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→
Church & Ministries
Charity that took on SPCK Christian bookshops strongly criticised by Charity Commission
A Christian charity has been strongly criticised for serious mismanagement and misconduct by the Charity Commission. Charity CommissionThe Charity Commission has released a report criticising the Saint Stephen the Great Charitable Trust. An inquiry published today into the Saint Stephen the Great Charitable Trust - whose main purpose was to acquire Church of England churches for use by Orthodox Christians - began when the charity filed for bankruptcy in the US in 2008. It found conflicts of i..Continue reading→
4 Keys to an Exponential Group Launch
Some launches go better than others. Over the last 10+ years of group launches both in the churches I’ve served as well as churches I’ve coached, we have seen some significant progress and we’ve seen some incremental growth. Whether your launch feels exponential or expected really comes down to your grasp of four keys. 1. Is Your Senior Pastor All In? Having been an associate pastor for over 20 years, I know that if I invite people to lead groups, I will get 30 percent the result of my senior p..Continue reading→
Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral to be flood-lit red to highlight persecuted Christians around world
Westminster Abbey will be flood-lit red in November to highlight the plight of persecuted Christians around the world. Both Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral are to be flood-lit in red by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in November this year to highlight the plight of persecuted Christians in the Middle East. The move was announced by the campaigning peer Lord Alton in an article for the Catholic Truth Society. "In November, ACN is arranging for Westminster Cathe..Continue reading→
Evangelicals form new group within United Methodist Church over homosexuality
WCAThe WCA takes its inspiration and title from Methodist founder John Wesley A new evangelical grouping is set to form within the United Methodist Church. The group – the Wesleyan Covenant Association – is being formed in response to the ongoing debate within the denomination about sexuality. The UMC is one of the biggest mainline denominations in America, with around 7 million members, and 4 million more worldwide. A special commission of the UMC is working on the issue of homosexuality at t..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
The Ordinary Christian Life
If gradual growth in Christ is exchanged for a radical experience, it is not surprising that many begin looking for the Next Big Thing as the latest crisis experience wears off. Even in my own lifetime, I’ve witnessed—and participated in—a parade of radical movements. And now, according to Time magazine, the “new Calvinism” is one of the top trends changing the world. This movement has also been identified as “Young, Restless, Reformed.” But as long as it is defined by youthful restlessness, it ..Continue reading→
Diversity Is Offensive
In Advaita (Oneism), there are no ultimate distinctions, and so it is natural that critical thinking is profoundly undermined. Hindu gurus tell us to abandon the mind in order to feel a oneness with the god within. Feelings, not intellectual thought, determine our lives. Ideas from an opposing worldview threaten our very existence and must be avoided or silenced. Totalitarianism beckons. truthXchange just finished a marvelous conference on the important issue of “Gay Christianity,” in which we ..Continue reading→
Don’t Give Up the Battle
Though hard and painful emotions are often distorted and exaggerate reality, they do tell us something, they tell us that something is wrong. They indicate that something is going on in our heart. They reflect our internal struggle with God. When we ignore them, try to control them, attempt to cover them up, or pretend they don’t exist; we miss the opportunities they provide— opportunities to learn more about God; opportunities for God to change and transform us; opportunities to grow in faith. ..Continue reading→
Calamity Brings Clarity
In significant ways, at least in terms of pop culture and conventional wisdom, we are indeed in a post-Christian era in our country – but so often in history, it’s in these times that Jesus really begins to reveal himself as alive and well. Because Jesus is alive, what dies in an anti-Christian or post-Christian culture is not the gospel, but the ways in which we’ve compromised it. Churches which no longer preach a risen Christ are hemorrhaging members; they’re dying. And those of us who believe..Continue reading→
Life & Society
Joel Osteen Wants His New Book ‘Think Better, Live Better’ To Help People ‘Delete Negative Thoughts’
(Facebook/Joel Osteen) Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas recently released his new book called "Think Better, Live Better," which hopes to encourage readers to exercise positive thinking in order to improve their lives. "How you think determines how you live. Many people are being held back by wrong mindsets. You can't think negative, and live a positive life," Osteen says in in a preview video about his book, according to The Christian Post. "I'll show you how ..Continue reading→
Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore Appeals Suspension Over Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Memo
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Attorneys for Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore have appealed his suspension from the bench, and are asserting that his suspension is tantamount to removal, which is a violation of state procedural rules since there was not a unanimous agreement to remove Moore as required by law. “Under the COJ (Court of the Judiciary) rules, removal requires a unanimous 9-0 vote by the members of the COJ, which is made up of judges, a lawyer and laypeople. Absent a 9-0 unanimous vote, the COJ..Continue reading→
FBI Says Minnesota Mall Attacker Recently Became Interested in Islam
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — The FBI released surveillance video on Thursday of last month’s knife attack at Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud, outlining that the assailant who injured 10 and was killed by an off-duty officer had recently become interested in Islam. “We have numerous credible witness accounts of him asking victims during the attack if they were Muslim, and at least one instance yelling ‘Allahu akbar’ while stabbing one of his victims, and others heard him yelling ‘Islam, Islam’ during ..Continue reading→
Oklahoma Supreme Court Strikes Down Law as Placing ‘Undue Burden on Access to Abortion’
Photo Credit: Credit Tomasz KoboszOKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The Oklahoma Supreme Court has struck down a state abortion law that it says both violates the “one subject” rule and “continues to place undue burdens on access to abortion under the guise of protecting the health of women.” In January, the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights filed suit on behalf of Oklahoma abortionist Larry Burns to challenge a multi-faceted law centering on youth who obtain abortions. The law required crimi..Continue reading→
Movies
COMMON BRINGS GLORY TO THE GRAMMYS (AND THE OSCARS): An Interview
What 2015 Grammy moment moved you? Kanye West’s cut in on Beck’s acceptance speech for “Album of the Year” garnered most of the headlines. How sad to a stunt overshadow Annie Lennox’s rousing rendition of “I Put a Spell On You” with Hozier. Pharrell reimagined his sunny single, “Happy,” into an intriguing protest echoing the “Hands up/Don’t shoot” posture that accompanied events in Ferguson, Missouri. Prince slipped in the best one-liner of the night, “Albums still matter. Just like books and bl..Continue reading→
Diablo Cody Tweets About Rescuing Jinger Duggar
Her new movie, Paradise, is all about religion. In the movie, which was originally titled Lamb of God, a young religious woman (Julianne Hough) is in a terrible accident, which causes her to question G-d and run off to Las Vegas to see what sin feels like. Well, it looks like screenwriter/director Diablo Cody had some pretty specific pop-culture inspirations for the movie: The Duggars. Particularly Jinger. Diablo recently tweeted that if Jinger ever wants to run away from her family, she can com..Continue reading→
Music
As We Ascend Releases First Single Wash Away to iTunes
As We Ascend's first single "Wash Away" is now available on iTunes, six days before the completion of their PledgeMusic campaign to fund the full length album Farewell to Midnight. In addition to being available on iTunes, "Wash Away" is also going for adds at radio. The PledgeMusic campaign is currently at 95% of its goal. You can listen to "Wash Away" below. As We Ascend, formed by former members of We As Human, launched their PledgeMusic campaign with the unique invitation to fans to "..Continue reading→
Bizzle Petitions for Financial Support of New Project
The recent release of Bizzle's new project Crowns & Crosses has sparked a conversation about the realities of being an artist with his God Over Money fans. In a recent newsletter, Bizzle details the shocking differences between a fan purchasing a physical or digital copy of any GOM release versus streaming through the likes of Spotify or Apple Music. He begins with the staggering reality that it takes 1,500 streams to equal that of one album sale. For example, if 100,000 fans stream the en..Continue reading→
John Mark McMillan Launches Pre-order for ‘Mercury & Lightning’
John Mark McMillan has launched a pre-order for his upcoming album Mercury & Lightning through PledgeMusic. The album has been preceded by the release of "Wilderlove" and "No Country." The PledgeMusic pre-order gives fans the chance to purchase a wide range of merch packages, with each one providing access to exclusive behind-the-scenes information approaching the album's release. The pre-order was launched in part due to the overwhelmingly positive response to the single "Wilderlove," re..Continue reading→
Sho Baraka’s ‘The Narrative’ Debuts at No. 6 on iTunes Hip Hop Chart and No. 26 on iTunes Overall
Critically acclaimed hip hop artist Sho Baraka unleashed The Narrative last week, and it was well received by fans and critics alike as it peaked at No. 6 on iTunes Hip Hop Chart and No. 26 on iTunes Overall Albums Chart. Created with the intention to generate a discussion among each other about the social issues we face today and throughout history, Sho Baraka is doing just that as shown by the critics below "Sho Baraka gives us conscious hip hop that makes us think. It is not intended for eas..Continue reading→
MercyMe’s ‘Welcome To The New’ Receives RIAA Gold Certification
GRAMMY® Nominated MercyMe's Welcome To The New (2014) has been honored with RIAA Gold Certification, marking the sixth gold album for the band in addition to a double platinum album and a platinum video. Welcome To The New earned two GRAMMY® nods, multiple GMA Dove Award honors and an American Music Award nomination. In addition, the album boasts three No. 1 singles with "Greater," "Flawless" and "Dear Younger Me," and one Top 5 single with "Shake." MercyMe is planning to unveil a new recor..Continue reading→
Deraj Drops A New Single
Deraj blessed both the genre and Reflection Music Group (RMG) fans worldwide with a new banger for the car on "Know That's Me," featuring KYNG. Listeners can purchase not only the track, but also the instrumental backing and an acapella version of the track. The three versions of this project may be purchased here, or streamed on Spotify. Visuals for the project debuted under the direction of Joe Desantis. The video may be viewed below. RMG has been quite the productive label as of late..Continue reading→
Live in Chicago: The Looking for America Tour by Switchfoot
Track Listing 01. Holy Water 02. Meant To Live 03. Bull In A China Shop 04. Where The Light Shines Through 05. I Won't Let You Go 06. Love Alone Is Worth The Fight 07. Hello Hurricane 08. If The House Burns Down Tonight 09. Float 10. Live it Well Continue reading→
Courtney Orlando Releases New Single, Wait On You
Courtney Orlando released his latest single "Wait on You" on October 10. You can download the track for free on SoundCloud here. Orlando describes the new track as an open conversation between him and God. No future plans of a full length project have been released at this time. The artist formally known as J.R. dug his roots into the hip-hop genre over a decade ago with his debut release Metamorphosis in 2005. Fittingly, change has followed him in the area of style, depth and even branding a..Continue reading→
The Narrative by Sho Baraka
Track Listing 01. Foreward, 1619 02. Soul, 1971 03. Kanye, 2009 (feat. Jackie Hill Perry) 04. Love, 1959 05. Here, 2016 (feat. Lecrae) 06. 30 & Up, 1986 (feat. Courtney Orlando) 07. Profhet, 1968 (feat. James Portier) 08. Maybe Both, 1865 (feat. James Portier) Purchase 09. Excellent, 2017 Purchase 10. Road to Humble, 1979 Purchase 11. Myhood, U.S.A., 1937 (feat. Vanessa Hill) 12. Words, 2006 13. Fathers, 2004 Purchase 14. Piano Break, 33 A.D. Continue reading→
American
One More Rumbling On
The whole post, articulate to the core, by Darren Sumner is well worth your attention, exposing as it does Bruce Ware’s faulty method and faulty theology. (6) A methodological critique: Where does this idea of an “authority-submission structure” within the Trinity come from? Ware, for one, is clear about the path of his logic: As Son, the Son is always the Son of the Father and is so eternally. As Son of the Father, he is under the authority of his Father and seeks in all he does to act as the A..
How I’m Learning to Love God with my Mind
How I’m Learning To Love God With My Mind, By Michelle Van Loon patheos.com/blogs/pilgrimsroadtrip michellevanloon.com My Jewish parents used to tell me that the one thing “they” couldn’t take from me was an education. As I grew older, I learned that the “they” to whom my mom and dad referred were the various Gentile groups who’d persecuted the Jewish people for millennia. Though they were in no way academics, my hard-working parents did teach me that there was immeasurable value, if not virtue,..
The New Testament and Sex Change
My colleague and friend Claude Mariottini is a fan of comparing translations and thus also of the textual tradition. Just in case you wonder what I’m going on about with that for the title of the post here it is: Two women in the NT were given “sex changes” by the translation tradition. The story of Junia is well known and I wrote a small e-book on it (called Junia is Not Alone), which is now an Appendix in the revised edition of The Blue Parakeet. She was a woman but some strong voices in the c..
This is What the Bible Really Says About “Transgender”
A movement to justify “transgender” sexual behavior “because it’s in the Bible” or because it’s the “Christian thing to do,” continues on the stage of both the theatre and the White House. But neither actor ever mentions what the Bible specifically says about transgender behavior– that it is an “abomination.” The latest example of Obama misusing the Bible is suggesting that the “Golden Rule” allows him to force children of the opposite sex to share bathrooms, showers, and living facilities with ..