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 Wisdom
John 6:29
“Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.””Continue reading→
Matthew 8:27 (08-27-16)
But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!— Matthew 8:27 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... What kind of man? Ah, much more than a man, he is our Lord, King, Messiah, Shepherd, and Savior. My Prayer... Tender Shepherd and Abba Father, thank you for emptying heaven of your choicest glory and sending Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. As I face the storms in my life, please give me the courage to stand bravely in fai..Continue reading→
Isaiah 26:3
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”Continue reading→
Romans 8:26-27 (08-26-16)
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.— Romans 8:26-27 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Sometimes our prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling and fall to the floor. Other times, we are..Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
Top Anglican official backs Bishop of Grantham over sexuality
The Bishop of Grantham, Nicholas Chamberlain, was consecrated by the Bishop of Lincoln, who knew he was gay and in a relationship. The Bishop of Grantham, Rt Rev Nicholas Chamberlain, has received high-level support from the most senior official in the Anglican communion after controversy erupted over his sexuality. Chamberlain has been backed by Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon, the secretary general of the Anglican Communion, who said in a statement: "It is clear that Bishop Nicholas..Continue reading→
Four Ways to Use CLASS to Help People Grow
Healthy, growing churches create pathways for people to take the next step in their spiritual journeys. Recently, Pastor Rick Warren wrote about understanding where people are spiritually as you plan your ministry to help them grow to the next level. Saddleback’s approach has been to offer CLASS, which is made up of four separate classes people can take to better understand their next step. Obviously, there are churches of all shapes and sizes, and yours may not necessarily benefit the most fro..Continue reading→
Donald Trump pledges to remedy injustice during church visit: ‘I’m going to get things done’
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Omarosa Manigault, the American reality game show personality, in church in Detroit. Donald Trump has spoken out in regret at the divisions in American society. A Gospel singer at the Great Faith service attended by Donald Trum He has also pledged to address falling wages, unemployment and the hardships of the economic downturn. Trump was speaking at Great Faith Ministries, a non-denominational church in Detroit, traditionally a ..Continue reading→
Egypt: Muslim MP wants to build a church honouring Coptic pope
The body of Pope Shenouda III, the head of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church for 41 years, rested in an open casket during his funeral service at the Abassiya Cathedral in Cairo March 20, 2012. A church may be built in his honour. A Muslim MP in Egypt has submitted the first request to build a new church under a controversial law passed last week by the country's parliament. The law aimed at liberalising church building and renovation was hotly debated and received Church support..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
It Has Risen: Is This The Key To Growing Protestant Churches?
Nowhere do clergy matter more than in their most deeply held attitudes. Sociologists who study religion debate whether the decline in church attendance is a matter of demand—fewer moderns want it—or a matter of supply, with would-be Christians not finding the faith they want. “When we asked clergy why they thought churches grew or declined, those in the shrinking churches replied decline was because of socio-economic factors, the influence of secular society. Clergy in expanding churches said gr..Continue reading→
Deceit and Lies We Have Been Told on Homosexuality – REALity
The editors of the New Atlantis Journal, however, were not about to put up with HRC’s nonsense. The latter was only lies and distortions. In a special publication entitled “Lies and Bullying from the Human Rights Campaign” it delineated how HRC had distorted the journal’s recent publication on homosexuality stating in the introduction “Most of the HRC document is an exercise in distortion.” It then tackled in detail these distortions. Those who are setting our so-called “values”, such as the sm..Continue reading→
Satan’s Civil Rights
At one level, this seems like cultural fair play, but at another level, it shows how dramatically Western culture has changed. After centuries of underground existence, Satanic teaching is now so self-confident of its acceptance that it openly demands —and gets—a public voice. The Pew Research Center showed that out of about 245 million US adults in 2014, 173 million were Christians. However, many of these now adopt a Hindu slant on life. For the first time, a Satanist group has official permis..Continue reading→
Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa Splits From Association, Citing Old Testament Prophet
Brodersen, the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, says the pastors of the Calvary Chapel Association saw founder Smith as their common bond. Upon Smith’s death, many members had different visions of where the denomination should go. Thus, Costa Mesa split from the CCA and is now part of the Calvary Chapel Global Network. Calvary Chapel’s Chuck Smith’s son-in-law Brian Brodersen announced his resignation from the Calvary Chapel Association and founded a new association, the Calvary Cha..Continue reading→
Life & Society
Survey Finds: Sex And Housework More Important Than Religion For Successful Marriage
Unsplash Religion appears to be a relatively minor factor in the way Americans choose their spouses, according to a new Pew Research Center study. Although 44 per cent say that shared religious beliefs are "very important" for a successful marriage, considerably more respondents say that shared interests including a satisfying sexual relationship (63 per cent) and an equitable division of household chores (61 per cent) are crucial. Of those who are currently married, 27 per cent say their spo..Continue reading→
Man Who Identifies as Woman Pleads Guilty to Voyeurism at Idaho Target
AMMON, Idaho — An Idaho man who identifies as a woman has plead guilty to a charge of felony voyeurism after he recorded video footage of a teenager trying on a swimsuit in a Target fitting room. Sean Patrick Smith, 46, who goes by Shauna Patricia Smith, was to go before a jury within days, but on Oct. 17, he unexpectedly entered a guilty plea of “Video Voyeurism Without Mutual Consent” before District Judge Joel Tingey. As previously reported, Smith was arrested in July after admitting to a d..Continue reading→
Bishop Of Manchester: It Is Our ‘God-Given Duty’ To Help Refugees
The Bishop of Manchester, Dr David Walker, who is one of the hosts for a conference at the University of Salford on 19 November aimed at equipping individuals and churches to respond to the needs of asylum seekers. The bishops of Manchester and Stockport will host a conference next month aimed at equipping individuals, churches and communities to respond practically to the needs of refugees and asylum seekers. The conference, which will be opened by Dr David Walker, the Bishop of Manchester, w..Continue reading→
Sikh Woman Converts To Christianity After Praying To Jesus
Balbinder, who shares her conversion story on the Evangelical Alliance's new website, the Great Commission. A woman who had been Sikh for 50 years has told how she converted to Christianity after praying "in faith" for Jesus to help her with her problems. The woman, Balbinder, tells her story on a new website - the Great Commission - being launched today by the Evangelical Alliance (EA). The site shares conversion stories from across the UK and encourages Christians t..Continue reading→
Movies
Goodbye, Family Christian Stores
This week, it was announced that Family Christian Stores — one of the world’s largest Christian retailers — will close all 240 of its stores. This isn’t really shocking; Family Christian had gone through bankruptcy a few years back. But it will have an impact; more than 3,000 employees are going to lose their jobs as the stores shutter and Christian culture loses one of its largest and most diverse suppliers of books, music and trinkets. Granted, this is just the nature of the beast these days. ..Continue reading→
Have you caught up with “It’s My Favorite”?
Hey everyone, Not going to lie: it’s been a week. Work, school and home life have been busy, and the general insanity of our world right now has really robbed me of a lot of energy and will to write. It’s a shame, because I have some really good stuff on deck for you. One new series I want to write and one Oscar-related miniseries of articles, and I’m hoping that starting this weekend those will start posting. And in the weeks ahead I’m going to really be jumping into the reviewing pool again ha..Continue reading→
Watch: New music video for The Shack with new footage
Itching to see The Shack — or at least to get a taste of it before it comes out five weeks from now? Well, maybe this will tide you over: the powers that be have released two new songs from the film’s soundtrack, one of which even has a music video. Here is the video, for a new acoustic version of Skillet’s ‘Stars’: The studio has also released the full version of ‘Keep Your Eyes on Me’, which is sung by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and has previously been heard in the trailers. Here is a Spotify ..Continue reading→
The Story of God: Proof of the Divine
Photo by Amanda Slater, Flickr. C.C. Licensing. Season two of “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman” airs Mondays at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Central) on the National Geographic Channel. Once again, I’m writing about it here each week from a Christian perspective as a preview. This post is about episode three, the season finale, “Proof of God.” In the final episode of “The Story of God’s” second season, Morgan Freeman travels the world speaking to people who believe they’ve experienced proof — often tang..Continue reading→
Oscar nominations — my own two bits, and a complete list
It looks like La La Land is the movie to beat at this year’s Oscars. The film, a jazzy musical that stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a musician and an actress trying to make their way in Hollywood, racked up 14 Academy Award nominations this morning — tying the record set by 1950’s All About Eve and 1997’s Titanic. However, because La La Land was nominated twice for original song, it is actually nominated in 13 categories — which is more than the 12 categories that All About Eve was nominate..Continue reading→
Let’s talk Oscar noms!
Some quick thoughts on the 2017 Academy Award nominations, which were announced earlier today. A full list of nominees is available here. At first blush, my biggest surprise is that there isn’t a ton here I would bicker with. The list of nominees this year is really darn good, spread out over several movies. Maybe it’s because I saw fewer movies than normal this year or simply because so many of the nominated films are on my best-of list, but I can’t really find a bad choice among the films. Re..Continue reading→
Star Wars Episode 8 gains a title
Earlier today, the official Star Wars Twitter feed ended more than a year of speculation by revealing the title of the latest entry in the saga, due out this December: It’s official. STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is the next chapter of the Skywalker saga. This December. #TheLastJedihttps://t.co/ySkVwQcMTPpic.twitter.com/eHrPgbsRJq — Star Wars (@starwars) January 23, 2017 [Read More...]Continue reading→
Encountering the Mystical in the ‘The Fits’
The fascinating film about adolescent encounters with the sublime gives us plenty to ponder. If you’re looking for a film that inspires lively conversation, you’ve got to check out The Fits. Anna Rose Helmer’s debut feature film runs a brief, but intense, 72 minutes, leaving plenty of time for discussion and debate afterwards. It caused a stir last year at Sundance, and critics have been talking about it ever since. Fortunately, Amazon Prime subscribers can currently stream it for free—and for ..Continue reading→
Review: The Resurrection of Gavin Stone (dir. Dallas Jenkins, 2017)
The Resurrection of Gavin Stone is a “faith-based” comedy about a washed-up former child star who, having trashed a hotel roof bar, is told to do a couple hundred hours of community service at a Chicago-based megachurch and ends up starring in their Easter play. It’s a safe, formulaic and utterly predictable film — precisely the kind of “Christian” movie I tend not to review here — but because of my interest in movies about Jesus, I was interested in seeing how this film would depict the play. T..Continue reading→
Music
One-Way Conversations by Hollyn
Hailing from Ohio, this Dove Awards New Artist of the Year nominee has been working the past year on her debut full length album titled "One-Way Conversations". Listeners were introduced to this vibrant you lady on TobyMac's latest release with the songs "Backseat Driver" and "Lights Shine Bright" and later with her debut #1 single "Alone (featuring TRU)". As a songwriter, Hollyn co-wrote all of the songs on her debut full length album and worked with producers Bryan Fowler (Ryan Stevenson), Wit and 42 North (Andy Mineo), Cole Walowac of Capital Kings, Eric Ramey (Britt Nicole) and more. The album[...]Continue reading→
Run The Race (Single) by Holly Starr
The new single from Holly Starr, co-written with and produced by Bryan Fowler (Ryan Stevenson, Tobymac, Mandisa, Hollyn).[...]Continue reading→
The Garden (Deluxe Edition) by Kari Jobe
Grammy nominated Kari Jobe is the premiere female worship leader in Christian music. Coming off her last live album, Majestic, which featured the worship anthem 'Forever' and radio hit 'I Am Not Alone', Kari Jobe has returned to the studio to record her new album, full of brand new worship anthems for the church and for personal reflection. Finding inspiration from life's joys and hardships, Kari leans into the firm foundation of Christ through it all. With career sales that top 1 million, Kari still comes back to the reason why she started in the first place- leading people into[...]Continue reading→
Back To Life by Anthony Evans
Recording Artist and Worship Leader Anthony Evans' highly-anticipated new album Back To Life releases February 3, 2017 through Sherman James Productions. A collection of worship songs, this new album features NBC's The Voice alumnus on 11 worship-themed tracks exploring authenticity, vulnerability, honesty and the way that the culmination of those three things brought him Back to Life. It marks Evans' eighth solo studio album and will be available through all digital retailers and exclusively at Lifeway Christian Stores. Back To Life is available for pre-order on January 6, 2017. "Over the last year, God has given me one revelation after[...]Continue reading→
Canopy by nobigdyl.
"I wrote Canopy coming out of a time of isolation and darkness. It felt like my life was completely falling apart and I'd have to start over again from nothing. God showed me that sometimes there's safety and protection in isolation. Sometimes, the darkness makes it easier to see the light," confessed nobigdyl. when speaking of the anticipated release. 'Canopy' is nobigdyl.'s first album release since his debut in 2015 with the 'Smoke Signal' EP. Check out indie tribe and nobigdyl at his website, nobigdyl.com.[...]Continue reading→
Books
A Look at Notable 2016 Publications
TEDS President offers his list of best books “There is no end to the making of many books,” says the author of Ecclesiastes. In the United States alone, there were close to one million titles published during the past year, with revenue approaching $1.8 billion. Hundreds of titles competed for our attention during 2016. I offer the following observations with the recognition that I have no doubt missed several important works that some of you would have included in such a survey. The books not..Continue reading→
Recommended Biographies By or About Women
Faith Cook is an author, biographer, and hymn writer. She grew up as a missionary child in war-torn China and has chronicled her story in an autobiography. Her own biographical work has been on both men: Fearless Pilgrim: The Life and Times of John Bunyan William Grimshaw of Haworth and women: The Nine Day Queen of England: Lady Jane Grey, Selina: Countess of Huntingdon: Her Pivotal Role in the 18th Century Evangelical Awakening, and Anne Bradstreet: Pilgrim and PoetContinue reading→
Bibliotheca Bible – a Review
There are many things that I have great admiration for, but perhaps one of the things I enjoy the most is seeing a long-awaited, labor of love come to full fruition. The tenacity, hard work, dedication, and pitfalls along the way in seeing something through to the end is something that, for lack of better terms, gets me emotionally invested in a project. Yet not all projects are equal and not all catch my particular attention – but if we’re truthful, that’s precisely what makes these types of th..Continue reading→
Christianity Today’s 2017 Book Awards
Our picks for the books most likely to shape evangelical life, thought, and culture. Make a list of all the blessings the Protestant Reformation has brought, and eventually—long after jotting down iconic phrases like “salvation by grace alone through faith alone”—you’ll get around to the CT Book Awards. Books, of course, had existed long before Luther posted his 95 Theses. But there’s no denying that reading and the Reformation, with a vital assist from Gutenberg’s printing press, soared toget..Continue reading→
Where Should Our Women be Discipled?
Pastors and elders want thinking women in the church, right? And yet popular beliefs that came out of the nineteenth century’s cult of domesticity still seem to linger in the evangelical culture today. Back then, people taught that women’s brains were inferior to men’s intellectually and that women needed to reserve their energy and blood flow for reproductive purposes. These are ideas we usually joke about now, even to provoke a woman in innocent fun, because we know them to be scientifically p..Continue reading→
10 Books Every Christian Teenager Should Read
A reader recently asked the question: Do you have a suggested list of books for teenagers, something like a “Ten best books every Christian teenager should read?” It surprised me that I have never compiled such a list, especially since I’ve got two teenagers of my own. I decided I’d better remedy this oversight straight away. Here, then, is a list of ten great books every Christian teen ought to read—or at least consider reading. Please note that these are not necessarily the ten best books your teens will read in their lifetime. Not all of these books will stand the test of time as Christian classics. But each of them is suited to twenty-first century teenaged readers and together they will provide a foundation for the Christian life that will prove both deep and wide. I list them in no particular order. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul. It is rare that a book is elevated to the ranks of the classics, but The Holiness of God is a prime candidate. Sproul’s book will introduce teens..Continue reading→
Signposts to God and More (RJS)
Books, books, books … What is the best book you’ve read on Science and Christian faith? It seems to be the season … not the holiday season, but the book season. I recently received three new books. Books by a physicist, a biologist (with training in theology as well), and a philosopher. All three tackle questions of science and Christian faith. Each of the three presents an interesting perspective – and I intend to dig into them more completely over the upcoming months. Peter Bussey’s book, Sign..Continue reading→
2016 Reading Challenge Update: September & October
This year I have been participating in the 2016 Reading Challenge, a fun way to increase and diversify your reading through another year. I took the challenge and set this year’s goal at 104 books. However, because so much of my reading has to go toward reviewing books that are recently published and of interest to Christians (both for reviews published here and in WORLD magazine), I decided to pick from all over the list rather than working through it in order. What follows are the books I completed in September and October and, in parentheses, the reading challenge category they fulfill. Below that is the complete list of categories I need to cover. As you can see, I did not finish many books over the past couple of months, something that is not unusual as my reading ebbs and flows over the course of the year. You can see my previous updates for January, February, March-April, May, June, and July-August. Sexual Morality in a Christless World by Matthew Rueger. This is a brilliant w..Continue reading→
6 Reflections on Community Inspired by Bonhoeffer
My church has recently launched a series on community called Better Together. In conjunction with the sermon series, I, in collaboration with my senior pastor, wrote a small group curriculum to compliment the series. I love community, which is why I love small groups. Like many of you, I work hard on our small group system at my church to equip leaders and to help many in my church experience the fullness of community—the good, the bad, and the ugly. However, as I continue to reflect on communi..Continue reading→
World
U.S. Republicans, Democrats Unite To Support Pastor Imprisoned In Turkey, Ask Turkish President To Free Him
U.S. lawmakers are being hailed by religious rights advocacy groups for their show of unity in calling for the release of a detained pastor in Turkey.Continue reading→
Pope Blasts Politicians For ‘Populist Rhetoric’ And ‘Self-Centredness’ Over Migrants
Pope Francis today called on politicians to help 'welcome, protect, promote and integrate' migrants and attacked 'self-centredness' which is 'amplified by populist rhetoric'.Continue reading→
Archbishop Of Canterbury Warns Of Crisis In South Sudan As Millions Face Starvation
Justin Welby has warned of the 'dire situation' in South Sudan as a state of famine has been declared in parts of the African nation where an estimated 100,000 people are already starving, according to the UN.Continue reading→
Maryland Mosque Honors Assassin of Pakistani Governor Who Spoke Against Blasphemy Laws
PIKESVILLE, Md. — A Maryland mosque held an event on Sunday to honor a Muslim terrorist who shot and killed the former Pakistani governor of Punjab in 2011 over his statements in opposition to the nation’s laws prohibiting blasphemy against Islam. Gulzar E Madina Mosque in Pikesville hosted an “Urs” observance on Feb. 12, which is an event marking the anniversary of the death of a Muslim entity considered a saint. Mumtaz Qadri was executed last February for murdering the governor. “Whoever dis..Continue reading→