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
A Thrilling Adventure
"Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So He said, "Come." Matthew 14:28-29, NKJVWhen it comes to experiencing God, I have to choose Him at all cost. I have to be willing to step out of the boat, as Peter did in Matthew 14, risking total failure in the eyes of others, in order to discover firsthand His power enabling me to walk on the water when He bids me, “Come.” Again and again, I’ve been confronted with hard choices when I’ve had to throw caution to the wind and abando..Continue reading→
Amos 5:14-15
“Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.”Continue reading→
Lamentations 3:22-23 (01-07-17)
It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed , because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.— Lamentations 3:22-23 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... What sustained you through the night? What will get you through today? What will enable you to achieve, even thrive, in the days that lie ahead? The LORD's mercies. These incredible resources never really run out! Each new day brings a fresh supply of them. God is faithful to..Continue reading→
Life-Giving Power
Your word has given me life. Psalm 119:50, NKJVSometimes when we are depressed, we feel lifeless. It’s hard to get out of bed in the morning. We seem to have no energy to do even the most routine functions. If you are depressed by the greatness of your problems, read God’s Word! That’s where you find help. That’s where you find joy. Let the rushing waters of the living Word drown out all other sounds and voices. There is life-giving power in the Word of God! At the most difficult times in my li..Continue reading→
Ephesians 5:1-2
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”Continue reading→
Hope
TWENTY!
Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many? (John 6:9). As a boy, my childlike imagination had no trouble believing in the Lord's miracles. In fact, I loved to imagine what it would have been like to have been there and seen them. We are blessed these days with several very good films depicting the life of Christ. They have put depictions of these miracles on the screen for us. Some of these videos are very much like I had imagined..Continue reading→
He Did It for You!
Jesus says to a doubting Thomas:Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29). When God entered time and became a man, he who was boundless became bound. Imprisoned in flesh. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God ..Continue reading→
What Do We Do to Jesus?
Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him (Matthew 27:27-31). The soldiers' assignment was simple. Take the Nazarene to the hill and kill him. But they wanted to have some fun first. Strong, armed soldiers circled an exhausted, nearly dead, Galilean carpenter and beat up on him. The beating was commanded. The crucifixion was ordered. But the spitting? Spitting isn't intended to hurt the body — it can't. Spitting is intended to degrade the soul, and it does. Ever ..Continue reading→
God’s Masterpiece
If you pass your days mumbling, "I'll never make a difference; I'm not worth anything," guess what? You'll be sentencing yourself to a life of gloom without parole! When you do that, you're questioning God's judgment. You're second-guessing the Creator's taste. David says you were "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). God can't stop thinking about you. A later line in David's psalm confirms it. David tries to calculate the number of thought..Continue reading→
I Choose
It's quiet. It's early. For the next 12 hours, I'll be exposed to the day's demands. It's now that I must make a choice. And so I choose... I choose love. I will love God and what God loves. I choose joy. I choose peace. I will live forgiven. I choose patience — rather than complain that the wait is too long, I'll thank God for a moment to pray. I choose kindness — for that's how God has treated me. I choose goodness. I choose faithfulness. Today I'll keep my promises. My wife will not question my love. I choose gentleness. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself. I choose self-control. I will be impassioned only by my faith and influenced only by God. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When this day is done, I'll place my head on my pillow and rest.Continue reading→
Daily Wisdom
Psalm 100:4 (01-14-17)
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. — Psalm 100:4 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Clearly this exhortation comes from the days of God's physical Temple in Jerusalem. Let's also remember that for us, God's New Covenant people, God's Temple is the church (1 Cor. 3:16) and our own bodies (1 Cor. 6:19). Let's value and celebrate with joy our church family. Let's also glorify ..Continue reading→
The Devil’s Already Defeated
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone . . . forever. Revelation 20:10, NKJVAs a girl growing up in western North Carolina, I loved to hike in the mountains. But whenever I set out, my mother’s admonition, “Watch out for snakes!” would ring in my ears. Although I can remember killing only one snake myself, I was present at various times when snakes were killed by others. Each time I observed a fascinating phenomenon. After the snake was killed, its body invari..Continue reading→
1 John 4:20-21
“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”Continue reading→
Psalm 100:3 (01-13-17)
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. — Psalm 100:3 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... God made us. While we were in our mother's womb, he made us with his loving care with a purpose for life and a promise to be with us every step of the way. God cares for us, much better than even the very best shepherd cares for his sheep. So let's live as those who know our Leader, Creator, an..Continue reading→
Prayers
Daily Prayer for January 11
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1, RSV Our dear Father, we ask you to come to us from heaven and surround us with your goodness and mercy, with your light and life. We are weak, poor, and lost just when we need to stand firm and hold on. But you are faithful. You stay by us and help us. Continue to help and sustain us, we pray. Do not let our lives be lived in vain. May something of eternity be w..Continue reading→
No Partiality
PassageRomans 2:8-11 PrayerDear Father, holy and righteous judge,I know that you will render to every man according to his works. To those who are factious and obey wickedness instead of the truth, there will be wrath and fury.You have foretold tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, to the Jew first and also the non-Jew, but glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, to the Jew first and also to the non-Jew. For you show no partiality.Help me do what is good, b..Continue reading→
Daily Prayer for January 10
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. Isaiah 40:1-2, NIV Lord our God, how great is your love, and how great is your help! May each one of us feel sheltered in your hand, knowing that our faults and shortcomings no longer matter. We can go straight toward the goal you have set, for you will help us..Continue reading→
No Presumption
PassageRomans 2:1-7 PrayerDear Father, holy and righteous judge,Help me not to condemn myself by passing judgment on someone else when I may be doing the same or similar things. How could I escape your judgment and do this?Help me not to presume on the riches of your kindness and forbearance and patience. Help me understand that your kindness is meant to lead me to repentance. Take away the hardness and impenitence that may be in my heart. Give me a heart of flesh, not stone.Change my behavior a..Continue reading→
Christian Quotes
Weinel: without God and with
Wednesday, November 16, 2016 Feast of Margaret, Queen of Scotland, Philanthropist, Reformer of the Church, 1093 Commemoration of Edmund Rich of Abingdon, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1240 Meditation: Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. —Psalm 42:11 (ESV) Quotation: As a man increases in moral strength of character, so his conscience becomes more sensitive; he realises more keenly the distance..Continue reading→
Muggeridge: communicating the Gospel
Tuesday, November 15, 2016 Meditation: Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. —1 John 4:11-12 (NIV) Quotation: The Christian religion finds expression thus, in the love of those who love Christ, more comprehensibly and accessibly than in metaphysical or ethical statements. It is an experience rather than a conclusion, a way of life rather than an ideology..Continue reading→
John Chrysostom: humility
Monday, November 14, 2016 Commemoration of Samuel Seabury, First Anglican Bishop in North America, 1796 Meditation: For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. —Romans 12:3 (NIV) Quotation: Humility is the root, mother, nurse, foundation, and bond of all virtue. ... St. John Chrysostom (345?-407) (see the book) See also R..Continue reading→
Law: Creation’s law and order
Sunday, November 13, 2016 Feast of Charles Simeon, Pastor, Teacher, 1836 Meditation: [Jesus:] “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” —Matthew 22:37-39 (ESV) Quotation: The one supreme, unchangeable rule of love, which is a law to all intelligent beings of all worlds, and will be a law to all eternity is this, viz., that God..Continue reading→
Questions & Answers
Why I Celebrate Christmas
Every year, the Christmas season approaches and you cannot escape the onslaught of marketing designed to capture every last dollar from those with money to spend on Christmas. Most businesses shut down for the holiday and Christmas morning in most towns looks like a ghost town. However, while some people fully acknowledge Christmas, many people now make a big deal out of being offended because of the very notion that there is a Christmas holiday at all. They will instead come up with alternative..Continue reading→
Does The Bible List The Names Of Demons?
Does the Bible list the names of demons? If so, what do they mean? Sacrificing to Demons Did you realize that when the ancient pagans sacrificed to their “gods,” they were literally making sacrifices to demons? That’s what the Bible teaches about who these sacrifices are actually for. As incredible as it sounds, God connects sacrificing to pagan gods to actually sacrificing to fallen angels or demons. Demons are about 1/3rd of the angels that rebelled with Lucifer or Satan, and became totally c..Continue reading→
Rapid Response: “We Don’t Need God to Explain the Beginning of the Universe”
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, “Christians claim God created the universe, but modern science explains the origin of the universe. God is not needed to order to explain how the universe came into existence.” How would ..Continue reading→
So Who Did You Thank on Thanksgiving?
Like most Christian holidays, Thanksgiving has become a secular institution in America, moving from a meaningful religious celebration to a benign cultural tradition. This is the case for most other Christian holidays as well. Let’s face it, Christmas is more about Santa than Jesus, and Easter is more about the Bunny than the Resurrection. But most people in our country fail to see Thanksgiving as a Christian holiday at all, and this is primarily because they don’t know the history of the people..Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
How to Put God in Charge of Your Ministry
Work dominates our lives — especially those of us in ministry. The typical American spends about 150,000 hours — or 40 percent of his life — at work (I suspect that for pastors, the number is even higher!) In other words, you’ll spend more time working in ministry, thinking about ministry, and commuting to your ministry than you will eating, relaxing, and vacationing — all combined — this year. Now, God wants you to succeed in ministry. In fact, in the Bible, God offers this guarantee: “Put ..Continue reading→
Sex Trafficking: How One Click Led an NYC Church to Action
It all started in a Facebook community group. It could’ve ended there but something happened that changed everything. “The Facebook group was a place where people in our part of town share things,” Nathan Creitz, pastor of City Life Church in Ridgewood, Queens, New York, recounted, “and somebody on there shared a link and said something like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening in our neighborhood.'” Creitz clicked on it — and immediately wished he hadn’t. “It was a picture of scantily cla..Continue reading→
New Bishop Of Sheffield Announced As Traditionalist Anglo-Catholic Philip North
The traditionalist Anglo-Catholic Philip North is being promoted to be the new Bishop of Sheffield, Downing Street has announced.Continue reading→
Catholics In Malta Condemn ‘Abominable’ Document On Marriage And Divorce
The Catholic faithful, from a conservative organisation Veri Catholici, have spoken out after their bishops appeared to sanction granting the sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion to divorced and remarried Catholics.Continue reading→
Hot Topics
World Watch List: At Least 1,207 Christians Martyred in 2016
Authoritarian North Korea retained the top ranking as the worst country for Christians. Curry said North Korea considers Christians traitors and can execute them just for owning a Bible. Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and Eritrea filled out the top 10 nations where Christians endure extreme persecution. (WNS)–Persecution against Christians worsened again in 2016, with an estimated 215,000 experiencing “high, very high, or extreme persecution” in 50 nations arou..Continue reading→
Catholic Hospital Fights Transgender Discrimination Claim
Jionni Conforti, 33, filed suit against St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center of Paterson, N.J. on Jan. 5 in federal court. Conforti, who is biologically female but identifies as male, brought suit under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) because St. Joseph’s refused to remove Conforti’s uterus on the grounds that doing so would violate the Catholic teaching that God made people male and female. (WNS)–A Catholic hospital in New Jersey faces a lawsuit for allegedly refusing to remove the uterus of a w..Continue reading→
Evangelical Experts Oppose Trump’s Plan to Ban Refugees
World Relief and others argue that compassion and security are not opposing forces. Despite previous plans to admit the highest number of refugees in decades, the United States would be shutting its doors to thousands displaced by conflict in the Middle East—at least temporarily—under an executive order President Donald Trump is expected to sign this week. Christian aid groups responsible for resettlement mourned and criticized the impending decision to stop accepting any refugees into the US ..Continue reading→
Debating Atheists: Arrival of Evil (part 4/5)
Understanding evil reveals an important part of reality. As much as we try to avoid it, evil is part of the universal human condition – something theists and atheists both have in common. You may be surprised, however; that the way atheists think about evil actually shows God exists. For the previous post on part 3, atheist arguments for the Arrival of Biological Information, click here. Unlike other points in this series so far, probing evil touches the heart. It gets emotional. The argument I..Continue reading→
Women
Freed from the Life I’ve Always Wanted
From the time I was a little girl, all elbows and ears, I imagined myself living in a two-story house one day, pure white, no shutters, and with a wide porch. I spent hours curving my blunt-tipped scissors around pages of the fat JCPenney catalog, clipping out handsome husbands; wives with thick, beautiful hair; a few sweet-faced children; bathroom towel sets in shades of sea-foam and jade; couches and electronics and cozy ..Continue reading→
Losing Myself
When I was in college, I had a lot of friends who told me that what they really wanted to do in life was be a mom. Yes, they were getting degrees and they wanted to work, but really, their highest hope was to become a mother. I nodded and affirmed them. I hoped that one day I would become a mom, too—but I never really knew how to respond to their longing for children. I’d never felt that; what I did feel was a desire to pursue other things—dreams of wri..Continue reading→
Black and Blue Wife
“But Ruthie, you have a PhD!” This was my older sister’s shocked reaction when I spilled my secret over the phone and told her that, due to many years of domestic violence, I was separating from my husband of nearly two decades. I faced the same sort of disbelief a few days later when I visited the local Domestic Crisis Center requesting temporary housing for myself and my adolescent son and I was asked to complete an application. Among other things..Continue reading→
How to Discipline in Love
Parenting small children can feel like Groundhog Day: correcting the same behaviors over and over again, often with no discernible improvement. When children disobey a clear expectation, parental anger can surge as a response. What should we do with that anger? Is it sinful? Or is there such a thing as righteous anger over the disobedience of a child? And most importantly, how can we keep anger from corrupting an act of discipline (training and c..Continue reading→
Life & Society
Monster Or Messiah: How Should The Church Respond To Donald Trump?
Trump has sharply divided the Christian community, with some delighting in his victory while others despair.Continue reading→
Republican-Led Panel Strikes Down Virginia Bill Requiring Restroom Use to Align With Birth Gender
RICHMOND, Va. — A Republican-led House subcommittee in Virginia has killed a bill that would have required those using restrooms and locker rooms at government-run facilities, including public schools, to align with birth gender. According to reports, the seven-member House of Delegates subcommittee dispensed with the “Physical Privacy Act” on Thursday with a voice vote and no debate, disappointing its sponsor, Del. Robert Marshall, R-Prince William. “They don’t even want to defend their oath,..Continue reading→
‘Most Importantly, We Are Protected By God.’ Donald Trump Inauguration
'We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement and, most importantly, we are protected by God.'Continue reading→
Controversial Cathedral Prayer Service For Trump Inauguration Will Feature Muslim Call To Prayer
A Muslim call to prayer will be heard at an interfaith service to mark Donald Trump's inauguration in Washington National Cathedral on Saturday.Continue reading→
Persecution
School Calls Police on Seven-Year-Old Who Brought Bible Verses to Read at Lunchtime
PALMDALE, Calif. – A seven-year-old first grader was recently reprimanded in front of his entire class and a police officer was dispatched to his family’s home because the child had brought notes with Bible verses on them to school. Christina and Jaime Zavala live in Palmdale, California. In January, they enrolled their son in the first grade at Desert Rose Elementary School in the Palmdale School District, according to a recent letter from the nonprofit group Liberty Counsel. To encourage her ..Continue reading→
Muslim Mob in Northern Nigeria Kills Pastor’s Wife on ‘Blasphemy’ Accusation
JOS, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Nigerian officials scrambled to calm religious tensions after Muslims in Kano state on Thursday (June 2) killed a Christian pastor’s wife on a baseless “blasphemy” charge, according to reports. Bridget Agbahime, a kitchen utensil vendor at Kano city’s Kofar Wambai Market, asked a Muslim engaged in ritual Islamic cleansing, identified as Alhaji Dauda, to move his ritual from her shopfront. She had had similar conflicts with the suspect. On this occasion she po..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→
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→
American
Birth Control and Contraception Don’t Reduce Abortions Despite False Claims From New Study
As congressional efforts to defund Planned Parenthood gain momentum, it is unsurprising that the abortion provider is fighting back. The group recently funded a study – carried out by the liberal think tank Child Trends — which makes some outlandish claims about the purported health benefits of contraception. The study claims that if all women of childbearing age could access a complete range of contraception methods, both the unintended-pregnancy rate and the abortion rate would fall by more t..
Activists Celebrate Abortion Provider Appreciation Day, “We’re Grateful for Abortion Doctors”
There is so much going on, including plans to cut the half-billion dollar stream of federal dollars to Planned Parenthood, you might anticipate that the largest provider of abortions on the face of the planet might pay less attention than usual to the “National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers.” I went to PPFA’s twitter account and after searching in vain for a reference, plugged the word “abortion” into the search engine. For the period of the last two days, the word appeared just th..
Amazing Video Shows Huge Pro-Life Flashmob at Peru March for Life
Organizers of the Peru March for Life created an enthusiastic new video recently that shows a flashmob celebrating the lives of babies in the womb. Churchpop reports the pro-life organizers created the music video to promote the upcoming march. The video shows a lively crowd of young pro-lifers gathering in downtown Lima, dancing and singing as they celebrate the lives of babies in the womb. The pro-life event, Marcha por la Vida, is scheduled for March 25 in Lima. The theme this year is “Take..
Her Abortion Was Botched So Badly it Left Part of the Baby “Putrefying” Inside of Her
Jane nearly died from an illegal, botched abortion prior to Roe v. Wade. And for that reason, she is fighting to keep abortion legal today. She and three other women who had illegal abortions prior to Roe recently shared their horrific abortion experiences in a video by The Scene, according to the Daily Mail. Jane, whose last name is not provided, said she had the abortion in 1968 after a man broke into her room, raped her and threatened to kill her. One horrifying event led to another when sh..
Australia
The business of our mission
BIBLE SOCIETY NEWS Saturday 10 December 2016 Bible Society and Koorong now share a huge 2500-square-metre warehouse at Erskine Park in western Sydney. From here, hundreds of thousands of Bibles and Christian books are shipped to all corners of Australia and the Pacific under the watchful eye of warehouse manager John Park and his staff of 40. John is enjoying his expanded role with responsibility for six new staff and managing extra sales. “All the extra money profited or saved within thi..
Reading of God’s wonderful love
BIBLE SOCIETY NEWS Friday 4 November 2016 Imagine not being able to read this sentence. Perhaps you can’t get your head around that because you have been able to read and write since you can remember. But according to the latest UNESCO figures, 758 million adults (aged 15 years and older) across the world remain unable to do so. Imagine – nearly 760 million adults are not able to read and write in their heart language! Let’s put it another way: 33 times the total population of Australia is il..
A fun format freshens the word of God
BIBLE SOCIETY NEWS Friday 25 November 2016 Although the nations in the South Pacific enjoy a long history of Christian mission, many contemporary churches still don’t have the Scriptures in their own language, and those that do are forced to read old-fashioned Bible translations that don’t really connect with a new generation of Christians. Bible Society South Pacific is committed to meeting this need, and is in the middle of a ten-year project to provide updated and new biblical materials to ..
Celebrate the Bible with us in 2017
We’re celebrating the Bible in 2017 and on Sunday March 5th a very special event will take place in partnership with Hillsong and live streamed in churches across the nation. Key speakers include Anglican Archbishop Glenn Davies and Hillsong’s Brian Houston, with more announcements to be made prior to the event. The post Celebrate the Bible with us in 2017 appeared first on Bible Society.
Law & Government
Missouri Lawmaker Introduces ‘Right to Life Act’ to Outlaw Abortion in State
Photo Credit: Oriol MartinezJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A lawmaker in Missouri has presented a bill that would end abortion in the state with no exceptions. Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, introduced the “Right to Life Act” in the legislature on Monday, which recognizes the unborn as being persons from the point of conception and therefore entitled to the right to life. “The life of each human being begins at conception and is hereby deemed a person,” it declares. “As with all persons, unborn children ..
US House Votes to Permanently Ban Taxpayer Funding of Abortion
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives passed the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act on Tuesday, essentially placing a permanent ban on taxpayer funding of abortions, as outlined in the Hyde Amendment. The matter now moves to the Senate for consideration. The Act had been introduced by Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, a longtime supporter of the Amendment, which was first passed in 1976 to ban the use of Medicaid funds for abortion, with the excep..
Kentucky Abortion Facility to Close After License Denied, Leaving One Remaining Provider in State
LEXINGTON, Ky. — An abortion facility in Kentucky is set to close later this month after state officials denied its owners a license, leaving just one abortion provider in the state. The closing of EMW Women’s Clinic in Lexington was announced on Friday by the Kentucky chapter of the National Organization for Women as it relayed a message from the facility’s executive director. “As you know, for the past 6 1/2 months we have diligently pursued obtaining a license to operate an abortion facilit..
Democratic Rep. Files Resolution to Recognize ‘Darwin Day’ on Feb. 12
WASHINGTON – A Democratic lawmaker filed a resolution in the House of Representatives that, if approved, would recognize February 12, 2017, as “Darwin Day” and celebrate the father of evolution’s contributions to science. House Resolution 44, filed on Wednesday by Democratic Rep. James Himes of Connecticut, seeks to honor Darwin on the 208th anniversary of his birth. “Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by the mechanism of natural selection, together with the monumental amount of scientific e..
Entertainment
Liam Neeson sees God as love, not a stern master (interview)
Actor Liam Neeson plays the apostate Jesuit priest Fr. Ferreira in Martin Scorsese’s new film “Silence.” I interviewed Neeson by phone on Jan. 18. It was a short interview (about twelve minutes). You can read my interview with Matt Malek, an executive producer on the film and my review at Sister Rose Movies and at the National Catholic Reporter.NCR: Have you seen the film? Neeson: Yes, twice in fact. What did you think of it? When you’ve worked on a film and see it for the first time, there’s a ..
Driven by Mystery: An Interview with the Producers of “The Story of God”
By Wesley Baines Who is in charge of the universe? Big questions like these are the currency that National Geographic’s beloved documentary, “The Story of God” deals in, and it has yet to shortchange its viewers. For those unfamiliar with this groundbreaking series, viewers are invited to join Freeman as he travels the world, exploring the nature of faith and religion. With the inaugural episode of the show’s second season, airing on January 16th, these questions continue, as narrated by the div..
The Story of God: Are We All Chosen?
Comment countNational Geographic’s fascinating series The Story of God With Morgan Freeman kicks off its second season Jan. 16. The first episode is titled “The Chosen One,” and it focuses on those whom, in a variety of religions, believe that they’ve been picked to do special work. Some of these folks have daunting tasks to fulfill. The show begins with 9-year-old Jalue Dorjee, a soccer-loving, Pokemon playing kid from Minnesota who was told he’s the reincarnation of a famous Tibetan lama. That..
‘Patriot’s Day’ inspires and surprises
Patriots DayMost people will remember April 15, 2013, when brothers Tamerlan (Themo Melikidze) and Dzhokhar (Alex Wolff) Tsarnaev set off two homemade bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. It was Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts, the day of the Boston Marathon, held annually to commemorate the first two battles of the Revolutionary War: Concord and Lexington. Click here to continue reading at St. Anthony Messenger, February, 2017 (scroll down). P.S. I am adding this today, January 12: I..
Health and Science
Bird or Dino? Fossilized Feathered Tail Ignites Debate Between Evolutionists, Creationists
MYANMAR – Evolutionists are heralding the discovery of a well-preserved feathered tail in Asia as evidence that dinosaurs once had plumage, while creationists maintain that the specimen likely came from a bird. Last week, a team of researchers consisting primarily of scientists from Canada and China published a journal article in “Current Biology.” The article, titled “A Feathered Dinosaur Tail with Primitive Plumage Trapped in Mid-Cretaceous Amber,” describes a piece of amber, approximately th..
Evidence of a Young Moon? Study Forces Scientists to Rethink Lunar Dating Techniques
Could the moon be younger than most realize? A new study shows that craters on the moon form quicker than previously thought, which means many features on the lunar surface are not as old as astronomers had predicted. Astronomers at Arizona State University and Cornell University recently set out to measure the formation rate of craters on the moon. To do so, they compiled thousands of high-resolution “before and after” images of the moon’s surface captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbite..
Christian Scientist Fired for Challenging Evolution Awarded Financial Settlement
LOS ANGELES – An evangelical Christian scientist who was fired after discovering evidence that seemingly contradicted the evolutionary timeframe has been awarded a generous settlement after taking his case to court. As previously reported, Mark Armitage was a scientist at California State University—Northridge (CSUN) who discovered soft tissues on a large triceratops horn that was believed to be at least 65 million years old. However, the discovery became mired in controversy when Armitage desc..
‘Increasingly Aggressive’ Atheists Target Children in New Evolution-Promoting Book
An evolution-propagandizing illustrated children’s book is drawing praise from the secular community and currently ranks as a best seller on Amazon.com. “Annabelle & Aiden: The Story Of Life” is a 26-page children’s book that was published last month. Advertised as an “inspirational storybook” that will help kids “gain a basic understanding of evolution,” the book walks readers through the history of life according to Charles Darwin. Featuring a “wise owl” who describes..
US
C. S. Lewis, atheist
C. S. Lewis, one of the foremost Christian apologists, had been for 15 years a convinced and rather militant atheist. My friend and former colleague Joel Heck has written a splendid study of Lewis’s atheism, published by Concordia Publishing House: From Atheism to Christianity: The Story of C. S. Lewis There are many kinds of atheism, just like there are many kinds of Christianity, and Joel unpacks the influences, books, and ideas that defined Lewis’s particular variety of unbelief. In tracing L..
The three causes of war
The great Athenian historian Thucydides said that there are three causes of war: (1) honor (2) fear (3) national interest. Jonah Goldberg discusses those factors and cites modern historian Donald Kagan, who says that honor comes first as the reason why a nation goes to war. That motive is far more common, he says, than national interest. World War I was surely caused by many nations’ sense of honor. World War II was caused by Germany and Japan’s radical sense of national pride and the honor (and..
Immigration chaos
President Trump’s executive order blocking entry into the United States of citizens of seven nations has created chaos at airports around the world, as Iraqis with green cards, visas, and airplane tickets were suddenly not allowed to get on flights or to go through passport controls, leading to people being trapped in airports and demonstrations breaking out worldwide. The chaos also broke out within our government: The acting attorney general said the Justice Department will not defend the pres..
LCMS president on immigration issues
Cuban immigrants head to Ysleta Lutheran Mission in El Paso When it comes to immigration issues, there is the obligation of the State to enforce the law. But, for the Church, there is also the obligation to minister to those in need. Now that President Trump is cracking down on immigration–rightly so, many of us would say–our Lutheran Hispanic congregations and our various Hispanic ministries are dealing with a sense of panic and insecurity among many of those to whom they are ministering. LCMS ..
Church & Theology
What Happens to Us When We Read the Bible?
Superhero movies and the latest iteration of Star Wars show the power of a good story. Grown men and small children alike dress up in costumes, stand in line for hours, and spend $62 on a bucket of popcorn just to watch larger-than-life heroes do the unthinkable. People are riveted by a good story that seems otherworldly, and they’re willing to scrounge up the money and time to invest if they’re convinced they’ll enjoy themselves. Through my work with the Holman Christian ..
What the “Gospel of Jesus’s Wife” Teaches Us about Manuscript Evidence
Last week, I taught for two days at City Church’s Institute, wherein my church offers an opportunity each summer for church members (mainly college students) to learn theology, church history, cultural engagement, etc. along with a church internship and a mission trip (or two). One morning, I taught on the development and authority of Scripture. My lecture started with general and special revelation, and then moved into oral tradition and eventually all the way to the for..
A Grave Concern for Christians in America
In current deliberation among California legislators is Senate Bill 1146. I am gravely disturbed by this bill that strikes a direct blow to religious liberty and severely infringes on personal freedoms and the freedoms of Christian institutions in California. The so-called “Equity in Higher Education Act” is designed to erode the free exercise of religion given us in both the United States Constitution and the California Constitution, by limiting the involvement of colleges to have students, fa..
Why the Trinity Debate Matters for the Pulpit and the Pew
In case you missed it, there’s been an online debate about the Trinity that has scholars and pastors and even institutions on edge. The debate online has stayed at a rather high academic level, but to give you a primer, here are just a few of the articles: This article by Liam Goligher started it all (here)Bruce Ware’s response to Goligher (here)Michael Bird’s overview of the concerns (here)Fred Sanders’s outline of foundational Trinitarian affirmations (here)Matt Emerson’..
Finance
Tackling Student Loans
$37,172 This is the average debt load a student will end up with after graduating college. If you’re like the 66% of all undergraduate students who have taken a student loan, you probably want to get rid of those things as fast as possible. It’s easy to get caught up in the borrowing maze in college and managing your loans can become a headache quite fast. With lenders selling your loan to other places and changing their name – it’s hard to keep everything straight! Here are a few things to help ..
20 Beautiful Homemade Christmas Gifts
The holidays are great, but buying gifts can get expensive. Real expensive. But if you’re like me, you enjoy giving gifts to people and watching them open them on Christmas day. Even better is giving someone a homemade gift that you invested your own time and energy creating. Making a homemade Christmas gift or decorations can be economical and thoughtful at the same time. If you’re the DIY type of person, consider one of these 20 homemade Christmas gift ideas to make this holiday season memorab..
12 Theses on a Christian Understanding of Economics
The Christian worldview reminds us that we must live with the recognition that we will give an account to the Lord for our stewardship of our resources. Regrettably, many American Christians know little about economics. Furthermore, many Christians assume that the Bible has nothing at all to say about economics. But a biblical worldview actually has a great deal to teach us on economic ma..
5 Helpful Moving Tips: What To Do When You’re About to Move
Moving usually isn’t the most enjoyable thing to do, especially if you’re making a move in the heat of summer. You have to consider all sorts of things like travel logistics, getting your stuff (which always seems to multiply) into a moving truck (which always seems to be smaller than you thought), and setting up everything at your new place. Sure, actually moving your stuff might take a weekend but there are a few things you should do ahead of time to make your move go as planned. Since moving into a new place usually doesn’t happen often, most people are just not sure what to do when moving. Don’t let your big move sneak up on you. Get organized and plan ahead with these moving tips. You’ll be glad you did. 5 Things to Remember When Moving1. Start Looking EarlyAssuming you don’t already have a place, you’ll need to lock this part in right away. When we were planning on moving to a new city for my wife to attend medical school, we started looking at rentals 6 months in advance. Colleg..