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
Jeremiah 7:3 (07-03-16)
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.— Jeremiah 7:3 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... We often take for granted what we have, where we live, the friends who bless our lives, and the family that gives us a place to belong and grow. All of these are gifts to us from God. We don't deserve them. We don't earn them. But, we can surely destroy them. God wants us to live obediently, not just..Continue reading→
Matthew 7:2 (07-02-16)
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.— Matthew 7:2 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Jesus is concerned that we not have a critical spirit toward others, especially about their motives as to why they did something. We can't assume to know another person's heart; only God can. When we are unfairly critical, overly harsh, or unduly judgmental, we need to remember that God will use that same sta..Continue reading→
Psalm 7:1 (07-01-16)
O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me...— Psalm 7:1 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Who or what is pursuing you? Is it a past mistake? Is it an old enemy? Is it your conscience? Is it a nagging sense of guilt? Is it someone who wants to do you physical harm? Is it a physical illness? In the middle of all the storms and struggles of life, where do you go to find peace and security? There is only One who can be a true and ..Continue reading→
Daily Wisdom
Isaiah 48:17
“This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”Continue reading→
Isaiah 9:2 (09-02-16)
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.— Isaiah 9:2 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... This great promise in Isaiah was fulfilled with the coming of Jesus (see Matthew 4:15-16; Luke 1:79). As darkness falls tonight, look out at a street light and capture it in your memory so that every time you see a light shining in the darkness it will remind you to do two things: give thanks t..Continue reading→
Psalm 119:64
“The earth is filled with your love, LORD; teach me your decrees.”Continue reading→
Psalm 9:1 (09-01-16)
I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.— Psalm 9:1 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... The words of Jessie Brown Pound's old hymn say it best: "If the light of his presence has brightened your way, O will you not tell it today?" Prayerfully select someone who needs to know of the goodness and graciousness of God and share Jesus with that person. A heart filled with praise to God will not only praise him, but will lead others t..Continue reading→
Prayers
The Deeds of the Flesh
Passage: Galatians 5:19-21 Prayer: Dear Father, opposer of all that is evil,Help me to stay away from those things which are clearly works of the flesh: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like.Help me heed your warning, given again and again, that people who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. In the name of Jesus I ask you to perfect us, whatever that m..Continue reading→
The Flesh Versus the Spirit
Passage: Galatians 5:16-18 Prayer: Dear Father, giver of your Spirit, Help me to walk by the Spirit and not gratify the desires of my flesh. For the desires of my flesh are opposed to the desires of my spirit and to the desires of your Spirit for me. These things set up an opposition within me to keep me from doing what I want. But thank you for letting me know that if I live by the Spirit I do something different than just live by the rules of the law, that in fact I am not under law.In the name of ..Continue reading→
Freedom Is No Excuse for Sin
Passage: Galatians 5:13-15 Prayer: Dear Father, guardian of the free, May we never use freedom as a pretext for evil or as an excuse for indulging sinful desires. Rather, grant that we, out of love, will make ourselves servants to one another. For the Lord has taught us that the whole law is fulfilled in the one saying, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Keep us from "biting" and "devouring" one another, lest we be consumed by one another. Encourage and enable me and all my brothers and..Continue reading→
Christ, the Stumbling Block
Passage: Galatians 5:7-12 Prayer: Dear Father, guarantor of freedom, Help me to run well! Help me not to be hindered from obeying the truth! Don't let me be persuaded by a viewpoint that is not from you, the God who called us to freedom in Jesus! A little leaven leavens the whole lump! Help me keep out even a pinch of "slavery" type thinking and religiosity that worships human will. For to preach circumcision (law-keeping as a means of justification), is to remove the stumbling block of the cros..Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
Truth and translation: 3 questions about religious language
"Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments." (Ps 119:9-10) To those familiar with the King James Bible, these words may be sweet honey for the soul. Meanwhile, everyone else is trying to work out what wherewithal means. And taking heed thereto. The words of Jesus: translated to English from Greek, which was translated from Aramaic. Simple really. Words ..Continue reading→
Rev Gretta Vosper doesn’t believe in God, Jesus or Bible: Church panel says enough is enough
Rev Gretta Vosper is an atheist but leads West Hill United Church in Toronto, Canada. Atheist pastor Gretta Vosper should be dismissed from ministry in the United Church of Canada, a Church committee has decided. The saga has been going on for quite a long time. The minister of West Hill church in Toronto, she said in 2001 she didn't believe in a supernatural, interventionist, divine being". The UCC, extremely relaxed about doctrinal issues, was OK with this until in 2013 she declared her..Continue reading→
No Voice
I’m currently experiencing day three of “no voice.” I can’t talk above a whisper, which is uncomfortable. I’ve had to cancel two lunch dates, two counseling appointments, Celebrate Recovery Training, a conference call, apprenticing with our new Ministry Leader, and I will miss Celebrate Recovery tonight as well. The temptation to try to talk is too great when I am around people, which just makes the healing take that much longer, as it irritates my vocal cords further. So, I sit at home, not tal..Continue reading→
Sharon’s Celebrate Recovery Story
I’m a believer in Jesus Christ who struggles with drug addiction and the consequences of sexual abuse. My name is Sharon. I was born into a family with three older siblings, who are much older than I, and a twin sister. Karon and I were the “second” family for our parents. I grew up in a strict religious home. My Dad was a preacher, so we were in church every time the doors opened. The family you saw at church was not the family you’d have seen at home behind closed doors. You see, growing up, ..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
White Christian Apocalypse?
“After the recent election, I saw plenty of articles saying this was the last gasp of White America before whites lost their majority status, maybe sometime around 2040. Well, 2040 is a long way off, but let us look at the projections for what the U.S. population will look like in mid-century, say in 2050.” I have been deliberately holding off on election-related comments on matters about which I have little novel to contribute. On one critical issue, though, contemporary debate and theorizing ..Continue reading→
5 Common Marriage Counseling Mistakes
“The first challenge we encounter in this type of situation is getting caught up in the emotions of the moment and feeling that we have to fix the problem immediately. However, if we give in to that pressure, we are much more likely to say something that isn’t helpful. In the first thirty minutes, hour, or two hours, of counseling we often don’t know enough to be all that helpful.” Pastors are all familiar with that couple. The couple that asks for help and says something has to change, and now..Continue reading→
Psychiatry Professor: ‘Transgenderism’ Is Mass Hysteria Similar To 1980s-Era Junk Science
Psychiatric “disorders” both come and go in response to contemporary cultural fads and determined special interests. For the sexual liberation movement the political advantage lay in having offending disorders removed. In 1973 it succeeded in getting the APA to remove homosexuality from its lexicon of disorders simply by vote of the membership. Consider the remarkable phenomenon of transgenderism. A disorder of gender identity that afflicts a minuscule number of Americans has become a polarizin..Continue reading→
From Shame to Sin (Review)
“When Christianity emerged in the Roman Empire during the first century it did so as a persecuted minority known for its distinctive sexual ethic. Harper argues, in fact, that it was their views of sex more than anything else that distinguished Christians in the ancient world.” The West is jettisoning the Christian understanding of human sexuality at an alarming speed. It is doing so, to a significant extent, without any meaningful understanding of how Christianity shaped western sexuality in t..Continue reading→
Life & Society
Light Out Of Darkness: A Review Of Leonard Cohen’s ‘You Want It Darker’
leonardcohen.com There was only one thing wrong with Bob Dylan being given the Nobel Prize for Literature. He certainly deserves it, but surely the first songwriter to receive that esteemed award should have been the Canadian wordsmith, Leonard Cohen? Possibly the best concert I have even been to was Leonard Cohen's at Edinburgh Castle a few years ago. Thousands of us gathered to hear him sing the classics we all remembered – Marianne, Hallelujah, the Chelsea Hotel and so on. Halfway thro..Continue reading→
More People on Google Searching For Memes Than Jesus Christ
Pixabay More people who go online and use Google search are more interested in looking for memes on the Internet instead of researching about Jesus Christ, data from the popular search engine showed. According to Mirror Online, Twitter user Dominik Vincent Salonen noticed how memes have already become "more popular" than Jesus using the analytics from Google Trends. Salonen, who uses the Twitter handle @Kuwaddo, came up with a graph comparing interest in the terms "meme" and "Jesus Christ" on..Continue reading→
Olympic Gold Medalist Scott Hamilton Talks Brain Tumour: ‘God Doesn’t Owe Me a Day’
Olympic figure skater Scott Hamilton, who has been diagnosed again with a brain tumour, is seen here making a Skype recording.(Instagram/Scott Hamilton) Scott Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist in figure skating, is battling brain tumour for the third time since 2004. He is grateful that the tumour is benign, but whatever happens to him moving forward, Hamilton said he is going to be praising God all the way. Hamilton went in for a regular check-up this year, and doctors told him that th..Continue reading→
Will God Get Angry at People Who Say the Wrong Things in Prayer? Billy Graham Answers
Pixabay How do people pray? It has often been suggested that praying from the heart is the best form of conversation people can have with God. But some Christians are afraid to say the wrong things to their Saviour. That's why they rely on memorised prayers. World-renowned evangelist Billy Graham understands their concerns, but he is encouraging them to let go of their fears and pray straight from the heart. "Don't be afraid; don't worry about saying something in your prayers t..Continue reading→
Movies
Mourn With Those Who Mourn
In memory of Clementa Carlos Pinckney (1973-2015), Democrat, South Carolina Senate; senior pastor of Mother Emanuel A.M.E. [African Methodist Episcopal] Church; martyred with eight of his congregation while they studied scriptures and prayed together in the church. You can read much more about Pastor Pinckney and his church here. It was one year ago this month that shots rang out on our campus at Seattle Pacific. And the community responded by gathering in grief, in support, in prayer, and, when the truth was learned, in grace and love toward the antagonist. I was blessed, and taught, by their response. Today, those of us on campus are gathering in SPU’s prayer chapel to pray for our grieving neighbors at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and for the troubled heart of the suspect in custody. Elsewhere — specifically, online, from angry responders (a wide range, including suit-and-tie white guys) — I’m already seeing waves of rage and hate directed at the shooter. I unde..Continue reading→
What Specialists Are Saying About Jurassic World
Gathering in a bunker deep underground where velociraptors cannot find them, the Looking Closer Specialists are talking about Jurassic World. The Specialists are a community of friends who are supporting my efforts on this blog. They have a private Facebook group, they get to see some of this blog’s posts before everybody else, they’re acknowledged in the Credits, and they are invited to participate in occasional posts like this one. (Sound like fun? Here’s how to join them.) Since I haven’t had a chance to see Jurassic World yet — there were other films far higher on my priority list this week — I asked them for their first impressions. Here’s what they’re saying… Joseph: It met my expectations, Jeffrey. But I suspect that says more about my expectations than it does about Trevorrow’s film. Heavy, heavy on the effects and action, light on story and the characterizations (and motivations) of its characters. A more successful return to the franchise than either The Lost World or Jurassi..Continue reading→
Torres and the Influence of David Bazan and Terrence Malick
It’s June again: The end of another academic year. We’ve come to Graduation Weekend, and I’m driving to a special ceremony, where this year’s crop of honors society students — the Seattle Pacific University Scholars (or “UScholars”) — will gather with families and friends to celebrate their achievement. And on the way, my car doors are pulsing to the beats of an album that has its hooks in me: Sprinter by Torres. These songs keep playing in my head long after I’ve had parked the car on Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill and descended into the sunny campus. Everywhere I look the lawns are alive with faculty in full regalia and seniors draped in graduation gowns and stoles, capped with tasseled mortarboards. I hurry through the crowd to the lobby of Otto Miller Hall, where UScholar seniors have set up informative honors project displays. There each student explains to visitors what they’ve been learning in these last days before their launch into the great unknown. Despite the celebratory mood, I..Continue reading→
Bracing for Jurassic World: My Personal History with the Raptors
Just like every other moviegoer on the planet, I had a blast attending the theatrical opening of Jurassic Park in 1993. I remember laughing for joy at the blissful terror of the T-Rex’s entrance, and laughing even harder when I saw my friends Eric and Matt crawling under their seats. But I was having fun in spite of the movie’s screenplay, which felt cheap and sentimental even for Spielberg at the time. I thought then — and I still think — that it’s B-grade Spielberg. This weekend, I went digging for any writing I might have done back then, and could only dug up this old paragraph: One cannot help but assume the reason the characters in the film are so scared is because they’re so poorly developed. Spielberg was so excited about directing the dinosaurs that he forgot to check the quality of the script. This is not such a bad thing, really. The corny dialogue and aspirations to social and environmental relevance seem to suit this old-fashioned thrill-fest. Who comes to this movie to be ..Continue reading→
A New Conversation with Pete Horner, Sound Designer for Jurassic World
My friend Pete Horner was the sound designer/sound mixer for Jurassic World… not to mention his extraordinary back catalog of work, like the Redux version of Apocalypse Now. He won an Emmy for his work on Hemingway and Gellhorn. Here he is, interviewed for Filmback, talking about the art of sound design. Well worth listening to. And here’s a shout-out to my friend Claire Tanner, who is a producer and the co-host of Filmback. Great work, Cory Titus and Claire Tanner! Check this out. And if you like that, you’ll like the bonus round, when he tells a story about my favorite band: Over the Rhine. Image published my two-part interview with Horner a while back: Part One, Part Two.Continue reading→
Halfway Through 2015: What’s Your Favorite Music So Far?
So far, 2015 has been an impressive non-stop parade of great albums. I could easily turn in a Top 10 of the year today if I was asked. But we’re only halfway there. Dr. Jeff Keuss of Seattle Pacific University hosted this live podcast discussion of some of 2015’s most exciting music. We listened to stuff by Kendrick Lamar, Kacey Musgraves, Ibeyi, Sleater-Kinney, and much more, and talked it over. Then, we answered some great questions from diners in our live audience. Panel guests included Anthony Barr-Jeffrey, Anna Miller, and myself. Maybe you missed the live event, but you can listen now to the podcast. Tune in for The Kindlings Muse here. What are the most impressive records you’ve heard in 2015 so far? What albums have you played the most?Continue reading→
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Charlize Theron-the-Road-Again [This review has already been read by the Looking Closer Specialists, whose helpful responses persuaded me to see the movie a second time before publishing it. Thanks, Specialists! Read about how you can join the club that gets first-looks and access to a private Looking Closer Facebook group here.] I am looking at the back of a man who stands on a sandy precipice beside his souped up sports car, and I have just enough time to think three things: 1) Wow, the colors of this post-apocalyptic desert wasteland are so saturated that they make Luke Skywalker’s homeland look positively grayscaled by comparison! 2) Is this guy just scanning the horizon, out beyond the dunes? Or he is preparing to urinate over the edge? And then, 3) I wonder how long this goes before we hit the first chase scene and we see Max — BOOM! We’re off! He’s jumping in his car! And the first mad, mad, mad chase scene of Mad Max: Fury Road is underway! And if you’re not excited about tha..Continue reading→
MCFARLAND USA: An Interview with Legendary Coach Jim White
Do you like sports movies? I cry every time I watch Field of Dreams. The rousing underdog stories of Rudy or The Rookie almost feel too good to be true. The cynic in us may resist, but once you actually meet Jimmy, the guy who sank the winning shot in Hoosiers, your perspective shifts. These aren’t just tall tales, manufactured by Hollywood. These can be modest, “everyday” heroes who challenge us to practice, to press on, to never give up. I recently met Jim White, the legendary cross-country c..Continue reading→
OSCARS 2015: BOYHOOD, BIRDMAN OR BUDAPEST FOR BEST PICTURE?
The 2015 Oscar race has become one of the tightest and most unpredictable contests in years. Three well-crafted films emerged over awards season as the key contenders for the 2015 Academy Award for Best Picture: Boyhood, Birdman, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. While Selma and Interstellar combined epic scale and meticulous craft, the Academy and the guilds obsessed over a few peccadilloes that kept them out of serious Oscar contention. (Only time will honor these two towering cinematic achievemen..Continue reading→
Music
Trust You All The Way by About A Mile
Since launching 2014's biggest-selling Christian album debut from a new artist, Dove Award-nominated About A Mile is taking all the experiences over the last couple years and pouring them into its sophomore album, Trust You All The Way, to be released from Radiate Music Oct. 28. More than the successes of playing Christian music's biggest stage (Winter Jam) and a bevy of supporters that have fully-funded its PledgeMusic campaign, band members and brothers Adam, Luke and Levi Klutinoty have resolved to trust God with every aspect of their lives and ministry. Pouring that conviction into their upcoming album, which was produced[...]Continue reading→
Flammable Kingdoms (Matthew Parker Remix) – Single by MHEternal
Hot on the heels of Matthew Parker's critically acclaimed release, Adventure, the producer and electronic pop artist has reimagined MH Eternal's deceptively deep yet infectiously catchy single, "Flammable Kingdoms," from 2015's 'Songs For Tomorrow' EP.[...]Continue reading→
Ghost Ship by Theocracy
After finally gaining some momentum with As The World Bleeds, Theocracy is ready to blast into the mainstream with their newest release.[...]Continue reading→
VERIDIA Debuts Music Video for Still Breathing
As they kicked off their month-long tour with Evanesence this past weekend from Dallas, alt-rock band VERIDIA has also just debuted their latest music video for their current radio single "Still Breathing." Uniquely filmed in a haunted house located in Nashville, the video was directed by Matt DeLisi, the director behind the band's previous video, "Pretty Lies." Written by Veridia's front woman Deena Jakoub, the song "Still Breathing" shares the important message of dealing with fear..Continue reading→
Zach Williams’ ‘Chain Breaker’ Music Video Explodes; Single Stays No. 1 For 3rd Week
For the third week in a row at radio, "Chain Breaker," the debut single from Essential Records' artist Zach Williams, continues to hold the No. 1 spot of the Christian AC Indicator chart. The song has climbed into top 5 on the Christian Airplay chart and has also been the top-selling single on the iTunes Christian Songs chart for the past few weeks. "Chain Breaker" is also No. 15 on Billboard's Hot Rock Songs chart, joining such artists as twenty one pilots, Coldplay, Kings Of Leon and..Continue reading→
Sidewalk Prophets Announces Second Leg of ‘The Prodigal Tour’
Sidewalk Prophets will be taking their hit music, energetic live performance, and thought-provoking creativity on the road this winter and spring as they announce the 2017 leg of "The Prodigal Tour." The tour is in partnership with The Mocha Club, a non-profit that the band has passionately supported since visiting the Democratic Republic Of The Congo in 2011 and seeing the organization's work first-hand in caring for needs of the area.Continue reading→
Cana’s Voice Delivers Standing Ovation Performances with Dr. David Jeremiah’s ‘Stand Up Tour’
Cana's Voice continues to impact audiences with performances and songs from their debut album, This Changes Everything. Recently, the trio traveled to Washington, DC for an appearance at the Verizon Center with Dr. David Jeremiah's Stand Up Tour. The overall message for the evening was to honor God and our country, through a deeper relationship and commitment in our faith with Christ. The program featured labelmate, Charles Billingsley, and the LU Praise choir and band from Liberty Uni..Continue reading→
Joel Vaughn Releases New Song
Pop artist Joel Vaughn has released his new single, "As You Are" which will be a part of a new album coming out on January 27th, 2017. Joel Vaughn debuted his DREAM Records release, Kinetic which has quickly gained new fans for his upbeat, pop melodies. The debut single, "Wide Awake" track debuted at #15 on the Billboard Hot AC CHR chart and was the featured song on Tennis Trick Shots ft. Serena Williams Dude Perfect that received 13 Million views on YouTube. The Nashville-based artist will feat..Continue reading→
About A Mile Releases ‘Trust You All The Way’
About A Mile's full-length sophomore album, Trust You All The Way, releases globally tomorrow (Oct. 28) from Radiate Music and is available for preorder now at iTunes and Amazon.com. Along with the preorder from iTunes are immediate downloads of the new single and title track, the hard-driving "Taking Back" (the video of this song has been seen on AXS TV, YouToo America Garage Band, ClubCom, California Music Channel, Video Hits and many more outlets internationally) and the pop flavored Top..Continue reading→
American
Birth Control and Contraception Don’t Reduce Abortions Despite False Claims From New Study
As congressional efforts to defund Planned Parenthood gain momentum, it is unsurprising that the abortion provider is fighting back. The group recently funded a study – carried out by the liberal think tank Child Trends — which makes some outlandish claims about the purported health benefits of contraception. The study claims that if all women of childbearing age could access a complete range of contraception methods, both the unintended-pregnancy rate and the abortion rate would fall by more t..
Activists Celebrate Abortion Provider Appreciation Day, “We’re Grateful for Abortion Doctors”
There is so much going on, including plans to cut the half-billion dollar stream of federal dollars to Planned Parenthood, you might anticipate that the largest provider of abortions on the face of the planet might pay less attention than usual to the “National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers.” I went to PPFA’s twitter account and after searching in vain for a reference, plugged the word “abortion” into the search engine. For the period of the last two days, the word appeared just th..
Amazing Video Shows Huge Pro-Life Flashmob at Peru March for Life
Organizers of the Peru March for Life created an enthusiastic new video recently that shows a flashmob celebrating the lives of babies in the womb. Churchpop reports the pro-life organizers created the music video to promote the upcoming march. The video shows a lively crowd of young pro-lifers gathering in downtown Lima, dancing and singing as they celebrate the lives of babies in the womb. The pro-life event, Marcha por la Vida, is scheduled for March 25 in Lima. The theme this year is “Take..
Her Abortion Was Botched So Badly it Left Part of the Baby “Putrefying” Inside of Her
Jane nearly died from an illegal, botched abortion prior to Roe v. Wade. And for that reason, she is fighting to keep abortion legal today. She and three other women who had illegal abortions prior to Roe recently shared their horrific abortion experiences in a video by The Scene, according to the Daily Mail. Jane, whose last name is not provided, said she had the abortion in 1968 after a man broke into her room, raped her and threatened to kill her. One horrifying event led to another when sh..
Australia
The business of our mission
BIBLE SOCIETY NEWS Saturday 10 December 2016 Bible Society and Koorong now share a huge 2500-square-metre warehouse at Erskine Park in western Sydney. From here, hundreds of thousands of Bibles and Christian books are shipped to all corners of Australia and the Pacific under the watchful eye of warehouse manager John Park and his staff of 40. John is enjoying his expanded role with responsibility for six new staff and managing extra sales. “All the extra money profited or saved within thi..
Reading of God’s wonderful love
BIBLE SOCIETY NEWS Friday 4 November 2016 Imagine not being able to read this sentence. Perhaps you can’t get your head around that because you have been able to read and write since you can remember. But according to the latest UNESCO figures, 758 million adults (aged 15 years and older) across the world remain unable to do so. Imagine – nearly 760 million adults are not able to read and write in their heart language! Let’s put it another way: 33 times the total population of Australia is il..
A fun format freshens the word of God
BIBLE SOCIETY NEWS Friday 25 November 2016 Although the nations in the South Pacific enjoy a long history of Christian mission, many contemporary churches still don’t have the Scriptures in their own language, and those that do are forced to read old-fashioned Bible translations that don’t really connect with a new generation of Christians. Bible Society South Pacific is committed to meeting this need, and is in the middle of a ten-year project to provide updated and new biblical materials to ..
Celebrate the Bible with us in 2017
We’re celebrating the Bible in 2017 and on Sunday March 5th a very special event will take place in partnership with Hillsong and live streamed in churches across the nation. Key speakers include Anglican Archbishop Glenn Davies and Hillsong’s Brian Houston, with more announcements to be made prior to the event. The post Celebrate the Bible with us in 2017 appeared first on Bible Society.
Law & Government
Missouri Lawmaker Introduces ‘Right to Life Act’ to Outlaw Abortion in State
Photo Credit: Oriol MartinezJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A lawmaker in Missouri has presented a bill that would end abortion in the state with no exceptions. Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, introduced the “Right to Life Act” in the legislature on Monday, which recognizes the unborn as being persons from the point of conception and therefore entitled to the right to life. “The life of each human being begins at conception and is hereby deemed a person,” it declares. “As with all persons, unborn children ..
US House Votes to Permanently Ban Taxpayer Funding of Abortion
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives passed the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act on Tuesday, essentially placing a permanent ban on taxpayer funding of abortions, as outlined in the Hyde Amendment. The matter now moves to the Senate for consideration. The Act had been introduced by Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, a longtime supporter of the Amendment, which was first passed in 1976 to ban the use of Medicaid funds for abortion, with the excep..
Kentucky Abortion Facility to Close After License Denied, Leaving One Remaining Provider in State
LEXINGTON, Ky. — An abortion facility in Kentucky is set to close later this month after state officials denied its owners a license, leaving just one abortion provider in the state. The closing of EMW Women’s Clinic in Lexington was announced on Friday by the Kentucky chapter of the National Organization for Women as it relayed a message from the facility’s executive director. “As you know, for the past 6 1/2 months we have diligently pursued obtaining a license to operate an abortion facilit..
Democratic Rep. Files Resolution to Recognize ‘Darwin Day’ on Feb. 12
WASHINGTON – A Democratic lawmaker filed a resolution in the House of Representatives that, if approved, would recognize February 12, 2017, as “Darwin Day” and celebrate the father of evolution’s contributions to science. House Resolution 44, filed on Wednesday by Democratic Rep. James Himes of Connecticut, seeks to honor Darwin on the 208th anniversary of his birth. “Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by the mechanism of natural selection, together with the monumental amount of scientific e..
Entertainment
Liam Neeson sees God as love, not a stern master (interview)
Actor Liam Neeson plays the apostate Jesuit priest Fr. Ferreira in Martin Scorsese’s new film “Silence.” I interviewed Neeson by phone on Jan. 18. It was a short interview (about twelve minutes). You can read my interview with Matt Malek, an executive producer on the film and my review at Sister Rose Movies and at the National Catholic Reporter.NCR: Have you seen the film? Neeson: Yes, twice in fact. What did you think of it? When you’ve worked on a film and see it for the first time, there’s a ..
Driven by Mystery: An Interview with the Producers of “The Story of God”
By Wesley Baines Who is in charge of the universe? Big questions like these are the currency that National Geographic’s beloved documentary, “The Story of God” deals in, and it has yet to shortchange its viewers. For those unfamiliar with this groundbreaking series, viewers are invited to join Freeman as he travels the world, exploring the nature of faith and religion. With the inaugural episode of the show’s second season, airing on January 16th, these questions continue, as narrated by the div..
The Story of God: Are We All Chosen?
Comment countNational Geographic’s fascinating series The Story of God With Morgan Freeman kicks off its second season Jan. 16. The first episode is titled “The Chosen One,” and it focuses on those whom, in a variety of religions, believe that they’ve been picked to do special work. Some of these folks have daunting tasks to fulfill. The show begins with 9-year-old Jalue Dorjee, a soccer-loving, Pokemon playing kid from Minnesota who was told he’s the reincarnation of a famous Tibetan lama. That..
‘Patriot’s Day’ inspires and surprises
Patriots DayMost people will remember April 15, 2013, when brothers Tamerlan (Themo Melikidze) and Dzhokhar (Alex Wolff) Tsarnaev set off two homemade bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. It was Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts, the day of the Boston Marathon, held annually to commemorate the first two battles of the Revolutionary War: Concord and Lexington. Click here to continue reading at St. Anthony Messenger, February, 2017 (scroll down). P.S. I am adding this today, January 12: I..
Health and Science
Bird or Dino? Fossilized Feathered Tail Ignites Debate Between Evolutionists, Creationists
MYANMAR – Evolutionists are heralding the discovery of a well-preserved feathered tail in Asia as evidence that dinosaurs once had plumage, while creationists maintain that the specimen likely came from a bird. Last week, a team of researchers consisting primarily of scientists from Canada and China published a journal article in “Current Biology.” The article, titled “A Feathered Dinosaur Tail with Primitive Plumage Trapped in Mid-Cretaceous Amber,” describes a piece of amber, approximately th..
Evidence of a Young Moon? Study Forces Scientists to Rethink Lunar Dating Techniques
Could the moon be younger than most realize? A new study shows that craters on the moon form quicker than previously thought, which means many features on the lunar surface are not as old as astronomers had predicted. Astronomers at Arizona State University and Cornell University recently set out to measure the formation rate of craters on the moon. To do so, they compiled thousands of high-resolution “before and after” images of the moon’s surface captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbite..
Christian Scientist Fired for Challenging Evolution Awarded Financial Settlement
LOS ANGELES – An evangelical Christian scientist who was fired after discovering evidence that seemingly contradicted the evolutionary timeframe has been awarded a generous settlement after taking his case to court. As previously reported, Mark Armitage was a scientist at California State University—Northridge (CSUN) who discovered soft tissues on a large triceratops horn that was believed to be at least 65 million years old. However, the discovery became mired in controversy when Armitage desc..
‘Increasingly Aggressive’ Atheists Target Children in New Evolution-Promoting Book
An evolution-propagandizing illustrated children’s book is drawing praise from the secular community and currently ranks as a best seller on Amazon.com. “Annabelle & Aiden: The Story Of Life” is a 26-page children’s book that was published last month. Advertised as an “inspirational storybook” that will help kids “gain a basic understanding of evolution,” the book walks readers through the history of life according to Charles Darwin. Featuring a “wise owl” who describes..
US
C. S. Lewis, atheist
C. S. Lewis, one of the foremost Christian apologists, had been for 15 years a convinced and rather militant atheist. My friend and former colleague Joel Heck has written a splendid study of Lewis’s atheism, published by Concordia Publishing House: From Atheism to Christianity: The Story of C. S. Lewis There are many kinds of atheism, just like there are many kinds of Christianity, and Joel unpacks the influences, books, and ideas that defined Lewis’s particular variety of unbelief. In tracing L..
The three causes of war
The great Athenian historian Thucydides said that there are three causes of war: (1) honor (2) fear (3) national interest. Jonah Goldberg discusses those factors and cites modern historian Donald Kagan, who says that honor comes first as the reason why a nation goes to war. That motive is far more common, he says, than national interest. World War I was surely caused by many nations’ sense of honor. World War II was caused by Germany and Japan’s radical sense of national pride and the honor (and..
Immigration chaos
President Trump’s executive order blocking entry into the United States of citizens of seven nations has created chaos at airports around the world, as Iraqis with green cards, visas, and airplane tickets were suddenly not allowed to get on flights or to go through passport controls, leading to people being trapped in airports and demonstrations breaking out worldwide. The chaos also broke out within our government: The acting attorney general said the Justice Department will not defend the pres..
LCMS president on immigration issues
Cuban immigrants head to Ysleta Lutheran Mission in El Paso When it comes to immigration issues, there is the obligation of the State to enforce the law. But, for the Church, there is also the obligation to minister to those in need. Now that President Trump is cracking down on immigration–rightly so, many of us would say–our Lutheran Hispanic congregations and our various Hispanic ministries are dealing with a sense of panic and insecurity among many of those to whom they are ministering. LCMS ..
Church & Theology
What Happens to Us When We Read the Bible?
Superhero movies and the latest iteration of Star Wars show the power of a good story. Grown men and small children alike dress up in costumes, stand in line for hours, and spend $62 on a bucket of popcorn just to watch larger-than-life heroes do the unthinkable. People are riveted by a good story that seems otherworldly, and they’re willing to scrounge up the money and time to invest if they’re convinced they’ll enjoy themselves. Through my work with the Holman Christian ..
What the “Gospel of Jesus’s Wife” Teaches Us about Manuscript Evidence
Last week, I taught for two days at City Church’s Institute, wherein my church offers an opportunity each summer for church members (mainly college students) to learn theology, church history, cultural engagement, etc. along with a church internship and a mission trip (or two). One morning, I taught on the development and authority of Scripture. My lecture started with general and special revelation, and then moved into oral tradition and eventually all the way to the for..
A Grave Concern for Christians in America
In current deliberation among California legislators is Senate Bill 1146. I am gravely disturbed by this bill that strikes a direct blow to religious liberty and severely infringes on personal freedoms and the freedoms of Christian institutions in California. The so-called “Equity in Higher Education Act” is designed to erode the free exercise of religion given us in both the United States Constitution and the California Constitution, by limiting the involvement of colleges to have students, fa..
Why the Trinity Debate Matters for the Pulpit and the Pew
In case you missed it, there’s been an online debate about the Trinity that has scholars and pastors and even institutions on edge. The debate online has stayed at a rather high academic level, but to give you a primer, here are just a few of the articles: This article by Liam Goligher started it all (here)Bruce Ware’s response to Goligher (here)Michael Bird’s overview of the concerns (here)Fred Sanders’s outline of foundational Trinitarian affirmations (here)Matt Emerson’..
Finance
Tackling Student Loans
$37,172 This is the average debt load a student will end up with after graduating college. If you’re like the 66% of all undergraduate students who have taken a student loan, you probably want to get rid of those things as fast as possible. It’s easy to get caught up in the borrowing maze in college and managing your loans can become a headache quite fast. With lenders selling your loan to other places and changing their name – it’s hard to keep everything straight! Here are a few things to help ..
20 Beautiful Homemade Christmas Gifts
The holidays are great, but buying gifts can get expensive. Real expensive. But if you’re like me, you enjoy giving gifts to people and watching them open them on Christmas day. Even better is giving someone a homemade gift that you invested your own time and energy creating. Making a homemade Christmas gift or decorations can be economical and thoughtful at the same time. If you’re the DIY type of person, consider one of these 20 homemade Christmas gift ideas to make this holiday season memorab..
12 Theses on a Christian Understanding of Economics
The Christian worldview reminds us that we must live with the recognition that we will give an account to the Lord for our stewardship of our resources. Regrettably, many American Christians know little about economics. Furthermore, many Christians assume that the Bible has nothing at all to say about economics. But a biblical worldview actually has a great deal to teach us on economic ma..
5 Helpful Moving Tips: What To Do When You’re About to Move
Moving usually isn’t the most enjoyable thing to do, especially if you’re making a move in the heat of summer. You have to consider all sorts of things like travel logistics, getting your stuff (which always seems to multiply) into a moving truck (which always seems to be smaller than you thought), and setting up everything at your new place. Sure, actually moving your stuff might take a weekend but there are a few things you should do ahead of time to make your move go as planned. Since moving into a new place usually doesn’t happen often, most people are just not sure what to do when moving. Don’t let your big move sneak up on you. Get organized and plan ahead with these moving tips. You’ll be glad you did. 5 Things to Remember When Moving1. Start Looking EarlyAssuming you don’t already have a place, you’ll need to lock this part in right away. When we were planning on moving to a new city for my wife to attend medical school, we started looking at rentals 6 months in advance. Colleg..