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
1 Corinthians 7:4-5 (07-04-16)
The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.— 1 Corinthians 7:4-5 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul told us that our bodies were not our own, but that we had been bought at a..Continue reading→
Jeremiah 7:3 (07-03-16)
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.— Jeremiah 7:3 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... We often take for granted what we have, where we live, the friends who bless our lives, and the family that gives us a place to belong and grow. All of these are gifts to us from God. We don't deserve them. We don't earn them. But, we can surely destroy them. God wants us to live obediently, not just..Continue reading→
Matthew 7:2 (07-02-16)
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.— Matthew 7:2 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Jesus is concerned that we not have a critical spirit toward others, especially about their motives as to why they did something. We can't assume to know another person's heart; only God can. When we are unfairly critical, overly harsh, or unduly judgmental, we need to remember that God will use that same sta..Continue reading→
Psalm 7:1 (07-01-16)
O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me...— Psalm 7:1 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Who or what is pursuing you? Is it a past mistake? Is it an old enemy? Is it your conscience? Is it a nagging sense of guilt? Is it someone who wants to do you physical harm? Is it a physical illness? In the middle of all the storms and struggles of life, where do you go to find peace and security? There is only One who can be a true and ..Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
Young pastors aim to plant more churches to draw ‘hip-hop’ people in Missouri
(The Gate Church)Kenny Petty (left) and Kyle Hubbard planted a church together and now pastor The Gate Church, a church built to minister to the hip-hop community of St. Louis, Missouri. Young pastors like Kenny "KP" Petty are working hard to plant more churches and trying to draw people who have grown up in hip-hop culture where "rap music, gangs, urban clothing, art, poetry, hardship and violence have molded our people." Petty was a gang member in high school and was shot twice. He went to j..Continue reading→
How Do We Preach About Loving God?
As Pastors we know that Jesus teaches us to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength (Matthew 22:37; Luke 10:27). But when we attempt to teach this love for God to others, we run into obstacles as ministry leaders. Why is this and what can we do? Pay Attention to the Experiences (Providences) of Those We Serve It can be hard to say, “I love you” to anyone. For some of us it just isn’t “manly” or proper to do so. Love is weakness. Love makes a mockery of etiquette. For others o..Continue reading→
Aleppo: Church provides hope to Christians and Muslims amid the carnage
ReutersA Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter stands near women on a damaged street in Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 7, 2016. A Jesuit priest in Aleppo has described how the Catholic Church is continuing to help those remaining in Syria's city despite an upsurge of intense fighting that in recent weeks has killed scores, displaced thousands and cut water and power to up to two million people on both sides of the front line. As rebel forces pushed forward to seize the city,..Continue reading→
Eritrea accused of staging false apology from imprisoned patriarch
DireTubeEritrean Patriarch Abune Antonios. Reports that the imprisoned Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church has been released from house arrest following an apology have been denied by supporters. His Holiness Abune Antonios was arrested in January 2006 and deprived of his office by his Church's synod in what the other Oriental Orthodox Churches regard as a violation of ecclesiastical law. He had resisted the Eritrean government's increasing encroachment into Church affa..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
Three Essentials to Prevent “Flaming Out” on Our Family and Ministry
“Having friends outside of your ministry and your church also has the byproduct of helping you see your church and work for what it really is. It may help you to see and identify dysfunction that you’re otherwise too close to recognize.” It was a Saturday evening in November and the temperatures were starting to fall. His parents were out of town for some reason or another, his car had broken down and the snow was beginning to fall. It was 9:45pm when I got the phone call. “Can you come and he..Continue reading→
Mentoring Others
“In 1 Thessalonians 2, Paul speaks of his being gentle among the Thessalonians, like a nursing mother caring for her children. Have you ever watched a godly woman caring for her young children? Such gentleness! Such patience! Such careful instruction!” My wife and I recently sat at our dining room table over “It’ll Kill Ya Pie,” discussing with a young urban pastor and his wife their marriage, their parenting, and their ministry. It was a delightful evening. Ann and I are certainly no Aquila an..Continue reading→
Unconditional Election: The Calling and Commissioning of the Apostle Paul
“I would suggest that the biblical discussion of divine election or unconditional election cannot bypass Romans 9 or other Scriptural passages that indicate that God chooses those whom he will save based upon his own reasons which do not include anything special about the one chosen at the time God saves a sinner.” The Apostle Paul in Romans 9 addresses God’s sovereignty and uses the illustration of the potter and the clay. The potter, of course, creates out of his pile of clay whatever he or s..Continue reading→
The Best-Seller Myth
It is ironic that it is within the publishing industry—an industry of words and meaning—that the word “best-seller” is most often used with an imprecise meaning. So, let’s move beyond folklore and talk about what it actually connotes when the status is attributed. If you are going to invest the time, transparency, and discipline to write a book you should want people to read it. This is especially true for books that point people to God. Christian books can be a means of making disciples, so it..Continue reading→
Life & Society
Miracle Baby Born With Heart, Intestines Outside Body Thriving After Mom Gives Child Life
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A Nevada baby who was born with his heart and intestines outside of his body is beating the odds as he celebrates a year after his mother gave him life. Last year, Desteny Amaya was informed that her son had a condition called Pentalogy of Cantrell after an abnormality was spotted during an ultrasound. Her doctor, Van Bohman, advised that the baby’s heart and intestines were forming outside of his body. “Almost universally it’s fatal. These kids never survive; in fact this is..Continue reading→
District of Columbia Committee Advances Physician Assisted Suicide Bill
WASHINGTON — A committee for the District of Columbia has approved a bill that would legalize physician assisted suicide. The “Death With Dignity Act” was advanced on Wednesday in the Committee on Health and Human Services by a 3-2 vote. Introduced by Democrat Mary Cheh, the Act allows for terminally ill patients to submit a request in writing that they be provided with medication that will end their life. “A written request … shall be witnessed by at least two individuals who, in the presenc..Continue reading→
Football Players Wowed by Their Coach’s Gifts — Personalised Bibles: ‘He Really Cares and Wants Good for Us’
Miami Hurricanes coach Mark Richt reacts to the fans and students after his former team, the Georgia Bulldogs, defeated the Kentucky Wildcats at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, in November 2015.Reuters Bibles as gifts? Yes, why not? That was the great idea that struck Miami Hurricanes coach Mark Richt and for which he could very well earned the title of Most Loved Coach of the Year, if ever there is one. This week, Richt started giving personalised Bibles to his players and the coaching s..Continue reading→
Viral Video: Christian Mom Breaks Down After Hearing Profane Rap Song on Radio While Driving Daughter to School
Pixabay The video of a Christian mother who broke down on camera because of the profanity of a rap song being played on a local radio station has gone viral, with more than 800,000 people having watched the clip so far. The mother, identified by CNET.com as Krystle Partido from Woodward, Oklahoma, narrated in the video she posted on her Facebook page last month how she came across the rap song "Norf Norf" by Vince Staples while driving her 11-year-old daughter to school. Partido was calm at f..Continue reading→
Movies
My favorite films of 2016
Conventional wisdom holds that 2016 was, to use the technical term, a dumpster fire. I’m not going to argue against that; it was a year in which American culture finally curdled and icons were taken from us at an alarming rate. But bad times make for great art, and 2016 was another wonderful year of cinema. Unlike other years, in which the majority of great releases were clustered around the fall months, my list for favorite films of 2016 includes films that were released throughout the calendar..Continue reading→
Happy Christmas Eve
Photo via Vlickr, Jori Samonen. CC Licensing. Ever since I was a child, Christmas Eve has meant more to me than Christmas Day. As a child, it was because Christmas Eve was when we would load up the car, go to my grandparents and open gifts with my cousins. It was that night — and the lead into Christmas morning — that embodied the holiday for me the most. Treats on the counter. One grandfather excitedly playing Santa. The other calmly reading Luke’s account of the Christmas story. A fire roaring..Continue reading→
The Best Films of 2016: Empathy in Action
What animated the most enduring films of 2016? While our nation suffered from our inability to empathize with the Other, thankfully the finest filmmakers reminded us how compelling compassion remains. Empathy turned a ‘small’ film like Moonlight into an immediate masterpiece. Not a shot, gesture, or line is wasted in Barry Jenkins’ gorgeous triptych. The evolution of Chiron across the mean streets of Miami communicated with such clarity why Black Lives Matter. The West Texas plains of Toby and ..Continue reading→
Short film submissions wanted $10,000 for films on fatherhood
Short film submissions wanted $10,000 for films on fatherhood December 21st, 2016 The Fatherhood CoMission and the Christian Worldview Film Festival have partnered to hold the second annual HONOR YOUR FATHER short film contest. The two groups urge filmmakers to use inspiration, humor, or drama in short film to promote a Biblical perspective of fatherhood, sharable on social media and appropriate to play in churches leading up to Father’s Day. Filmmakers of all ages and backgrounds are ..Continue reading→
My favorite (non-movie) pop culture of 2016!
Photo by Dafne Cholet, Flickr. CC Licensing. 2016 is coming to a close. And while there are a lot of reasons to be happy that we’re saying goodbye to this year, let’s not forget that this wasn’t a terrible year in every area. True, we might be skipping toward the apocalypse. But at least there were some fun diversions along the way. My post for the best movies of 2016 will be coming later. I hope to have it up before the new year, but the fall has been so busy that I’m behind on movies. There ar..Continue reading→
Pureflix joining forces with ClearPlay to deliver clean(er) content to families
Pureflix joining forces with ClearPlay to deliver clean(er) content to families December 20th, 2016 PureFlix, a leader in the faith and family streaming video space, is partnering with ClearPlay Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah. To provide consumers original content, movies, TV shows and more completely free from any offensive language. ClearPlay’s innovative playback filtering technology is designed to work with the PureFlix.com existing library of more than 5,000 titles. It also opens the do..Continue reading→
“It’s My Favorite” Talks Christmas!
Photo by Antonio Castagna, Flickr. CC Licensing So, Christmas is coming and I know there’s been a bit of a lull the past few months in blogging as I’ve finished my first semester of grad school. It’s been a busy, challenging few months, but as of about 24 hours ago, I’m done with class. Starting Friday, I’ll be off work for two days. In addition to enjoying the holidays with my family, I’m also looking forward to catching up on some movies and tending to this neglected site. In the coming days a..Continue reading→
Sony Animation’s The Star — a Nativity film coming out next year — warms up its online marketing campaign
Is it too early to think about next year’s Christmas movies? The folks at Sony apparently hope it isn’t. Today their “faith-based” division, Affirm Films, sent out an e-mail letting people know that the upcoming animated film The Star — about a donkey, a sheep, and some other animals who participate in the first Christmas — now has a website. The film also has a few social-media accounts, but so far — apart from the brand-new banner above — there are no photos, no casting news and no details abo..Continue reading→
Watch: Jack Huston and Timur Bekmambetov sing Morgan Freeman’s praises in a clip from a Ben-Hur bonus feature
Ben-Hur was one of the year’s biggest flops, and director Timur Bekmambetov thinks he knows why: he recently told a Russian news agency that the film failed at the box office because audiences prefer stories of revenge to stories about forgiveness. That could be one of the reasons the film didn’t do so well, but I can think of a few others, too: the late-August release date, the lousy reviews, the perception that it was a niche “faith-based” film, and the utter lack of movie stars, to name just ..Continue reading→
Music
All Is Not Lost by The Brilliance
In a world faced with suffering, division and hate, liturgical band The Brilliance is declaring that even still All Is Not Lost, the title of their inspiring sophomore album, set to release January 27, 2017. The New York-based duo, comprised of David Gungor and John Arndt. writes songs for both the church and those feeling spiritually homeless. Their goal is to create music that gives voice to the pain and pleasure of the human experience, providing a sonic invitation that welcomes all people to live fully. Colored through with intricate string arrangements, All Is Not Lost contains tracks[...]Continue reading→
Red Sea Road by Ellie Holcomb
This record celebrates the Hope we have in Jesus, and the powerful personal ways Ellie has seen Him make Red Sea Roads through some of the most heartbreaking times of her life. "The past two years for our community have been heavy, full of suffering and loss," shares Ellie Holcomb. "Red Sea Road is a record full of songs about how I've seen God show up in the middle of all the pain. I know now more than I did two years ago that He is faithful, no matter what we are facing, I've seen Him continue to draw[...]Continue reading→
Vertical Church Band Announces The Vertical Nights Tour Featuring Pastor James MacDonald
Essential Worship's Vertical Church Band and Premier Productions have partnered and are proud to announce the upcoming dates for their Vertical Nights Tour. Kicking off March 8 in South Bend, Indiana, the tour is scheduled to hit 14 markets across the U.S. Tickets are on sale now by visiting here. RELATED Vertical Church Band Releases 'Frontiers' At each tour stop, concertgoers will get to enjoy a message from Pastor James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel, along with music from..Continue reading→
Aaron Shust Releases Performance Video For ‘You Redeem’
This week Aaron Shust released the performance video, featuring former Sanctus Real lead singer and co-writer Matt Hammitt, for his new single "You Redeem." The song is the first single from the live worship album Love Made A Way, releasing March 10th. RELATED Aaron Shust's 'Ever Be' Top 5 on Billboard's NCA Chart "When God performs miracles, when he heals what cannot be cured, it can be overwhelming to know that He is mindful of us. I can clearly recall every moment I'..Continue reading→
Meredith Andrews’ Husband Helps Save A Life
Last week Meredith Andrews and her husband, songwriter and producer Jacob Sooter, got to have a part in something truly incredible helping save someone's life. RELATED Meredith Andrews Releases Video Series With Kay Warren Meredith posted a photo from the Nashville Airport last Friday evening telling the amazing story of how a simple tire iron played a vital role in saving a life. "On our way to the airport we came up on a car stopped at an intersection. Most cars were driving around, but..Continue reading→
Joel Vaughn Releases New EP
Joel Vaughn releases his second EP, Surrender, today. Leading up to the album's release, Joel pre-released his album on iTunes and via his IndieGoGo profile which awarded fans the opportunity to getting their names in the album's credits, a chance to write a song with him and an exclusive acoustic show. RELATED Joel Vaughn Launches Indiegogo to Fund Full Length Album "What if we could let go of our fear and truly trust God even when it's hard to? What could He accomplish through..Continue reading→
Hollyn Set To Release First Full-Length Album ‘One-Way Conversations’
Gotee Records' HOLLYN announced this week that she will be releasing her debut LP album, One-Way Conversations, next month on February 10. This album is the follow-up to her acclaimed self-titled EP that produced the No. 1 single "Alone (feat. TRU)" and the Top 5 single "Nothin' On You." The upcoming release already touts a No. 1 radio single with the track "Love with Your Life." The pre-order for One-Way Conversations is live now, click here to preorder digitally as well as preorder t..Continue reading→
We Love Christian Music Awards To Hold First-Ever Event Feb. 2
The WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS have had a fifth year for the record books, and its unprecedented momentum continues with the announcement of its first-ever live awards event, to be held Thursday, Feb. 2 at the JUCE TV studios in the Nashville area. RELATED Voting Now Open In 5th Annual We Love Christian Music Awards Made possible by the awards' partnership between industry leading Christian music website NewReleaseToday (http//www.newreleasetoday.com) and Trinity Broadcasting Network&..Continue reading→
Atlantic Announces ‘The Shack Music From And Inspired By The Original Motion Picture’
Atlantic Records has announced its release of "THE SHACK MUSIC FROM AND INSPIRED BY THE ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE," due everywhere on Friday, February 24th to coincide with the nationwide release of the film from Lionsgate's Summit Entertainment label on March 3. RELATED 'The Shack' Set To Hit Theaters March 2017 "THE SHACK MUSIC FROM AND INSPIRED BY THE ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE" is available now for pre-order here and accompanied by two instant grat downloads "Keep Your Eyes On M..Continue reading→
American
New Mexico Assisted Suicide Bill Moves Toward Death on Demand
Assisted suicide pushers are–to put it kindly–disingenuous. For example, they often offer smooth assurances about “safeguards” to protect against abuse. Yet, new legalization schemes often dilute the traditional already-as-thick-as-water limitations in place where lethally prescribing is now legal. For example, most laws require doctors to diagnose and prescribe lethally. But a bill in New Mexico would open those who can help kill to nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants. Generally ..
ACLU Opposes Bill to Ban Sex-Selection Abortions
The American Civil Liberties Union slammed an Arkansas bill that would prohibit sex-selection abortions this week, claiming the measure is unconstitutional. The Gurdon Times reports a House committee passed the bill, state House Bill 1434, on Thursday. The bill moves to the full state House for consideration. Sponsored by state Rep. Charlie Collins, the bill would make it illegal for abortion practitioners to knowingly abort an unborn child if the woman is doing so based solely on the child’s ..
Girl Born “Inside Out” Has Life-Saving Surgery Minutes After Birth. Her Organs Were Outside Her Body
A North Carolina baby is thriving at home just months after she was born with several of her organs outside of her body. Baby Elliotte Sargent of Wilmington, North Carolina had two life-saving surgeries within the first eight days of her birth to fix part of her body that was “inside out,” the Daily Mail reports. Doctors said the little girl is doing well at home, and probably will not need any more surgeries. Elliotte was born in September weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces; but doctors detected her..
Illinois Pregnancy Resource Centers Sue Governor for Forcing Them to Promote Abortions
Eighteen Illinois women’s health organizations are suing Governor Bruce Rauner over Illinois’ new law forcing pro-life doctors and pregnancy resource centers to discuss abortion benefits and refer pregnant women for abortions despite their conscience-based opposition to abortion. The controversial SB 1564, which amended the Health Care Right of Conscience Act effective January 1, 2017, has left Illinois’ over 90 not-for-profit pregnancy resource centers with little choice but to file suit seekin..
Australia
If Sonia Kruger and Pauline Hanson can talk about Muslims, so can Christians
Brad Chilcott, founder of Welcome to Australia, today accused TV host Sonia Kruger and Senator-elect Pauline Hanson of creating an atmosphere that could make Australia less safe rather than safer from terrorism. Kruger said yesterday that “as a mother” she was fearful for the safety of her family if Muslim migration was not stopped. Later, founder of the One Nation political party Pauline Hanson dominated discussion on the ABC’s Q&A programme, fielding..
New Russian anti-evangelism laws will not stop Christians evangelising
Russian president Vladimir Putin has approved a new suite of anti-terrorism laws that appear to severely restrict evangelism and missionary activity which will come into effect this week. Under the new laws to be enacted on July 20 it will be illegal to share the Christian faith in homes or anywhere except recognised church buildings. Surveillance of Internet activity will be ramped up, with Russian Christians no longer allowed to send email invitations..
A basket made of Bibles wins art prize
“The bread basket of Emmaus” winner of the Mandorla Art Award 2016 A basket, made from the pages of three Bibles has won a major art award. Artist Megan Robert won the $25,000 first prize in the Mandorla Art Award for a work which literally meant taking apart the Bible in order to tell the story of Jesus. “The judges were impressed that her artwork expressed the presence/absence/presence mystery of the resurrection through the story of the journey to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-3..
He sold everything and moved his family to Thailand to battle child sex slavery
Tony Kirwan loves what he does. The founder and international president of Destiny Rescue loves it so much that, even when he goes on holidays with his family, he visits brothels at night, posing as a customer. So why does a good Christian man feel drawn to what he calls these “dark, ugly places”? As a father of three daughters, the northern Thailand-based activist is passionate about rescuing girls from the sex trade. “About 12 months ago I went with my wife and fa..
Entertainment
How Logical Spock Gives Us a Surprising Example of Spirituality
The starship Enterprise may reportedly have plied the galaxy in the 23rd century, but it officially left the dock 50 years ago as a featured (albeit non-sentient) character on NBC’s Star Trek. Star Trek’s first episode was aired Sept. 8, 1966. In “The Man Trap,” Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy encounter a strange creature with a yen for salt … and the ability to appear in any human guise it might choose. And while it and the 78 episodes that followed weren’t watched by many pe..
Why Colin Kaepernick’s National Anthem Kneel Down Matters
When Colin Kaepernick first refused to rise during the National Anthem before a fairly meaningless pre-season game, it felt to me like the act of a petulant, spoiled athlete who has forgotten the many advantages that he’s been showered with in this country. But my first thoughts are not always my best thoughts. And now that he’s made good on his promise and protested the National Anthem a second time—last night during a preseason game in San Diego—my reaction is a bit different. Par..
When Gene Wilder Played God (in a Chocolate Factory)
Gene Wilder, who died Aug. 29 at the age of 83, was not a particularly religious man. “I’m going to tell you what my religion is,” he told Abigail Pogrebin in 2005 as part of her book Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish (according to an excerpt printed in Tablet Magazine). “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Period. Terminato. Finito. I have no other religion. I feel very Jewish and I feel very grateful to be Jewish. But I don’t believe in God or a..
What Six Members of Suicide Squad Have to Say About Faith
Say what you want about the fledgling cinematic universe of DC, it beats the spandex pants off Marvel in its willingness to tackle the subject of faith. We saw it with Man of Steel and its explicit comparisons of Superman to Christ. We saw it again in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice—complete with an impending resurrection. And believe it or not, we saw a bit of it in the wildly popular, critically panned Suicide Squad. For a bunch of no-account do-badders, many of the Squad’s mem..
US
Grappling with Bach’s theology
Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker has written a fascinating piece on Bach’s theology. He says that while much research of the past tried to look at Bach in purely secular terms, today’s scholarship is attempting to unpack the musical impact of his Lutheranism. Ross reviews several recent books on the subject, including one that tries to read into Bach’s music elements of anti-semitism, as if that is what Lutheranism is all about. (Despite Luther’s senile ravings at the end of his life, ..
Simulated relationships
Why do we often take celebrity deaths so hard? According to Rev. Travis Berg, citing various experts, it’s because we form “simulated relationships.” Our impulse to form friendships is displaced onto people we don’t really know, except from the characters they play or their personalities projected by the media. In our high-tech, low-interaction culture, those kinds of “para-social relationships” are all some people have! In contrast, God wants us to love actual people and to be part of actual co..
The Cubs didn’t really win the World Series
The Chicago Cubs didn’t really win the World Series over the Cleveland Indians. Actually, both teams scored 27 points. So the series was really a tie. That’s the same kind of reasoning that insists Donald Trump didn’t really win the election because Hillary Clinton won the popular vote. So says Mollie Hemingway in a column about how liberals can learn from conservatives in accepting disappointing outcomes. From Mollie Hemingway, 10 Things The Right Can Teach The Left About Accepting The Reality ..
The “current year” argument
Some people invoke the current year as a sufficient argument. As in, “I can’t believe that it’s 2017 and we are still debating abortion.” Or, “It’s 2017! How can you believe the Bible?” Nicholas Pell points out that merely giving the date does not prove anything. It does express the progressive worldview, that things are getting better and better, so that an idea from the present is assumed to be better than an idea from the past. Pell observes that many people are conservatives, who tend to bel..
Church & Theology
5 Practical Ways to Celebrate Thanksgiving
I love Thanksgiving for many reasons, but perhaps the greatest is that it helps us schedule a day to do what we should be doing every day of the year—give thanks. Thanksgiving, of course, is more than a holiday—it should be a verb. So how, practically speaking, can we make this a day when we actually give thanks? Here are five suggestions: Trust the sovereignty of God. I don’t know that I ever thought of trusting God as being a way to express thankfulness to Him until the year our son, Larry, ..
9 Recent Posts and Podcasts on the Trinity
Follow @BrandonSmith85 After the Trinity hubbub this summer and the Trinity being the topic of the most recent annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, a full storehouse of resources and articles has been produced. In particular, there’s been a lot of helpful clarification on the relationship between the Father and Son. Below is a list of my favorites written over the past six months or so, in no particular order. Also, it should not be assumed that I agree with every jot and tittl..
7 Ways to Actually Decompress on Your Day Off
Have you ever gotten to the end of a “day off” and felt just as exhausted as you did at the beginning? Have you ever looked back over the day and wished for a do over? God so kindly designed our lives to function best with one day out of seven as a day of rest. Although “the Sabbath” is not a New Testament requirement, time for rest is something God created us with a need for. Many people, especially “Type A” leaders, struggle to take this time of rest to actually decompress mentally and emoti..
7 Ways You Can Keep Christ in Christmas
You’ve heard it (and maybe shared it): “Keep Christ in Christmas.” It’s a great thought…but do you do it? December can be such a busy month. Even busy with ministry. But sometimes in all the busyness of the season, we’re as guilty as the innkeeper of not making room for Jesus, even if our reasons are well intentioned. How can you, throughout the month of December, not only keep your head above water but actually make this month a season of worship? Here are seven suggestions: Attend every ch..