You Were Born to Make a Difference, and God..Continue reading→
Katy Perry’s Song “By the Grace of God” Is a Flashback to Her Christian Singer Days
Before Katy Perry was an animal-print-and-candy-loving pop star, she was Katy Hudson, aspiring Christian singer. Though her switch to the secular side of music helped make her a star, Katy (whose parents are pastors) hasn’t given up on her Christian background. Her new album Prism features the ballad “By the Grace of God,” which probably won’t ever be released as a single but does a bang-up job appealing to one of her core constituencies. But what does John Mayer think?Continue reading→
American
The Myth of Inclusion (Jonathan Storment)
The Myth of Inclusion, Part 1 Maybe you saw over the holidays, there was a fascinating conversation in the New York Times between the Journalist Nicholas Kristof and the well known Pastor, Tim Keller. The name of the article interestingly enough was “Am I a Christian, Pastor Keller?” And Keller’s answer was no. It was a bit surprising to stumble upon a conversation like this in the New York Times, I found it refreshingly honest and respectful, even while they talked about their disagreements. Kr..
Listening to a Sexual Abuse Survivor (Becky Castle Miller)
Becky Castle Miller is the Discipleship Director at an international church in the Netherlands and writes about emotionally healthy discipleship at medium.com/wholehearted. She conveys her five kids around town on bikes and studies New Testament in the middle of the night via Northern Live. Our words can succeed at the level of doctrinal correctness but fail at the level of pastoral care. I’ve seen this happen over and over to survivors of sexual abuse, when church leaders, communicating about s..
Senate Committee Confirms Pro-Life UN Ambassador Nominee Nikki Haley
A Senate committee today signed off on the nomination of pro-life Governor Nikki Haley as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. During her confirmation hearing, the Trump UN Ambassador nominee told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that she will oppose abortion on an international level, saying she is “strongly pro-life.” The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday easily approved Nikki Haley’s nomination with Democrats putting up little opposition. Haley was approved on a voice..
Planned Parenthood Injures Woman in Botched Abortion, Put in Ambulance Under “Healthcare Happens” Sign
As the 44th memorial of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that decriminalized abortion approached, Planned Parenthood provided us with a cautionary tale — one it hoped would never become public. While Planned Parenthood prepared to celebrate “safe, legal” abortion, one of their own abortion patients was transported by ambulance from Planned Parenthood’s flagship Margaret Sanger Center abortion facility in New York City. The incident took place on January 18, 2017, at approximately 11:45 a...
US
“They have pierced my hands and feet”
As we contemplate the prophecies of Christ for Advent, we should turn to perhaps the most remarkable of them all. In Psalm 22, we have a first person prophecy (not “he” but “I” and “my”), one which takes us into the consciousness of Christ on the Cross. Here we have the manner of His torment (“they have pierced my hands and feet”); the bodily racking of crucifixion (“all my bones are out of joint”); His thirst (“my tongue sticks to my jaws”); the mockery (“all who see me mock me”); the taunting ..
The word of the year
The Oxford English Dictionary–that mammoth reference book that chronicles the history of every word in our language–has announced the word of the year for 2016: post-truth. Most commenters are relating the term to the lack of truth in today’s politics, particularly with candidates that the commenter opposes. The implication is that they think being “post-truth” is a bad thing, that they would like objective truth to come back as a category for our time. But “post-truth” is nothing more than what..
America’s first Independent president?
Donald Trump not only beat the Democrats. Before that, he beat the Republicans. Dan Balz argues that Trump, in effect, is America’s first Independent president. He doesn’t mention it, but Bernie Sanders is an actual Independent, who ran in the Democratic primaries. So this was the year a big proportion of Americans voted against both party establishments, though in the context of a two-party system. What Trump did, Balz says, is pull off a “hostile takeover” of the Republican party. Read his arg..
Reproduction as resurrection
Peter Leithart gives a splendid reading of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 3, in which he is trying to persuade his “fair young friend” (contrary to the homosexual readings of the sonnets) to get married and have children. Leithart shows how Shakespeare and his age thought of what it means to have children, including the connection of sexuality to nature (for example, the link between “husband” and “husbandry”) and the notion that the reproduction is an image of resurrection. From Peter Leithart, Womb or T..