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→
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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 Wisdom
Ephesians 2:19
“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,”Continue reading→
Mark 8:29 (08-29-16)
And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.— Mark 8:29 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... The sweetest confession we will ever make is this: I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and I want him to be Lord of my life. Let's say it again, out loud, to the glory of God the father. Then, let's commit that before the year ends, we're going to help someone else come to say it for the first tim..Continue reading→
Galatians 3:28
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”Continue reading→
Romans 8:28 (08-28-16)
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.— Romans 8:28 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... The real issue in our lives is not God's faithfulness, but ours. The history of God's faithfulness to Israel and to his promises is found in the Scriptures. We can depend and rely on him to do what he promises, despite the apparent circumstances of our lives. The real issue is whether or not we choose..Continue reading→
Prayers
One with Christ
Passage: Galatians 3:15-29 Prayer: Dear Father, Thank you, Father, for giving your holy law to Moses and for the role it played in bringing people to Christ. Thank you even more that Christ has come as our real teacher and that we have been delivered to him, that we might be justified by faith. Thank you for making us your sons through faith, for making it possible to put on Christ by our baptism into Christ. Thank you that in him there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, but that..Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
5 Values for a Healthy and Unified Team
At Saddleback Church we say we are One Church Many Locations and in Saddleback Worship we place the idea of functioning as one team as one of our top team values. The transformative powers of a healthy and united team are unmatched. Here are some sweet points to help us remember what being one team is all about. Unconditional Love “Let love be your highest goal.” 1 Corinthians 14:1 A healthy team begins and ends with love. Unconditional love means that every team member is wanted and valued. ..Continue reading→
Church, parents urged to help kids believe in God more after study shows ‘crisis in faith’ among younger generation
The youth are the hope of the Church, with their young minds serving as a blank canvas for the promotion of the Christian faith. A new study, however, revealed that some of those from the young generation are taking the wrong turn in terms of their spiritual life, giving Christian parents a greater role in keeping their kids' faith now more than ever. Research conducted by Dr. Mark Gray, a senior research associate at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetow..Continue reading→
Perry Noble: Alcohol treatment was ‘one of the most difficult things I’ve experienced’
Perry Noble has said treatment for alcohol abuse was "the hardest thing he'd experienced". Perry Noble, the former pastor of the Newspring megachurch fired over alcohol problems who checked into a 30-day rehab programme, has said his period in an Arizona treatment facility was "one of the most difficult things I've ever experienced". Noble was dismissed by his church's board of directors in July. They said in a statement he had "made some unfortunate choices and decisions that h..Continue reading→
Few evangelical churches led by a woman
A woman raises her hand in prayer during a Joel Osteen ministry event at Yankee Stadium in New York. White men still dominate leadership of evangelical ministries, according to a survey by Religion News Service. Just one of 33 ministries contacted was led by a woman and just three by non-white men. Reporter Steve Rabey, who carried out the survey with support from the Fund for Investigative Journalism, found that more than half of the ministries contacted declined to answer questions a..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
Happy Wife. Happy Life.
Since the world streams into our homes electronically, it’s pretty easy to see that setting the world’s concerns aside means shutting the online door. This should be common sense. But recognize that this is God’s direction. He teaches us how to have a happy home. Dedicated time away from the world is his formula to equip us for strong relationships when the time is right for us to engage the world with vigor. The beeps. The buzzes. The vibrations. The earbuds. The squinting eyes. The bluish glo..Continue reading→
Progressive Christians to “Take Back Their Faith” After Election
Astute observers realize that this is more about being properly positioned and seen as against manufactured evils – how “moral” and “religious” they look to other like-minded people choosing ‘love’ over ‘hate’ – rather than genuine concern for the people/groups these “evils,” it’s claimed, negatively effect. It’s self-congratulatory virtue vanity, it’s empty, and it violates Jesus’ admonition against practicing one’s righteousness before men instead of calling those they claim to represent to a ..Continue reading→
The Whole Church Showing Up in Your Quiet Time
When I sit down to read my Bible, I remember that I am not alone. The Scripture is not alone either. I’m not only depending on the Spirit to work in me for that moment; I know that he has been working in the church universal through the centuries, preserving an orthodox profession and testifying to the truth of God’s Word. I know he is working in my local church, participating in this retrieval and Reformation, looking back to the church universal and “translat[ing] it into our new cultural cont..Continue reading→
“Conscience” by Naselli and Crowley (A Review)
I wish the authors would have related justification to the conscience and Christian liberty. Sadly, the doctrine of justification was not discussed in this book. In reality, Christian liberty is an “appendage of justification,” as Calvin said; certainly justification has everything to do with our conscience and Christian liberty (see Gal. 5:1 & Westminster Confession of Faith ch. 20). The Reformation had a lot to say about justification, liberty, and conscience! This book would have been even be..Continue reading→
Life & Society
C of E’s First Woman Bishop Questions Appointment Of ‘Wonder Woman’ As UN Ambassador
Bishop of Stockport Libby Lane, pictured here with the Archbishop of Canterbury after her consecration as the Church of England's first woman bishop, delivered the Temple lecture last night.Reuters The Church of England's first woman bishop has questioned the appointment of the comic book character "Wonder Woman" as an honorary ambassador for the United Nations. Bishop of Stockport Libby Lane said: "We live in a world where there are women who are everyday heroes in all walks of life..Continue reading→
Persecution ‘All Too Familiar’ As World Marks International Religious Freedom Day
Western Christians have become immune to those suffering religious persecution, Bishop Angaelos, the head bishop of the Coptic Church in the UK, warned on Thursday. In a statement to mark International Religious Freedom Day 2016, Angaelos said the oppression of faith minorities has become "an all-too familiar occurrence". But despite the importance of freedom of belief many have become "desensitised or disheartened" by the struggle. Christians abandon their homes in Iraq to escape violence fro..Continue reading→
The More People Have Benefits Stopped, The More They Turn To Food Banks
Reuters New research from Christian-based charity the Trussell Trust suggests that taking away benefits from people as a punishment means they end up using foodbanks. The study, carried out with researchers from Oxford University, said that 'sanctions', which see the withdrawal of benefits for breaking the rules, lead to an increase in the use of food banks, which are often hosted by churches. The sanctions regime has been criticizsd for being too harsh, with people sanctioned for m..Continue reading→
‘You Don’t Have to Like Her’: Oprah Winfrey Endorses Clinton for President on T.D. Jakes Show
Talk show host Oprah Winfrey recently appeared on the “T.D. Jakes Show,” where she urged viewers to vote for Hillary Clinton, stating that “you don’t have to like her” to vote for her. During the broadcast, Jakes, leader of the Potter’s House megachurch in Dallas, Texas, asked Winfrey how the country can be unified rather than divided. “We have focused so much on what divides us, rather than what unites us,” he said. “You brought all types of people together that normally would not be. How are..Continue reading→
Movies
Scorcese’s ‘Silence’ Asks What It Really Costs to Follow Jesus
Martin Scorsese adapts Shusaku Endo’s acclaimed novel about faith, mission, and suffering. It’s been 28 years since Martin Scorsese ruffled the feathers of many Christians with the controversial Last Temptation of Christ, a film condemned by the Roman Catholic Church (of which Scorsese is a member) and a key moment in the history of the culture wars. A sincere if uneven exploration of the “fully man” side of Jesus, Last Temptation angered many believers because of its suggestion that Jesus expe..Continue reading→
Mary Magdalene director Garth Davis says Rooney Mara’s version of the character will not be a prostitute
Garth Davis is making the rounds to promote his first feature film Lion, which tells the true story of an Indian boy who was adopted by an Australian couple and then, as an adult, used Google Earth to find the village of his birth. Along the way, Davis has also revealed one or two tidbits about his next film Mary Magdalene, which recently finished shooting in Italy. In a video interview with Collider, for example, Davis confirmed that Mary Magdalene will not be a prostitute in his film, and he t..Continue reading→
Will the Force Be Strong with Rogue One?
It will depend on if the film taps in to the secret of any good Star Wars movie. “Star Wars at Christmas?” “Put it back in May where it belongs.” Some Star Wars fans had “a bad feeling about this” when The Force Awakens was scheduled for December 18, 2015. But complaints were forgotten when the movie opened to rave reviews. Me, I’ve associated Star Wars with Christmas since I opened my first Star Wars toys on Christmas morning in 1977, while the original was still in theaters. Dozens of those..Continue reading→
‘La La Land’ Dances Between Love and Calling
What Christians might take away from Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling’s latest hit. Editor’s note: This review contains spoilers for the movie La La Land. C. S. Lewis wrote, “Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing.” Hollywood takes a different stance. On-screen love stories bring us dramatic clichés: happily-ever-afters, grand gestures that save the day, and sobbing protagonists railing against whatever tragic external obstacle drove them apart. Damien Chazelle, the writer/d..Continue reading→
Jesus gets a digital tummy-tuck
Yesterday I updated my post on movie depictions of the Crucifixion to take into account a couple of films that have come out since the last update, and along the way, I decided to replace one of the images from Risen. The original image came from the film’s trailer, but the new image — with completed visual effects — came straight from the movie itself. And I noticed that it wasn’t only the clouds in the background that had been changed (to reflect the darkness that came over Jerusalem, as per M..Continue reading→
Box office: Office Christmas Party nearly topples Moana
An R-rated comedy almost beat a Disney cartoon at the box office this week. Office Christmas Party, about a night of corporate frivolity that gets out of hand, earned an estimated $17.5 million between Thursday and Sunday nights. It’s the fifth film to co-star Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston, and it landed in the middle of their previous openings together — bigger than The Switch (2012, $8.4 million) and Horrible Bosses 2 (2014, $15.5 million), but smaller than Horrible Bosses (2011, $28.3 mi..Continue reading→
Why ‘The Secret of Kells’ is a Perfect Christmastime Movie
The film is a gorgeous reminder of the beauty of God that waits beyond our walls of fear. The world outside—it’s a dangerous place. Stick with Christian community. Where it’s safe. I have received that message—sometimes blatant, sometimes merely implied—within so many Christian communities from childhood through adulthood. I’ve been instructed to read only Christian texts, attend only Christian schools, support only Christian charities, seek out Christian doctors, root for Christian football p..Continue reading→
IS GENESIS HISTORY? Film Aims To Answer Questions Of Creation, Evolution, Global Flood
One segment of the documentary focuses on the “Great Unconformity” with a trip to the Grand Canyon. The Great Unconformity is a geological formation that appears globally where granite bedrock is separated from sediment layers on top by an erosional layer caused by flood flow. NEW YORK (Christian Examiner) – A new documentary on the historicity of the Book of Genesis is coming to theaters across the country Feb. 23, but for one night only. The film, IS GENESIS HISTORY?, is the product of Compa..Continue reading→
Arrival’s Terrifying Vision of a Global “Unfriending”
Although caused by aliens, the breakdown in communication in Arrival feels all too familiar. Reader, I confess: I clicked “unfriend” last month. Several times. Understand, I wasn’t ending friendships. I was respecting them—by refusing to let Facebook’s limitations do them further harm. It troubled me to see conversations we might have enjoyed in person go so horribly awry on social media. And anyway, our heated arguments attracted other angry voices, voices that overwhelmed our debate with sna..Continue reading→
Music
The Brilliance Unveil ‘All Is Not Lost’
All Is Not Lost, the sophomore release from The Brilliance is available now, and critics are calling it "the album you need to hear in 2017." RELATED The Brilliance To Unveil Hope-Filled 'All Is Not Lost' January 27 The duo, comprised of David Gungor and John Arndt, is seeking to share a timely message of understanding, with lyrics eliciting love and unity throughout the 11-track offering. "We're looking forward to sharing these new songs because we are in a season when, no m..Continue reading→
GAWVI Releases Official Video For ‘In The Water’
Having made serious waves in 2016 with his breakout solo EPs, entitled Lost In Hue and Holding Hue, GAWVI now returns with the official video for one of the standout tracks, "IN THE WATER." RELATED GAWVI Releases Official Video For 'Late Nights' "In The Water," as well as the rest of the Lost In Hue EP, debuted on the Electronic/Dance Billboard charts at #2 and hit the top spot on the iTunes Dance charts. Now with nearly 2 million Spotify streams for the EP, not to mention the countl..Continue reading→
Brian & Jenn Johnson’s ‘After All These Years’ Debuts At No. 1 On iTunes Christian Albums Chart
Available today, Dove Award winning Bethel Music's Brian & Jenn Johnson debut After All These Years, applauded as "beautiful offerings of worship" and "sure to be one of the top worship albums of the year." Hitting No. 1 on the iTunes Christian Albums chart, the 10-track album comes more than 10 years since their last solo release together, featuring an 80-piece orchestra with every song cowritten by the duo. RELATED Bethel Music's Brian & Jenn Johnson To Unveil 'After All These ..Continue reading→
Reba To Headline Second Show At Historic Ryman Auditorium On February 15
To fans it may seem Reba McEntire has done it all but on February 15 she will surprise them once more, adding a 230P matinee to the already sold-out 730P show at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium. A rarity for the venue, the dual performances also mark the multi-media entertainers first time to headline a concert there. Tickets go on sale tonight (1/26) at 600P CT through ryman.com and ticketmaster.com, available ONLINE ONLY. RELATED Reba McEntire Inspires With New Album On February 3 ..Continue reading→
Gabby Douglas Releases Christian Music Compilation Album
U.S. Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas has made no secret of her Christian faith, and earlier this month, she shared some of the songs that have personally inspired her with the release of a special compilation project, titled Conqueror. The album features spotlight tracks from a number of Christian artists representing a variety of styles, ranging from hip-hop to Gospel, hard rock to electronic. It's not uncommon to see athletes such as Douglas sporting headphones leading up to a competitio..Continue reading→
Lecrae Debuts New Single
Grammy-Award winning artist Lecrae released the powerfully uplifting "Blessings" today, which features Ty Dolla $ign ("Paranoid," songwriting contributor to Rihanna/Kanye West/Paul McCartney song "FourFiveSeconds," among others). The mesmerizing track is now available at all DSPs, with the lyric video for "Blessings" also available today--watch it here http//smarturl.it/BlessingsLyric. The captivating artist closed out 2016 with his acclaimed 'Destination' tour this past fall. He kicks..Continue reading→
Righteous Vendetta Announce New Album ‘Cursed’
Rock group Righteous Vendetta has announced the details on an upcoming album titled Cursed, due to release on March 17. Cursed will be the first release in nearly four years from the Wyoming-based band, who released their last project The Fire Inside in 2013. Righteous Vendetta has spent those years with relentless touring and crafting the new songs. Cursed will be releasing through Century Media Records. "After two years of writing and recording we are beyond excited to finally release this a..Continue reading→
Tauren Wells’ ‘Love Is Action’ Hits No. 1 For Eight Weeks; Debuts New Video And Single
With the first single from Provident Label Group's Tauren Wells, "Love Is Action," capturing the No. 1 spot at CHR radio for eight weeks in a row, Wells is now debuting his follow-up single, "Hills And Valleys." Releasing to both Christian AC and CHR radio, the song is available in three versions "Hills And Valleys," found on the Undefeated EP; a remix version ("The Hills Remix") and an acoustic piano-driven rendition ("The Valleys Version"). There are also two Spotify playlists curated by ..Continue reading→
MercyMe To Release New Album ‘Lifer’ On Mar. 31
On the heels of their RIAA Certified Gold and GRAMMY® acclaimed Welcome To The New (2014), MercyMe will release LIFER (FAIR TRADE SERVICES) on Mar. 31, 2017. RELATED MercyMe Announces New Album Through PledgeMusic Campaign The core of LIFER is the question of what it looks like to live as followers of Christ that are committed for life. With 2014's Welcome To The New, MercyMe spoke to the grace and celebrated new life that Christ offers us in entering into faith. With their newest record,..Continue reading→
American
Why Aren’t Abortion Activists Calling Beyonce’s Unborn Babies “Fetuses?”
For anyone who hasn’t already heard, Beyonce is pregnant with twins. Twin babies, that is. Babies who have their own separate bodies and heartbeats. The news certainly is nothing to make light of. Every new human being who enters the world is worth celebrating. And Beyonce and her husband, Jay Z, should be congratulated. But their pregnancy announcement highlights a big problem with today’s abortion-minded society. Babies often are only called “babies” when they are wanted. When they aren’t, ..
Tiny Gospel: A Sampler
By John Frye In my past spiritual formation and in my current neck of the woods, the gospel was and is reduced to “Jesus died for your sins, simply receive him, and you’ll be forgiven and go to heaven when you die.” All these things are true, but none of them are the gospel as defined by Paul (1 Corinthians 15:1-8) and by the gospel sermons preached by Peter and Paul in the Book of Acts. Let me rehearse for you the tiny gospel I received and passed on to others. You might conclude I’ve exaggerat..
Providence, Providence and More Providence
By Ben Davis A review essay of Bruce Reichenbach, Divine Providence Too often, when a discussion of God’s providence is brought to the table, it is framed in such a way that only trained philosophers or theologians can fully understand it. Thus large, awkward words eclipse simple, useable ones, and impenetrable logical syllogisms clash like warring armies in the night. In the end no one is served because overly-wrought, abstract ideas inveigh the steady practice of commonsense reasoning. What is..
Preaching as Performance
With William Shiell, President of Northern Seminary Author of Delivering from Memory
Entertainment
Viewing “The Walking Dead” Through a Theological Lens
Is All Life Precious? I am unashamedly and unambiguously a fan of the AMC show The Walking Dead. I was also a fan of the comic that was released many years before the film adaption in 2010, and before every other show on television was about the undead. It is not just the suspense or gore that entices and entertains me, but the way the writers deal with metaphysical and theological issues. Humanity is devoured and consumed by walkers (sorry, I couldn’t help myself), yet there ..
Is Christian Music Too Happy?
You can’t be bummed and be Christian. Or, at least, that might be your takeaway listening to contemporary Christian music. According to Leah Libresco, writing for the website FiveThirtyEight, Christian pop is (in her words) “unrelentingly cheerful” these days, where nary a discouraging word is heard. Lyrics are chipper and upbeat, extolling “love,” “joy” and “strength” far more often than the flip sides of those words: “fear,” “sorrow,” “weakness”. “Grace,” for instance, is used abo..
Watching God Without a Screen (For a Change)
Well, hi there, stranger! Welcome to my newish blog. It’s not really new, of course. Just remodeled—new address, new look, and as of today a new blog post. Because really, it’s about time. While experts were tinkering away at the Watching God blog, I was off in Washington state, knocking around a couple of national parks with my wife. When you watch movies and television for a living, it’s nice to see the world without a filtering screen sometimes, and this was a fairly screen-free ..
RISEN now available on DVD, Blu-Ray. digital
RISEN is now available on DVD, Blu-ray, digital, etc. Here’s a link to the cast talking about meeting the Pope as well as my review of the film.
US
The next scheme to stop Trump
Trump couldn’t be stopped in the Republican primaries, or at the convention, or in the general election, or in the Electoral College. So now anti-Trump forces are trying to come up with Plan E. The latest idea is to impeach him in his first year. Trump’s opponents see an opportunity in his business ties and in his refusal to divest himself of his financial holdings. They think they can get him in a conflict of interest or in a violation of the Constitution’s Emoluments clause, which forbids offi..
Theological music for Christmas
Ken Myers has written a wonderful post on Christmas music, emphasizing particularly how it is sung by choirs and its connection to worship in the liturgy. He includes a fascinating discussion of how music can be a contemplation of divine mysteries, as in the harmonies of this piece, “Mirabile mysterium” to this text: “A wondrous mystery is declared today, an innovation is made upon nature; God is made man; that which he was, he remains, and that which he was not, he takes on, suffering neither c..
Terrorist attacks Christmas marketplace
A truck plowed through the crowded Christmas marketplace in Berlin, killing 12 and injuring 52. Some German officials are saying the country is in a “state of war.” ISIS claims responsibility. Details after the jump. In other terrorist news, A security guard assassinated the Russian ambassador to Turkey. The murderer, whose crime was caught on video, shouted jihadist slogans condemning Russia’s involvement in Syria and the killing of civilians in Aleppo. From Daily Mail (UK): ‘Germany is at war’..
Obama stops off-shore drilling before leaving office
President Obama, evidently striking a blow for the environment before Donald Trump takes office, put much of the Eastern seaboard off limits for off-shore drilling. He invoked a law that reportedly cannot be reversed by a new president. From President Obama bans oil drilling in large areas of Atlantic and Arctic oceans – The Washington Post: President Obama moved to solidify his environmental legacy Tuesday by withdrawing hundreds of millions of acres of federally owned land in the Arctic and At..