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→
Hot Topics
Thought for the Lord’s Day
People were designed by God to worship. At the fall man lost his ability to know whom to worship. So, we worship counterfeit gods. This is the worship we were born to as fallen creatures. It is the enemy’s scheme that when we participate in corporate worship we do so to earn God’s favor. But our God is a jealous God. He will not share his glory with counterfeit pretenders. May we see God for who he is, not for what we want him to be. May we say with the Psalmist: But as for me, it is good to ..Continue reading→
PCA Pastor’s Wife Killed When Truck Hits Lakeland Home
The truck continued through the dining room and ended up in the kitchen where Jan’s husband, retired pastor Wyatt Folds, was about to leave. The pastor told detectives the truck barely missed hitting him. “They got up to start their early morning routine. To just live the morning lifestyle, and it ended in an instant, in the blink of an eye,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. LAKELAND (FOX 13) – Jan Folds was at home preparing for a Bible study early Thursday morning, but it turned out to be..Continue reading→
Driving From Duty To Delight
“We have a choice. It’s a fairly simple choice, but it’s not an easy one. The choice is whether or not we are going to do what we should do. Are we going to, in spite of our will, open up our Bible and thoughtfully engage with God’s Word? Are we going to be still before God and pray?” Let’s cut right to it. Sometimes we don’t feel like reading our Bible, praying, going to church or other things that God tells us are good for us to do. It may not be any one thing, for any number of reasons we ju..Continue reading→
The Psalms in Worship
“The debate surrounding so-called ‘exclusive psalmody’ is both interesting and important. It revolves in large part around the idea of there being a ‘Regulative Principle’ in public worship and how it ought to be understood and implemented.” Too many churches never sing the psalms in public worship. Despite the fact the two direct injunctions that relate to singing in the New Testament place psalms at the head of the list of what Christians ought to sing as they ‘make music in [their] heart to ..Continue reading→
Life & Society
Texas Christian University Offers Credits for Historian Internship at Planned Parenthood
FORT WORTH, Texas — A professing Christian university in Texas is under fire after it became known that the abortion giant Planned Parenthood was among the locations where students could receive credits for internships. Texas Christian University’s history department recently sent an email notifying history majors that “Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas is looking for a volunteer historian to develop a project highlighting its history in Fort Worth.” “TCU students could take this on as a res..Continue reading→
XXX Church on the three things about porn the church refuses to discuss that it really should
XXX Church, the online ministry dedicated to helping people with porn and sex addictions, is happy that the church has started to realise that porn is no longer an issue that can be ignored. However, there are still so many things the church still needs to come to terms with regarding the issue. There are three particular things the church refuses to acknowledge about porn, Pastor Craig Gross writes for The Christian Post. The first thing is that porn is becoming more culturally accept..Continue reading→
Killing innocent baby linked to mother’s future mental problems, study shows
Two hands hold a replica of a life-sized unborn baby. Science has found another reason to discourage pregnant mothers from killing their innocent unborn children: A recent study showed that abortion during the late teen and early adult years raises a woman's risk of mental health problems. A research conducted by sociology professor Donald Paul Sullins from The Catholic University of America also revealed that abortion may be attributed to almost one in 10 ca..Continue reading→
Pastor Rick Warren reminds Christians why they need to be generous
As children of God, people are called on to be generous — not just in terms of money, but also in terms of love, time, patience and understanding. Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church writes on his devotional that a Christian's generosity is important because it shows to the world what God is truly like. The Bible verse 2 Corinthians 9:13 says: "As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are ob..Continue reading→
Music
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→
Christmastime by Jody McBrayer
Track Listing 01. Imagine This Christmas 02. Candlelight Carol 03. O Come All Ye Faithful 04. Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheep/Silent Night (feat. Sarah Clayton-McBrayer) 05. What Child Is This? 06. Ave Maria/O Holy Night 07. Bring A Torch Janette Isabella 08. Last Christmas 09. Christmastime is Here 10. Have Yourself A Merry Little CContinue reading→
What God Wants to Hear by Jonathan Cain
Jonathan Cain, longtime keyboardist and rhythm guitarist in Journey, co-writer of the No. 1 digital catalog song in history, "Don't Stop Believin'," as well as writer of "Faithfully" and co-writer of "Who's Crying Now," "Open Arms" and many more international hit songs, will release his solo album, What God Wants to Hear, Oct. 21 on Identity Records with The Fuel Music distribution. Cain, who continues to tour the world with Journey, one of the most popular American rock bands of all time, crafted his new solo album from his personal faith-journey that started in Chicago when, at a young age,[...]Continue reading→
Lecrae Releases New Single Can’t Stop Me Now (Destination)
The wait for new music from Lecrae is over, with a new single heralding a new era for the legendary Christian rapper. Lecrae has been hinting on social media for the past few months that new music was brewing as snapshots of him in and out of the studio appeared. The appetizer has finally arrived as he released a new single on Friday titled "Can't Stop Me Now (Destination)," produced by Reach Records' own Alex Medina. You can stream the new track on either Apple Music or Spotify. The ..Continue reading→
Jered Sanders’ Third Release Set For December
Hype has begun to build for Jered Sanders' third release, Nobody Famous. An all-star roster of features will be included such as Eshon Burgundy, KiShon Furlow, Dee Black and Dre Murray among others. Production from Illien Rosewell, Talen Ted and others will fill the background. Eshon Burgandy shared a tweet previewing what's to come, saying "we've got a lot to talk about, y'all. In February of this year, Jered Sanders claimed hip-hop's version of the Rookie of the Yea..Continue reading→
Unto Us: A Christmas Collection by Matthew West
Track Listing 01. Unto Us 02. The First Noel 03. Silent Night 04. A Christmas to Believe In 05. Join the Angels 06. Come On, Christmas 07. Jingle Bells 08. The Heart of Christmas 09. O Holy Night 10. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Continue reading→
These Christmas Lights by Matt Redman
Debuting the first Christmas album of his career, 2X GRAMMY® winner Matt Redman will unveil These Christmas Lights on October 21. Filled with powerful and diverse collaborations, featured artists on the album include longtime friends Natasha Bedingfield, Chris Tomlin and Tasha Cobbs. These Christmas Lights finds Redman sharing his interpretation on quintessential holiday songs, along with creating new, originals including "His Name Shall Be," "Help from Heaven," the title track and more. "I don't want to just tell a story, I want to make sure that we put ourselves in the story too. To help with the songwriting on this record,[...]Continue reading→
The Best Christmas Ever by NewSong
Track Listing 01. The Best Christmas Ever (Ft. Jody King) 02. Sweet Little Jesus Boy 03. This Christmas 04. My Heart's With You (Ft. Bethany Cruz) 05. The King Is Born 06. The Christmas Shoes (Live Anniversary Edition) 07. White As Snow 08. The Song Of Christmas 09. The Little Drummer Boy 10. Go Tell It On The Mountain 11. The Christmas Hope 12. O Holy Night 13. What A Wonderful World 14. Sing Noel 15. Christmas Time Is Here/ Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Continue reading→
A Canton Christmas by Canton Junction
Celebrate the Christmas season with A Canton Christmas, the first Christmas project from Dove award-winning southern gospel quartet Canton Junction. On their newest release, steel guitars and fiddles set the scene as Canton Junction's timeless harmonies paint the wintry pictures celebrating the season of our Savior's birth. From the soothing sounds of "Silent Night" to the creative arrangements of "Hark the Herald," Canton Junction delivers eternal Christmas favorites wrapped in a country-tinged style that is sure to be a gift to enjoy year round.[...]Continue reading→