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
Matthew 7:12 (07-12-16)
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."— Matthew 7:12 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Some things don't need a lot of explaining, just a lot more implementing. My Prayer... Loving God, Almighty Father, forgive me of my selfishness. You have blessed me so richly through Jesus. Please move me by your Spirit to be as generous, loving, forgiving, and kind with others as I wan..Continue reading→
Matthew 4:4
“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’””Continue reading→
Job 7:11 (07-11-16)
Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.— Job 7:11 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... We sometimes think of God as too fragile, too distant, or too brooding to speak with him honestly about our dilemmas. Job wasn't so shy. He is the great reminder that God prefers us to maintain our relationship with him, even if it is stormy. No matter where you are in your struggles, be honest with God — not..Continue reading→
Jeremiah 32:17
“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
James Daman: Celebrating Recovery from Sexual Sin
My name is James and I’m a grateful believer in Jesus Christ who struggles with shame and I celebrate recovery from sexual sin. The person I am today is not the same person that I was nine years ago when I walked through the doors of Celebrate Recovery. I was a broken man. I was living a lie, and I had no idea what God’s path was for me. I didn’t know what it meant to truly have a relationship with someone, especially Christ. I had a severe speech impediment as a child; it was so bad that I co..Continue reading→
The Spiritual Warfare of Boring Preaching
The devil is a preacher. From the third chapter of the Bible onward, he is opening up God’s word to people, seeking to interpret it, to apply it, to offer an invitation. So the old Serpent of Eden comes to the primeval woman not with a Black Mass and occult symbols, but with the Word she’d received from her God—with the snake’s peculiar spin on it. Throughout the Old Testament, he preaches peace—just like the angels of Bethlehem do—except he does so when there is no peace. He points God’s peopl..Continue reading→
Catholic diocese forks out $1.2m after Spotlight lawyer accuses leaders of abuse cover up
A Catholic diocese in Maine has paid $1.2 million to victims of sex abuse after six men brought a lawsuit against the Church. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland settled the case after the men accused senior figures of concealing sex abuse allegations against former priest. Rev James Vallely, who died in 1997 aged 75, was abused the men when they were children decades ago, according the lawyer Mitchell Garabedian. Some of the men were as young as eight years old when they were first abused,..Continue reading→
Jamaica seeks partnership with church leaders to develop policy on faith-based tourism
Moravian Unity Synod 2016/FacebookJamaican Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett meets church leaders to develop policies on faith based tourism. The Ministry of Tourism in Jamaica is looking to partner with church groups to boost faith-based tourism. According to a report by The Jamaica Observer, Minister Edmund Bartlett attended the 43rd Synod of Worldwide Moravian Church to meet with faith leaders and consult about the development of policies that will help promote faith-based tourism, which has..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
History Matters
It is easy to assess peoples struggles and conflicts only through the lens of today, but we only have a partial picture at best. While laws may have been changed for the better, how many generations does it take to change attitudes? How many generations does it take to overcome the economic policies that were made to separate and discriminate? We are not detached from events that have taken place before our time. Our attitudes are shaped by the culture in which we were raised, often unbeknownst ..Continue reading→
Where Was Your Church Before Luther?
We trust that the elect are always brought to true faith by the sovereign work of the Spirit through the divinely ordained means (namely, the preaching of the gospel). Even where the church’s theology, piety, and practice was profoundly corrupted there were still faithful ministers in local parishes calling their people to Christ and offering the righteousness of Christ, received through faith alone. We should doubt the story that the true church was exiled to Alps and preserved (like a valuable..Continue reading→
When God is Silent
David was sure he would praise God for his goodness in the future, because God had been good to him in the past. He who did not spare his only Son but gave him up for us all will give us all the grace we need to glorify him. God has not brought you this far only to abandon you. You will yet praise him in the future. Someone recently said to me, “I feel like God doesn’t love me. He doesn’t seem to hear my prayers.” Sometimes it seems like nobody’s home in heaven. Many believers can identify wit..Continue reading→
The Female Voices in Scripture
Bauckham shows us that in Ruth we have the female voice, an Israelite woman’s perspective on ancient Israelite society, until the last few verses. “Thus the book of Ruth, its conclusion tells us, is the kind of story that official, masculine history leaves out.” Bauckham goes on to highlight other gynocentric interruptions in Scripture, where the female voice dominates, not to compete with the man’s, but to complement it, exposing “the narrative as pitifully inadequate in its androcentric select..Continue reading→
Life & Society
21-Year-Old Who Lost Arms, Legs And Half Her Skin To Bacterial Meningitis Says Experience Has Brought Her Closer To God
Kaitlyn Dobrow, 21, shows off her make-up savvy on her social media page.(Instagram/Kaitlyn Dobrow) When Katilyn Dobrow contracted bacterial meningitis at the age of 19, she lost four of her limbs and half of her skin. The physical alterations experienced by her body would be enough to drive anyone to depression, but not Dobrow. In fact, she never quit on her dream of becoming a beauty blogger despite everything that has happened to her. Dobrow always had a passion for make-up. Even when she l..Continue reading→
10 Quotes From William Wilberforce That Will Inspire You To Fight For Justice
Theresa May will promise a "radical approach" and "tireless" work to eradicate slavery in a service at Westminster Abbey on Wednesday to commemorate the work of William Wilberforce. William Wilberforce campaigned for more than 20 years to see the abolition of the slave tradeWikipedia The Home Office estimates there are between 10,000 and 13,000 victims of human trafficking in the UK with the global figures around 45 million. The UK's anti-slavery commissioner Kevin Hyland said these cases..Continue reading→
103-Year-Old Woman Credits Faith in God for Her Good Long Life
Pixabay A 103-year-old Christian woman credits her faith in God as the secret to her long life. Sophia Simko, who is currently staying at the DuBois Nursing Home in Pennsylvania, said she has no secret diet to credit for her longevity unlike what some people may think, adding that she eats whatever goes on the table, as long as she likes it, according to the Courier Express. What keeps her going, she said, is her strong faith in the Lord. "I have the good Lord in my life," she said. Born in..Continue reading→
Evangelical And Episcopalian Christians Among Wealthiest In US Society
Reuters Some groups of practising Christians are among the wealthiest people in American society, according to new research. More than a third of Episcopal Church members live in households with incomes of more than $100,000, says Pew Research. Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church and the United Methodist Church also have high incomes. But so do people who identify as atheists and agnostics. According to Pew writer David Masci, this may call into qu..Continue reading→
Music
Leeland Announces Pre-Order For New Album
Today Bethel Music announced the pre-order of Leeland's first album as part of their artist collective. "We're excited to announce that Leeland's first album with Bethel Music is now available for pre-order on iTunes. 'Invisible' offers a refreshing perspective on a gospel that is alive and moving in us and through us," Bethel shared. Invisible will mark Leeland's first release since 2014's Christ Be All Around Me EP and will be available July 22. Click here to pre-order the album now and get 3 instant song downloads "Invisible," "Carry It All Away" and "Son Was Lifted Up." Invisible Track Listing 1. My Treasure 2. War 3. Spirit 4. Ever Love You Lord 5. For Your Glory 6. Perfect Love 7. Lock & Key 8. Invisible 9. Breath of God [...]Continue reading→
Project 86 Announces PledgeMusic Campaign for 10th Album
Project 86 has launched a special PledgeMusic campaign in support of their upcoming tenth studio album and their 20 year anniversary as a band. The project will be comprised of ten original songs and five covers. All of the songs will be available to backers on a one song per month basis, beginning with a cover of Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" as an immediate download for all backers. The PledgeMusic campaign is designed as both a preorder for music to come and a celebration of music past, with offers including vintage merch. Accompanying tour dates are coming soon, with Project 86 promising to play fan favorites from their early days alongside current tracks. Above all, the band sees the campaign as a way to celebrate the past two decades alongside their fans. "You have stuck by us for twenty years. We want to meet you, spend[...]Continue reading→
Word Entertainment Scores Two Trophies For Christian Retailing’s Best Awards
It was announced earlier this week that Word Entertainment was honored two times at the annual Christian Retailing's Best Awards. Big Daddy Weave's acclaimed album Beautiful Offerings (Fervent Records) won in the music category and When Calls the Heart Complete Season 2 (Word Films) won for the DVD Movie division. The awards, honoring the best new products of the year, were given on Monday, June 27 in Cincinnati during the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS). "At Word Entertainment, we are passionate and intentional about delivering the best in Christian entertainment to people everywhere," shares Rod Riley, President & CEO, Word Entertainment. "Big Daddy Weave's Beautiful Offerings and When Calls the Heart Complete Season 2 are two projects that we have seen impact thousands and thousands of lives with the good news of the Gospel. To be recognized with awards for each of these projects from Christian Retailing's[...]Continue reading→
Metalcore Group Toarn Signs With Luxor Records
Christian metalcore band Toarn has announced their signing with Luxor Records, making their upcoming EP Giant Killer their debut with the label. Toarn released a new song titled "In Flander's Fields" alongside the label news, giving fans an initial taste of Giant Killer prior to its July 15 release. Preorders for the EP are available through major retailers like Amazon, BestBuy and Barnes & Noble as well as through VictoryMerch.com. The Washington-based band has developed a grassroots following through the release of past independent projects Protoevangelium and Brood of Vipers. Toarn will be hitting the road with Hemarosa in support of the release, with tour dates listed here. You can listen to "Flander's Field" below.Continue reading→
Britney Spears Endorses Pastor/Author Max Lucado
Britney Spears has a new album coming out and is about to kick off a two-year residency in Las Vegas, so she’s out there working the publicity machine. During a recent Twitter chat, a fan asked Britney what her favorite book was, and the singer replied, “Anything by Max Lucado.” Lucado is a Texas-based preacher and author of a hundred (yes, a hundred) Christian-themed adults and kids’ books. Their titles include Grace for the Moment, Outlive Your Life: You Were Born to Make a Difference, and God..Continue reading→
Katy Perry’s Song “By the Grace of God” Is a Flashback to Her Christian Singer Days
Before Katy Perry was an animal-print-and-candy-loving pop star, she was Katy Hudson, aspiring Christian singer. Though her switch to the secular side of music helped make her a star, Katy (whose parents are pastors) hasn’t given up on her Christian background. Her new album Prism features the ballad “By the Grace of God,” which probably won’t ever be released as a single but does a bang-up job appealing to one of her core constituencies. But what does John Mayer think?Continue reading→
American
Another “Lifestyle Choice” — Trans-Species
Nano, a 20-year-old Norwegian, says, “I was born in the wrong species.” Nano believes she is trapped in a human female body instead of a feline body. A woman who hisses at dogs, claims her night vision and sense of smell is better because she is really a cat. She even meows in “cat language.” The Daily Mail reports: Sadly, such “lifestyle choices” are nothing more than disordered affections, in some cases mental disorders, which enable people to reject truth and condone wrong and delusional beha..
The Myth of the ‘Moderate Muslim’
Below is a guest post from my friend and Liberty Alliance colleague, J. Matt Barber which was first published on his site: BarbWire.com. “When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them.” – The Quran, Surah 9:5 When it comes to the global scourge of orthodox Islam, the Western world, which Islamists expressly seek to “destroy from within,” is an upside-down realm wherein objective facts, logic and reason ..
O Holy Night– Unique History, Watch Beautiful Performance
“O Holy Night,” one of the most beautiful Christmas carols worshipping the birth of Jesus Christ, was written by an atheist. Not just an atheist, but an avowed atheist and vocal anti-cleric. In 1843 a local parish church in Roquemaure, France, completed renovating its organ. To celebrate this joyous event that coincided with Christmas, the parish priest asked Placide Cappeau (1808-1877), a wine merchant, poet, and native of Roquemaure, to write a Christmas poem for the celebration. Cappeau agree..