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 Verses
1 Peter 1:15-16
“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.””Continue reading→
Isaiah 2:22 (01-09-17)
Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?— Isaiah 2:22 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... "If only I had a friend." "If only my father hadn't left." "If only she was more supportive." "If only..." People can fail us, but we still pin so many of our hopes on them. They are fallible and mortal just like we are. So while we are involved in the lives of other people, let's also remember to keep our hopes connected to the Son of G..Continue reading→
Waiting Brings Blessings
No one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. Isaiah 64:4, NIVI hate to wait. I hate to wait for a traffic light to turn green, for the doctor to see me, for the telephone to ring, for investments to produce, for the copier to warm up, for seeds to grow, for the fax to go through, for answers to prayer . . . I just hate to wait. Period. Waiting is so hard, especially when I am waiting on the Lord. Sometimes He s..Continue reading→
Matthew 6:19-21
“[Treasures in Heaven] “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”Continue reading→
Lamentations 3:25 (01-08-17)
The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.— Lamentations 3:25 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Out of the ashes of Jerusalem's destruction and the disaster that befell God's people because of their repeated disobedience comes this reminder of truth. Those who wait patiently, who hope fervently, in the LORD will find what their soul most needs! My Prayer... Give me patience and faith, O God, for the times when life is hard an..Continue reading→
Hope
The Unspoken Source of Anxiety
My hangover was terrible, but I could survive that. The nausea was palpable, but I knew it would pass. The discipline was severe, but I deserved it. What I couldn't bear was the guilt. Our family tree is marked by a blight of alcoholism. My dad made it clear: alcohol abuse leads to trouble, and that trouble leads to misery. More than once I promised that I would never get drunk. Then why did I? Why did I, at the age of 16, get so ragingly inebriated that I could not drive? Why did I drive a..Continue reading→
An Answer for the Times When There Are No Answers
There are times when your entire world is turned upside down. Times when the pain is unbearable and the future seems unfathomable. When God did not answer your prayer and you wonder if he even heard your cries. Events that change your life forever. The things that make tomorrow an impossible dream. And one of the worst of these is the death of a child. It does not seem to matter if they die in the womb or as adults in an accident. Death strikes at any age. And parents have to bury children.Continue reading→
God Answers the Mess of Life
You stare into the darkness. The ceiling fan whirls above you. Your husband slumbers next to you. In a few hours, the alarm will sound and the demands of the day will shoot you like a clown out of a cannon into a three-ring circus of meetings, bosses, and baseball practices. And for the millionth time, you'll make breakfast, schedules, payroll and... But for the life of you, you can't make sense of this thing called life — its beginnings and endings, cradles and cancers, cemeteries and questions. The meaning of life! The poor choices of life? God answers the mess of life with one word: grace! Do we really understand it? A prophet of God in a wild time spoke for God and said:[Thus says the LORD God:] "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you!" (Ezekiel 36:26). Grace calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off! We are made new and live by a new power! For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, i..Continue reading→
Go and Do Likewise
The questioner had posed his inquiry to ridicule Jesus, but the response reframed the responsibilities to others then and now. The story is found in the gospel of Luke, the tenth chapter. And it, as is always the case when Jesus speaks, has numerous facets. It's called the story of the Good Samaritan, about the disenfranchised traveler, who when others didn't want to get involved, took care of a robbery victim who had been left for dead. The story begins in verse 29 and concludes with ..Continue reading→
Remember Your Worth
Paul used marriage imagery when he wrote to the Corinthians about the importance of knowing their value to Jesus as his bride:I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him (2 Corinthians 11:2). Remember what you are worth! The Bible says:You were bought... not with something that ruins like gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ... (1 Peter 1:18-19 NCV). Ever feel like you have nothing? Jus..Continue reading→
Daily Wisdom
Galatians 5:16
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”Continue reading→
Psalm 100:5 (01-15-17)
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. — Psalm 100:5 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... I usually "speed read" through the 'begats' (you know, through the genealogies in the Bible). But, let's take time today to go back and read Matthew 1:1-17 and be reminded that God's love, mercy, and faithfulness not only continued through all of those generations, but also blessed and nurtured each of those generations. As ..Continue reading→
When Bad Things Happen
We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28, NIVWhy does God let bad things happen to good people? to innocent people? to children? to me? Sometimes His ways seem so hard to understand! In Romans 8:28, Paul wrote to reassure believers who lived in a city dominated by Nero, a madman with absolute power. He wrote encouragingly, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have..Continue reading→
John 8:31-32
“[Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are] To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””Continue reading→
Prayers
Daily Prayer for January 13
Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, RSV Dear Father in heaven, give us childlike hearts so that we may understand everything in the right way. Grant us work that bears fruit in spite of our faults and weaknesses, because we want to work with the understanding given by love. Father in heaven, you know that we are faced day and night with many difficulties and setbacks. But you see us, and you will help us so..Continue reading→
None Righteous
PassageRomans 2:25-3:20 PrayerDear Father, holy God,Allow me to bear the marks of your covenant in my heart and my mind. May I be a spiritual descendant of Abraham. Let my praise be not from men but from you!Help me understand that all human beings are under the power of sin, as it is written, "None is righteous, no not one!"I ask forgiveness for all my sins by reason of your perfect expiation put forth in Christ Jesus. Clothe me with his righteousness, not my own. Having nothing to claim for ..Continue reading→
Daily Prayer for January 12
Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22, NIV Dear Father in heaven, you let us see and feel your great goodness toward us. Grant us the inner help to be victorious in the Savior, rejoicing to be by his side with faith and loyalty, and with the strength of soul that frees us from all burdens by laying them in your hands. Hear us as together we pray to you. All we ask and long for, all our concerns down to the very smallest, we la..Continue reading→
Christ, the All-sufficient Sacrifice
PassageRomans 2:12-24 PrayerDear Father, holy God,Write the requirements of your will upon my heart. May I live in such a way that my conscience will bear witness that I have striven to live for you, on that day when you judge the secrets of men's heart by Christ Jesus.Help me to be sincere and to have integrity. If I teach others, let me first teach myself. If I teach against stealing, don't let me take what is not mine.If I teach against adultery, don't let me lust. If I teach a..Continue reading→
Questions & Answers
Are There Early Eyewitness Accounts of the Life of Jesus? (Podcast)
In this blast from the past, J. Warner discusses the dating of the Gospels. Critics often claim that Jesus never really lived and that the Gospels were written centuries after his “supposed” life. These same critics claim that the Gospels are mythologies that appear late in history rather than eyewitness testimonies that first appeared within the lifetimes of eyewitnesses. Did the Gospels appear early enough to have been written by eyewitnesses? In this podcast, J. Warner examines the textual an..Continue reading→
What Is A Monk? What Is A Nun? A Christian Study
What is a monk and what is a nun? Why do they exist? Monks If you want to know what a monk is, Martin Luther might give us the best view of one as he later recalls from memory. Being a monk in his day was not easy at all and required enormous physical and mental sacrifice. They would pray eight times a day, get very little sleep, have to perform painful penances, and had to work to support their brethren. There was almost an endless amount of confession, prayers, sleep deprivation, and hard lab..Continue reading→
Rapid Response: “Evil Disproves the Existence of God”
In our Rapid Response series, we tackle common concerns about (and objections to) the Christian worldview by providing short, conversational responses. These posts are designed to model what our answers might look like in a one-on-one setting, while talking to a friend or family member. Imagine if someone said, “If God is both all-loving and all-powerful, why does He allow evil things to happen? Doesn’t the mere presence of evil disprove the existence of God?” How would you respond to such a cla..Continue reading→
Does The Bible List The Names Of Angels?
Does the Bible have a list of names for the angels? Who or What are Angels? The word “angel” simply means a “messenger of God” at the most basic level. Angels never have their own agenda. They always do the will of God and whatsoever God commands them, they don’t have to think twice; they just do it! They are holy angels who have remained loyal to God, unlike the 1/3rd that rebelled along with Lucifer, also called Satan or the Devil, and so some are good angels and some are evil. The vast major..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
Abortion Rate At Lowest Level Since Roe v. Wade
Pro-life leaders attribute the overall decline in abortions to an increase in pro-life legislation and changing hearts…. While surgical abortion numbers continue to fall, medically-induced abortions have continued to rise. In 2014, medication abortions accounted for 45 percent of abortions done at nine weeks gestation or earlier, up from 36 percent in 2011, according to the Guttmacher report. (WNS)–Abortion rates in the United States have dropped to the lowest level since the U.S. Supreme Court..Continue reading→
Praying for You, Right Now!
In my human condition, I need the prayers of my church and my family, as I deal with day-to-day stressors and challenges of life. My fellow parishioners, all of my friends, and all of my family members also need my prayers on their behalf. I’m glad to think happy thoughts for them as well, but as the New Year unfolds, I promise to pray for them “Right Now” as I see their stories unfold: prayers for them as they experience the traumas of the human condition, and prayers for them as they celebrate..Continue reading→
The Gender ‘Agenda’ – Will Bullying Work Both Ways?
Professionals have told me that they are scared to speak out or to even ask questions. Journalists are concerned their articles won’t be published, doctors that they will lose their jobs and teachers that they will be sidelined. Politicians fear the Twitter mobs and hate speech that inevitably follows if they dare to question or challenge. It’s a “gender agenda” that aims at a complete moral, social, psychological, sexual and spiritual revolution. And it is aimed at young children in a crass att..Continue reading→
The Case For Boredom
In the coming months I am making it my goal to be bored more often. I want to force my kids to be bored too. I’m not throwing away my phone. I’m not quitting Twitter or the blogosphere. I just want more space to endure (enjoy?) life’s dull moments. I don’t get bored as much as I should. Chances are neither do you. And the chances are exceedingly good that your children aren’t as bored as they should be. What’s so good about being bored? Nothing intrinsically, but boredom provides the space for..Continue reading→
Women
When Expectations Collide
Not long after my husband and I got married, we started having conflicts about what it meant to be home in time for dinner. After negotiating what seemed like a reasonable compromise, we developed a routine: he’d be late, I’d get angry, he’d apologize, and then we would have a déjà vu moment a few weeks later. This was just one of many areas of conflict. We disagreed on how much food to prepare when we had guests, how quickly bills shoul..Continue reading→
Dare to Be Happy
Editor’s Note: At CT, our ministry cause “Beautiful Orthodoxy” centers around the Word of God and the good, true, and beautiful gospel it conveys. We’re thrilled to announce the launch of “Beautiful Word,” a free, daily e-newsletter that will help you dive deeper into the life-changing Word of God through devotional readings from some of today’s leading voices. (Click here to have free Beautiful Word devotions delivered to your inbox Monday through Frida..Continue reading→
God, Are You There?
I am the reflection of my people, those émigrés who believed in the intrinsic rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. My mother’s family moved to the United States from Puerto Rico. An immigrant herself, my mother fell in love with an immigrant from Mexico, and the two stretched into creating a life in the concrete jungle of East Los Angeles. My father supported our family by working multiple jobs. Whether it was laying tile, cuttin..Continue reading→
Fighting in Marriage? That’s Normal.
Fighting in Marriage? That's Normal. Last year, when we celebrated our 40th anniversary, each of our sons asked to have a few minutes to speak. I envisioned a lovely tribute to our marriage. I should have known better. They were witnesses to our lives. They were there and saw it all. The good, the bad, the magic, and the tragic. Cameron, our oldest, stepped up to the microphone: “Twenty years under their roof proved to me that my parents are not normal—at ..Continue reading→
Persecution
Chinese House Church Harassed in Growing Crackdown
GUANGZHOU, Guangdong (China Aid) — Officials in China’s southern Guangdong province began harassing a house church recently as part of an ongoing crackdown on unofficial churches. On June 7, Pastor Zhang from Zhongfu Canaan Church informed a China Aid reporter that authorities summoned him to discuss the possibility of moving the church. During the conversation, they asked him about the identity of his church members and the funding of the church. The authorities also requested that the church—..Continue reading→
Christian Killed in Eastern Uganda Following Religious Discussion with Muslims
(Morning Star News) – A Christian in eastern Uganda who had received death threats from Muslims after a religious discussion was killed on June 4, sources said. The body of Yokannah Zirinkuma of Kasasira village, Kibuku District, was found in a pool of blood in nearby Kadama village, near the home of the primary suspect, an area source said. Zirinkuma was 50. Well known in the area for evangelistic preaching in a marketplace by which several Muslims came to faith in Christ, Zirinkuma two weeks..Continue reading→
Chinese Christians Hold Service in Church Ruins After Brutal Demolition
WENZHOU, Zhejiang (China Aid) — In the midst of negotiations to relocate a government-sanctioned church in China’s coastal Zhejiang, a team of officials destroyed the structure without warning on the evening of May 20 under the excuse of improving that area of the city. Zhuyang Church, an official Three-Self church in Wenzhou, was in talks with local authorities about a relocation when nearly 100 officers razed the building, leaving the church in ruins. Church members reported that the head of ..Continue reading→
Muslim Gang in Nigeria Stabs Non-Muslim for Eating on Ramadan
JOS, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Young Muslim men stabbed a non-Muslim in Kaduna state on Tuesday (June 7) for failing to observe a day-time fast during the month-long Islamic celebration of Ramadan, according to local reports. Francis Emmanuel Olokpo, who appears to identify as a Christian though his church affiliation was not immediately clear, sustained multiple wounds in the attack. At St. Gerard Hospital in Kaduna city, he told Vanguard newspaper today that he was recovering well. “Nobo..Continue reading→
Movies
Mourn With Those Who Mourn
In memory of Clementa Carlos Pinckney (1973-2015), Democrat, South Carolina Senate; senior pastor of Mother Emanuel A.M.E. [African Methodist Episcopal] Church; martyred with eight of his congregation while they studied scriptures and prayed together in the church. You can read much more about Pastor Pinckney and his church here. It was one year ago this month that shots rang out on our campus at Seattle Pacific. And the community responded by gathering in grief, in support, in prayer, and, when the truth was learned, in grace and love toward the antagonist. I was blessed, and taught, by their response. Today, those of us on campus are gathering in SPU’s prayer chapel to pray for our grieving neighbors at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and for the troubled heart of the suspect in custody. Elsewhere — specifically, online, from angry responders (a wide range, including suit-and-tie white guys) — I’m already seeing waves of rage and hate directed at the shooter. I unde..Continue reading→
What Specialists Are Saying About Jurassic World
Gathering in a bunker deep underground where velociraptors cannot find them, the Looking Closer Specialists are talking about Jurassic World. The Specialists are a community of friends who are supporting my efforts on this blog. They have a private Facebook group, they get to see some of this blog’s posts before everybody else, they’re acknowledged in the Credits, and they are invited to participate in occasional posts like this one. (Sound like fun? Here’s how to join them.) Since I haven’t had a chance to see Jurassic World yet — there were other films far higher on my priority list this week — I asked them for their first impressions. Here’s what they’re saying… Joseph: It met my expectations, Jeffrey. But I suspect that says more about my expectations than it does about Trevorrow’s film. Heavy, heavy on the effects and action, light on story and the characterizations (and motivations) of its characters. A more successful return to the franchise than either The Lost World or Jurassi..Continue reading→
Torres and the Influence of David Bazan and Terrence Malick
It’s June again: The end of another academic year. We’ve come to Graduation Weekend, and I’m driving to a special ceremony, where this year’s crop of honors society students — the Seattle Pacific University Scholars (or “UScholars”) — will gather with families and friends to celebrate their achievement. And on the way, my car doors are pulsing to the beats of an album that has its hooks in me: Sprinter by Torres. These songs keep playing in my head long after I’ve had parked the car on Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill and descended into the sunny campus. Everywhere I look the lawns are alive with faculty in full regalia and seniors draped in graduation gowns and stoles, capped with tasseled mortarboards. I hurry through the crowd to the lobby of Otto Miller Hall, where UScholar seniors have set up informative honors project displays. There each student explains to visitors what they’ve been learning in these last days before their launch into the great unknown. Despite the celebratory mood, I..Continue reading→
Bracing for Jurassic World: My Personal History with the Raptors
Just like every other moviegoer on the planet, I had a blast attending the theatrical opening of Jurassic Park in 1993. I remember laughing for joy at the blissful terror of the T-Rex’s entrance, and laughing even harder when I saw my friends Eric and Matt crawling under their seats. But I was having fun in spite of the movie’s screenplay, which felt cheap and sentimental even for Spielberg at the time. I thought then — and I still think — that it’s B-grade Spielberg. This weekend, I went digging for any writing I might have done back then, and could only dug up this old paragraph: One cannot help but assume the reason the characters in the film are so scared is because they’re so poorly developed. Spielberg was so excited about directing the dinosaurs that he forgot to check the quality of the script. This is not such a bad thing, really. The corny dialogue and aspirations to social and environmental relevance seem to suit this old-fashioned thrill-fest. Who comes to this movie to be ..Continue reading→
A New Conversation with Pete Horner, Sound Designer for Jurassic World
My friend Pete Horner was the sound designer/sound mixer for Jurassic World… not to mention his extraordinary back catalog of work, like the Redux version of Apocalypse Now. He won an Emmy for his work on Hemingway and Gellhorn. Here he is, interviewed for Filmback, talking about the art of sound design. Well worth listening to. And here’s a shout-out to my friend Claire Tanner, who is a producer and the co-host of Filmback. Great work, Cory Titus and Claire Tanner! Check this out. And if you like that, you’ll like the bonus round, when he tells a story about my favorite band: Over the Rhine. Image published my two-part interview with Horner a while back: Part One, Part Two.Continue reading→
Halfway Through 2015: What’s Your Favorite Music So Far?
So far, 2015 has been an impressive non-stop parade of great albums. I could easily turn in a Top 10 of the year today if I was asked. But we’re only halfway there. Dr. Jeff Keuss of Seattle Pacific University hosted this live podcast discussion of some of 2015’s most exciting music. We listened to stuff by Kendrick Lamar, Kacey Musgraves, Ibeyi, Sleater-Kinney, and much more, and talked it over. Then, we answered some great questions from diners in our live audience. Panel guests included Anthony Barr-Jeffrey, Anna Miller, and myself. Maybe you missed the live event, but you can listen now to the podcast. Tune in for The Kindlings Muse here. What are the most impressive records you’ve heard in 2015 so far? What albums have you played the most?Continue reading→
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Charlize Theron-the-Road-Again [This review has already been read by the Looking Closer Specialists, whose helpful responses persuaded me to see the movie a second time before publishing it. Thanks, Specialists! Read about how you can join the club that gets first-looks and access to a private Looking Closer Facebook group here.] I am looking at the back of a man who stands on a sandy precipice beside his souped up sports car, and I have just enough time to think three things: 1) Wow, the colors of this post-apocalyptic desert wasteland are so saturated that they make Luke Skywalker’s homeland look positively grayscaled by comparison! 2) Is this guy just scanning the horizon, out beyond the dunes? Or he is preparing to urinate over the edge? And then, 3) I wonder how long this goes before we hit the first chase scene and we see Max — BOOM! We’re off! He’s jumping in his car! And the first mad, mad, mad chase scene of Mad Max: Fury Road is underway! And if you’re not excited about tha..Continue reading→
MCFARLAND USA: An Interview with Legendary Coach Jim White
Do you like sports movies? I cry every time I watch Field of Dreams. The rousing underdog stories of Rudy or The Rookie almost feel too good to be true. The cynic in us may resist, but once you actually meet Jimmy, the guy who sank the winning shot in Hoosiers, your perspective shifts. These aren’t just tall tales, manufactured by Hollywood. These can be modest, “everyday” heroes who challenge us to practice, to press on, to never give up. I recently met Jim White, the legendary cross-country c..Continue reading→
OSCARS 2015: BOYHOOD, BIRDMAN OR BUDAPEST FOR BEST PICTURE?
The 2015 Oscar race has become one of the tightest and most unpredictable contests in years. Three well-crafted films emerged over awards season as the key contenders for the 2015 Academy Award for Best Picture: Boyhood, Birdman, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. While Selma and Interstellar combined epic scale and meticulous craft, the Academy and the guilds obsessed over a few peccadilloes that kept them out of serious Oscar contention. (Only time will honor these two towering cinematic achievemen..Continue reading→
Music
Ghost Ship by Theocracy
After finally gaining some momentum with As The World Bleeds, Theocracy is ready to blast into the mainstream with their newest release.[...]Continue reading→
Galaxies by The Digital Age
Track Listing 01. I Can See It's Coming... 02. One Pursuit 03. Undivided 04. I Belong 05. From a Great Distance... 06. How Sweet It Is 07. Galaxies 08. Kingdom Come 09. Everything Is Bright... 10. Awake, Sleeper 11. People of the Cross 12. If I Have You 13. And I Cannot Look Away. 14. Heroes (Light Up the Sky) 15. We've Got Joy 16. Epilogue (A Prayer for Jordan) Continue reading→
Trust You All The Way by About A Mile
Since launching 2014's biggest-selling Christian album debut from a new artist, Dove Award-nominated About A Mile is taking all the experiences over the last couple years and pouring them into its sophomore album, Trust You All The Way, to be released from Radiate Music Oct. 28. More than the successes of playing Christian music's biggest stage (Winter Jam) and a bevy of supporters that have fully-funded its PledgeMusic campaign, band members and brothers Adam, Luke and Levi Klutinoty have resolved to trust God with every aspect of their lives and ministry. Pouring that conviction into their upcoming album, which was produced[...]Continue reading→
VERIDIA Debuts Music Video for Still Breathing
As they kicked off their month-long tour with Evanesence this past weekend from Dallas, alt-rock band VERIDIA has also just debuted their latest music video for their current radio single "Still Breathing." Uniquely filmed in a haunted house located in Nashville, the video was directed by Matt DeLisi, the director behind the band's previous video, "Pretty Lies." Written by Veridia's front woman Deena Jakoub, the song "Still Breathing" shares the important message of dealing with fear..Continue reading→
Zach Williams’ ‘Chain Breaker’ Music Video Explodes; Single Stays No. 1 For 3rd Week
For the third week in a row at radio, "Chain Breaker," the debut single from Essential Records' artist Zach Williams, continues to hold the No. 1 spot of the Christian AC Indicator chart. The song has climbed into top 5 on the Christian Airplay chart and has also been the top-selling single on the iTunes Christian Songs chart for the past few weeks. "Chain Breaker" is also No. 15 on Billboard's Hot Rock Songs chart, joining such artists as twenty one pilots, Coldplay, Kings Of Leon and..Continue reading→
Sidewalk Prophets Announces Second Leg of ‘The Prodigal Tour’
Sidewalk Prophets will be taking their hit music, energetic live performance, and thought-provoking creativity on the road this winter and spring as they announce the 2017 leg of "The Prodigal Tour." The tour is in partnership with The Mocha Club, a non-profit that the band has passionately supported since visiting the Democratic Republic Of The Congo in 2011 and seeing the organization's work first-hand in caring for needs of the area.Continue reading→
Cana’s Voice Delivers Standing Ovation Performances with Dr. David Jeremiah’s ‘Stand Up Tour’
Cana's Voice continues to impact audiences with performances and songs from their debut album, This Changes Everything. Recently, the trio traveled to Washington, DC for an appearance at the Verizon Center with Dr. David Jeremiah's Stand Up Tour. The overall message for the evening was to honor God and our country, through a deeper relationship and commitment in our faith with Christ. The program featured labelmate, Charles Billingsley, and the LU Praise choir and band from Liberty Uni..Continue reading→
Joel Vaughn Releases New Song
Pop artist Joel Vaughn has released his new single, "As You Are" which will be a part of a new album coming out on January 27th, 2017. Joel Vaughn debuted his DREAM Records release, Kinetic which has quickly gained new fans for his upbeat, pop melodies. The debut single, "Wide Awake" track debuted at #15 on the Billboard Hot AC CHR chart and was the featured song on Tennis Trick Shots ft. Serena Williams Dude Perfect that received 13 Million views on YouTube. The Nashville-based artist will feat..Continue reading→
About A Mile Releases ‘Trust You All The Way’
About A Mile's full-length sophomore album, Trust You All The Way, releases globally tomorrow (Oct. 28) from Radiate Music and is available for preorder now at iTunes and Amazon.com. Along with the preorder from iTunes are immediate downloads of the new single and title track, the hard-driving "Taking Back" (the video of this song has been seen on AXS TV, YouToo America Garage Band, ClubCom, California Music Channel, Video Hits and many more outlets internationally) and the pop flavored Top..Continue reading→
American
Weekly Meanderings, 28 January 2017
This is inexcusable and un-American: A massive group of violent demonstrators spat on, assaulted and screamed obscenities at a Gold Star widow and sister Friday outside an inaugural ball honoring the military, one of the women told “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday. Amy Looney, who lost her husband Navy SEAL Lt. Brendan Looney in 2010, and Ryan Manion, whose brother Marine First Lt. Travis Manion died in 2007, said they were attacked as they tried to enter the American Legion’s tribute to Medal of Hono..
Tennessee Bill Would Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks, Planned Parenthood Calls That “Concerning”
The state of Tennessee is considering a new piece of legislation that would ban abortions after 20 weeks gestation when scientific evidence indicates a baby can feel pain from an abortion, WBIR-10 News in Knoxville reports. “I think the climate and the culture, the pendulum is swinging…It’s the right thing to do,” said State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver, who filed the bill in state legislature, according to WBIR. “There’s a time and a season for everything. People are understanding, our cul..
Scientists Create Human-Pig Hybrids for Organ Transplants That Could Develop Into “Monsters”
Scientists announced this week that they successfully created the first human-pig hybrid, a living pig embryo with some human characteristics. National Geographic reports the disturbing new experiment involved pig embryos injected with human cells. Researchers at Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California said they implanted the living pig-human embryos, or chimeras, in adult pigs’ wombs and allowed them to grow between three and four weeks. Later, the scientists said they re..
Amazing Time-Lapse Video Shows Thousands of Pro-Life People Marching for Life
An amazing new time-lapse video shows thousands upon thousands of pro-life people marching for life through the streets of Washington D.C. It’s always difficult to capture the exact number of people who participate in the March for Life ,the rally and various pro-life events in the nation’s capital throughout the day. But this tremendous video gives you a visual glimpse of the tremendous outpouring of pro-life support for the March for Life as it streams through the streets of the nation’s cap..
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A nation of suburbs
Big cities seem to get most of the attention. People debate their merits compared with small towns and the rural life. Suburbs don’t get the same respect. But according to a report from the Urban Land Institute, 79% of the American population live in suburbs. That includes 85% of the nation’s children and 75% of Millennials. Contrary to the stereotypes about “white flight,” suburbs are racially and ethnically diverse, with 76% of the minority population living in suburbs. And suburbs are where m..
Thomas Oden, ex-liberal theologian turned classical Christian, has died
Thomas Oden has died. A prominent liberal theologian who replaced pastoral care with psychotherapy, Oden converted to classical, historical Christianity when he read the church fathers. An Oklahoman (whose life in many ways paralleled mine), Oden gave us the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, insightful work on postmodernism, and much more. Please read my review of his autobiographical memoir, A Change of Heart: A Personal and Theological Memoir. Then read that book for an inside look at..
Trump’s appointments & WWE connections
Donald Trump’s choices for his cabinet and other high-level positions in his administration are interesting, to say the least. He is stacking defense-related positions with generals, well-qualified to be sure, but this has some worried about the tradition of civilian control of the military. He is awarding some loyalists but also including some Republican establishment figures, including, magnanimously, some who opposed him (such as Nikki Haley for UN ambassador, with Mitt Romney a contender for..
The triumphs of nationalism
The victory of Donald Trump–along with other political insurgencies in England, France, Italy, and other countries–was a triumph of nationalism. It was not a triumph of conservatism, though conservatism went along for the ride and is generally hospitable to nationalism. But the new political force is, above all, a rejection of globalism in favor of local cultures and a revival of the nation-state. So says Mark L. Movesian in a stimulating essay, quoted and linked after the jump. He says that nat..