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
Ezekiel 7:8 (07-08-16)
"Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations."— Ezekiel 7:8 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Because God's people had repeatedly rebelled and chosen to turn an unhearing ear toward his will, God is about to let them face the consequences of their own sinfulness. He is ready to judge them using the harshest of standards because of their entre..Continue reading→
Matthew 7:7-8 (07-07-16)
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.— Matthew 7:7-8 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... God made us to seek after him and find him (Acts 17:27-28). Try to imagine the astounding reality of this truth: the God of the Universe is thrilled to see us when we come home to him! Is it any wonder that he longs for us to see..Continue reading→
Romans 7:6 (07-06-16)
But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.— Romans 7:6 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... We are free from Law! Does that mean anarchy and lawlessness? Absolutely not! No, because the grace that freed us also brought God's HOLY Spirit to live within. He can empower us to do what we could not do on our own. He can help us in our weakness to pray with confidence and ..Continue reading→
Jeremiah 7:5-7 (07-05-16)
For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour; If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.— Jeremiah 7:5-7 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... What is the true measure of our character? Certainly it is ..Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
When Pastors and Churches Pray, God Moves
If you’re a pastor, you should certainly be striving for greater excellence as a communicator, as a leader, and as an organizer. You need a vision. You need a strategy. You need a solid, biblical theology of ministry and the church. But you can have all of these and remain stuck in mediocrity without God’s power. The greatest work you’ll ever commit to as a pastor is the work of prayer. Praying churches, who experience the miraculous power of God, are led by praying pastors. This is why Jesus s..Continue reading→
5 Tips for the Introverted Pastor
It can be hard to be an introverted pastor. Our culture values the strengths of an extroverted personality more than those of an introvert. There is also the reality that we have a people heavy job, and an inclination to enjoy alone time. Neither of these obstacles, however, makes the introverted pastor less fit for ministry. Introverts have strengths that extroverts may lack, perhaps being able to happily hide out among our books all day to prepare a sermon. Besides our strengths, the weakness..Continue reading→
Taste and See: How meals in the Bible teach us about God
Pexels Meals in the Bible are one of the principle ways in which we understand the Kingdom of God. Food is used time and again throughout Scripture as a means of showing God's interactions with people. Think about one of the very first stories we hear in Genesis – the fall. The means used by the serpent to tempt Adam and Eve was a fruit: "When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realised what she would get out of it – she'd know everything! – she took and ate the..Continue reading→
Pope Francis visits Rome safe house for women forced into sex work
ReutersPope Francis Pope Francis, who has condemned human trafficking as a crime against humanity, on Friday made a surprise visit to a Rome safe house where a Catholic charity is protecting women freed from a life of forced prostitution. The Vatican, which did not disclose the exact location of the house, said the pope met 20 women from Romania, Albania, Nigeria, Tunisia, Ukraine and Italy. He encouraged them to "be strong" as they start new lives, a Vatican official said. The statement said..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
The Inside Story: What Really Happened with Roe v. Wade?
In the depths of the Supreme Court, four justices expanded the scope of the cases beyond the wildest dreams of those who worked to abolish legal restrictions on abortion. When considered together, as was intended by the justices, the rulings on Roe V. Wade and Doe v. Bolton were so broad they immediately vacated the abortion laws of all 50 states and have made any regulation of the abortion industry, however sensible, close to impossible. Since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, courts have stru..Continue reading→
A Confession of Liberal Intolerance
“Of course there are biases against evangelicals on campuses,” notes Jonathan L. Walton, the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard. Walton, a black evangelical, adds that the condescension toward evangelicals echoes the patronizing attitude toward racial minorities: “The same arguments I hear people make about evangelicals sound so familiar to the ways people often describe folk of color, i.e. politically unsophisticated, lacking education, angry, bitter, emotional, poor.” We progres..Continue reading→
Feds Propose More International Adoption Restrictions
New proposed regulations will make it harder for American families to adopt children outside of the U.S., according to a group of U.S. adoption agencies protesting the rules. The State Department released proposed amendments to its intercountry adoption regulations in September and is accepting comments until Nov. 7. (WNS)–New proposed regulations will make it harder for American families to adopt children outside of the U.S., according to a group of U.S. adoption agencies protesting the rules...Continue reading→
Study: The More We Lie, The Easier It Gets
Researchers at the University College London (UCL) have discovered the brain actually changes the way it responds when someone continues to lie. For the vast majority of people, the brain area known as the amygdala begins a rapid-fire response when a person is dishonest, producing uncomfortable emotions and unpleasant physical reactions…. But the UCL researchers found when people lie repeatedly, the amygdala settles down and decreases its response, making it easier to lie again and initiating a ..Continue reading→
Life & Society
‘Duck Dynasty’ Star Phil Robertson Takes on Donald Trump’s Critics: ‘They Need to Lighten Up’
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump pauses before answering questions at the Retired American Warriors conference during a campaign stop in Herndon, Virginia, U.S., on Oct. 3, 2016.Reuters People are not through yet in criticising Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, prompting "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson to come out again to defend the business magnate. Just recently, a group of 100 evangelical leaders signed a letter condemning Trump and urging people not to vote for ..Continue reading→
Joyce Meyer Dismisses Death Rumours: ‘It’s Some Kind of Silly Rumour Put Out to Waste People’s Time’
Joyce Meyer is seen assuring her supporters that she is alive and well in this screenshot of a video she uploaded on her Facebook page on Oct. 6, 2016.(Facebook/Joyce Meyer) A nasty rumour surfaced recently that charismatic Christian speaker and author Joyce Meyer had passed away. Her ministry was immediately bombarded with calls from sympathisers mourning her loss, prompting Meyer to come out and dismiss the rumour. Meyer, wearing a simple pink shirt, said in a Facebook video that she is aliv..Continue reading→
XXX Church on What is Off Limits in Marital Sex Life and What Jesus Considers as Infidelity
Pexels What constitutes as infidelity is subjective, and a lot of couples don't see eye to eye regarding it. XXX Church, an online ministry dedicated to helping people with porn and sex addictions, has weighed in on the matter. Melissa Ruff writes on the ministry's website that other people should never be a part of anyone's intimate relationship. "Jesus even went a step further and said that having lust for someone when you look at them is infidelity," she says. "Adding people,..Continue reading→
Louisiana Governor Sues Own Attorney General for Rejecting Contracts With Anti-Discrimination Clauses
BATON ROUGE, La. — The Democratic governor of Louisiana has filed a lawsuit against his own attorney general for rejecting state contracts that include anti-discrimination clauses in alignment with an order issued earlier this year by the governor. “He basically told me that if I wanted him to approve those contracts that I would have to sue him,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said during a press conference on Sept. 30. “So I’m obliging him on that.” As previously reported, in April, Edwards rescinded..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→
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..