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
Heaven Is Beautiful
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. 1 Corinthians 2:9, NKJVThe Creator Who created all the earthly beauty we have grown to love . . . the majestic snowcapped peaks of the Alps, the rushing mountain streams, the carpets of wildflowers, the whir of a humming bird’s wings . . . this is the same Creator who has prepared our heavenly home for us! If God could make the heavens and earth as beautiful as w..Continue reading→
Titus 2:11-12
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,”Continue reading→
Ephesians 4:22 (01-02-17)
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts..— Ephesians 4:22 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... That's a challenging verse, isn't it?! We each surrendered our heart to God and our old self was crucified with Christ when we became Christians (Romans 6:6). Jesus reminds us that this surrender is something each of us should do daily (Luke 9:23). We need to put the old sinful life aside every day and choose..Continue reading→
Putting Holes in the Darkness
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16, NKJVOne night when Robert Louis Stevenson was a small boy, his nanny called him to come to bed. Oblivious to her summons, he was staring at something outside his nursery window. The nanny walked over, stood at his shoulder, and inquired patiently, “Robert, what are you looking at?” The little boy, without taking his eyes away from the window, exclaimed in wonder as he pointed to..Continue reading→
Psalm 90:12
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”Continue reading→
Daily Wisdom
Proverbs 16:9 (01-10-17)
A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. — Proverbs 16:9 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... We're now a week-and-a-half into a new year. How are you doing with those changes and commitments you made for the new year? Don't give up or quit on them... even if you're having trouble staying on track. But, let's remember that the only real commitment for this year that is absolutely necessary to keep is that we ask the Lord where he want..Continue reading→
A Day Set Apart
If you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, . . . then you will find your joy in the Lord. Isaiah 58:13-14, NIVIn the beginning, by His own example, God patterned our week to include not only the discipline of work but also one day out of every seven that would be “set apart,” different from the other six days. For the majority of people today, there is very little difference between the way they keep Sunday and the way they keep Saturday. Sunday has become more of..Continue reading→
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→
Prayers
Daily Prayer for January 5
The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Matthew 4:16, NIV Dear Father in heaven, be close to us as we seek you in the quiet of our hearts. Grant us the strength of your Spirit, the strength to wait patiently for your help in our lives. Help us to hold to all that is good. Help us to feel, each one of us, that we are your children and that we may rejoice in your fatherly care. May your will be done more and more..Continue reading→
Mutual Faith
PassageRomans 1:16-17 PrayerDear Father,Help us never to be ashamed of the Good News but to have great pride in it, since it is your power of salvation for everyone, the Jew first, then the non-Jew.In it you revealed your righteousness from one degree of faith to another. As your prophet Habakkuk declared, "The just shall live by faith."Grant me, Father, to be filled with faith and to show it in my faithfulness. In fact, I am able to live every day by my trust in you! I am sustained by my trus..Continue reading→
Daily Prayer for January 4
He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.” But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand, and my reward is with my God.” Isaiah 49:3–4, NIV Lord our God, we thank you for the help you have given us over and over again so that we can stand before you, rejoicing in the certainty of faith. We thank you for guiding and leading our lives and for letting us see a goal ahead, a goal t..Continue reading→
Mutual Sharing
PassageRomans 1:8-15 PrayerDear Father,Thank you in Jesus Christ for every devoted Christian whose faith is proclaimed abroad. I thank you that they are a strength to me. Help me be a strength to them. May our mutual sharing of faith be a rich spiritual blessing from you.Help all of us to realize that we are under obligation to explain our faith to the learned and unlearned, the cultured and the backward, the wise and the foolish, everyone!Fill us to overflowing with an eagerness to proclaim the..Continue reading→
Christian Quotes
M’Intyre: on the image of God
Friday, November 4, 2016 Meditation: ... then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. —Genesis 2:7 (ESV) Quotation: When He fashioned man, the Deity breathed into the human form the divine life, “and man became a living soul.” Man is created to be a witness and likeness of God. God and man are so near to one another that it was possible for the Eternal Word to become Man without ceasing to be ..Continue reading→
Hooker: the real presence
Thursday, November 3, 2016 Feast of Richard Hooker, Priest, Anglican Apologist, Teacher, 1600 Commemoration of Martin of Porres, Dominican Friar, 1639 Meditation: Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is wh..Continue reading→
MacDonald: making easy work hard
Wednesday, November 2, 2016 Feast of All Souls Meditation: [Jesus:] “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” —Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) Quotation: Do you think that the work God gives us to do is never easy? Jesus says his yoke is easy, his burden is light. People sometimes refuse to do God’s work just..Continue reading→
Manley: first things first
Tuesday, November 1, 2016 Feast of All Saints Meditation: But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our ..Continue reading→
Questions & Answers
Why Doesn’t God Save Everyone?
Why does God choose to save some people but not others? Freewill or Human Responsibility? The Bible reveals that mankind is responsible for their sins and gives them the freewill to choose what to do, but a hyper-Calvinism would say that God elects some to destruction, but doesn’t that strip humans of their freewill? No, because they are still freely choosing to reject Jesus Christ, even though it is God Himself Who draws men and women and children to Himself (John 6:44). How those both work to..Continue reading→
How Do Christians View Stem Cell Research?
How should Christians react to stem cell research? Is it ethical to do so? What are Stem Cells? The human stem cells that we are addressing first are the embryonic human stem cells that are so small that it can barely be seen with the naked eye. It takes a microscope to even see the entire cell, so we’re talking about something that’s very, very small, but these very tiny cells have created a giant controversy. Stem cells from embryos are taken to produce human tissue that can be invaluable to ..Continue reading→
Rapid Responses to Difficult Questions – Part 2 (Cold Case Christianity Broadcast #77)
In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast, J. Warner Wallace provides a short, conversational response to two questions (or objections) related to Christianity. J. Warner responds to the claim, “I don’t believe the Gospels were written by eyewitnesses,” and the objection, “You can’t trust the Gospels because there are variations between the ancient manuscripts.” Here is the audio podcast (the Cold-Case Christianity Weekly Podcast is located on iTunes or our RSS Feed):Continue reading→
Top 7 Bible Verses on Adapting or Adaptability
Here are seven Bible verses that may help you in adapting to a new place, job, or some other major change in your life. Philippians 4:11-12 “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” Whenever we live a life that is hard and strewn with difficulties, and yet we are contented,..Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
Queen’s Former Chaplain Warns ‘Dying’ Church Of England Is Capitulating To Liberal Culture
The Queen's former chaplain has warned the Church of England is capitulating to culture, days after he resigned for opposing a Quran reading in a cathedral service.Continue reading→
God Loves Us Despite Our Shortcomings, Says New Bible College Principal Calvin Samuel
"God did not call us to pull down Mohammed, but to lift up Jesus Christ." Joel Edwards, former head of the Evangelical Alliance, at the induction of Dr Calvin Samuel as principal of the London School of Theology.Continue reading→
Your Pastor is Broken (and It’s Okay)
An old friend, Richard, recently called me. He used to live in town and attend my church. For the past seven years or so, he’s been a member of a large church in Phoenix. We were catching up and reminiscing about old friends when he said to me, “I had coffee with my current men’s pastor yesterday, and he told me some honest things about his marriage and about something stupid he said to his wife.” I chimed in, “That’s cool!” He awkwardly paused, and then said with a confused tone, “How is tha..Continue reading→
Controversial Former Queen’s Chaplain Urges Christians To Leave ‘Dying’ C of E For ‘Biblical’ Churches
An ex-chaplain to the Queen is calling on Christians to leave the Church of England for other more conservative congregations.Continue reading→
Hot Topics
Progressive Regression
“Progressives have given us this very large state that cultural radicals, multiculturalists, people involved in identity politics grab on to. They used the Supreme Court rather than the legislatures to overturn gay marriage bans. They use the apparatus invented by early 20th-century progressives for the benefit of movements and ideas for which those progressives would not have had any sympathy.” Kim Holmes, a former assistant secretary of state and Heritage Foundation vice president, is the aut..Continue reading→
It All Comes Down to Sex
With STD’s as common as children born outside marriage, one might think adolescents refraining from sex would be a positive contribution to the common good. No strain on social services or health insurers for those who “just say no” to a roll in the hay. A story on president-elect Trump’s “extreme” policies included this fear-mongering observation about a charter school that does promotes sexual restraint: Charter schools created with the help of the Barney Initiative are also proving to be an..Continue reading→
When I Don’t Feel Successful
“The verdict God speaks over us trumps every other verdict spoken over us by our voices or the voices of others. God uses our failures to wean us off self-righteousness and point us to Jesus, in whom we find a righteousness that is sufficient for our confidence, value, and unshakable joy. In Christ, the power of God’s saving and justifying love can wash away the shame and self-loathing of our sin and failure.” Since Adam and Eve bit on the first temptation, failure has been a part of our human ..Continue reading→
Raw Tears and Holy Fury: Confronting the Reality of Human Trafficking
“There is much that shocked me about this story, but perhaps the most shocking part is where she was rescued from. The house where she was being held captive was Blackwood, a rural backwater just miles from my home. In the space of a week Eva had been trafficked from Lithuania to the South Wales Valleys. She had been exploited, humiliated and suffered horrific abuse.” Human Trafficking. I knew about it, or at least I thought I did. Certainly I knew that all over the world evil people do all kin..Continue reading→
Women
Fall-Apart Moments
It had been a great morning . . . right up until five minutes before the school bus arrived. That was when things completely fell apart. One daughter suddenly had to go to the bathroom, the other copped a major brat-itude and called me a “Meanie!” Meanwhile, their school shoes were nowhere to be found and neither daughter was listening to anything I was saying. As the screech of bus brakes signaled its arrival, we barreled outside in full-on sprint mode—me still in my pa..Continue reading→
Parenting in a Porn-Saturated World
My husband and I have decided to talk to our son about porn before he starts kindergarten next year. We may not use the word porn at first. But as we continue to teach him to respect his own body and the bodies of others, we need him to understand that there are images and videos out there that don’t honor the dignity of others and that looking at these pictures can harm him in serious ways. If this seems a bit premature, consider the statistics on kids and porn. While some s..Continue reading→
Becoming the Woman I Already Was
“What if Charity is actually a man and hasn’t told Dad?” one of the boys said at the table one evening during dinner. Another chimed in, “Yeah, I think Charity is really a man.” “I’m not a man,” I protested. “I’m a woman. I dress like a woman. I’m married to your dad.” I sighed, hardly believing I was having this conversation with my stepsons. “Are you going to chime in here?” I asked Steve. He just smiled. “I’m not even going to acknowledge those comments with a respon..Continue reading→
Why Do We Compare Our Stories?
I was at the end of my rope. My husband had been out of town for three days already and his trip was only half over. We were smack in the middle of a busy few months of work trips for him, leaving me home alone with twin toddlers (while pregnant with another baby) most days of the week. So I opened up about my exhaustion and discouragement to a friend one night. She knew our situation and was eager to listen to my outburst of discouragement. But as the words spilled..Continue reading→
Life & Society
Church Of England Wrestles With Fracking In New Report
The Church of England has published a briefing paper on the controversial issue of Shale Gas and Fracking in the UK.Continue reading→
President’s Inauguration And The Bible: An Unconstitutional Convention
Donald Trump will use two closed Bibles to swear the oath of office at his inauguration on Friday.Continue reading→
Santa Clara Officials Remove Cross From Public Park Following Atheist Lawsuit
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Officials in Santa Clara, California have removed a 14-foot cross from a public park in response to a lawsuit filed by a prominent professing atheist organization. The granite cross had been displayed in what is known as Memorial Cross Park for the past 64 years after being donated by the local chapter of the Lions Club. But in 2012, the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) wrote to then-Mayor Jamie Matthews to assert that the cross violated both the fe..Continue reading→
Brief Defending Mississippi’s Conscience Act: No One Has ‘Right’ to Force Part in Same-Sex ‘Weddings’
JACKSON, Miss. — Attorneys representing the governor of Mississippi defended the state’s “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act” in appeals court on Friday, declaring that “[n]o one has a ‘fundamental right’ to force an unwilling participant to attend or provide services at his or her wedding.” “[T]here is nothing wrong with a statute that confers an absolute immunity from state punishment or discrimination upon those who … refuse to participate in abortions, warfa..Continue reading→
Music
Children of God Acoustic Sessions by Phil Wickham
Track Listing 01. Better Than Life (Acoustic) 02. The Secret Place (Acoustic) 03. Divine / Sailing / Time / Hymn (Acoustic) 04. Your Love Awakens Me (Acoustic) Purchase 05. My All In All (Acoustic) 06. Starmaker (High Above the Earth) [Acoustic] 07. At the Foot of the Cross (Acoustic) Purchase 08. Spirit of God (Acoustic) 09. As It Is in Heaven (Acoustic) 10. Here With Me (Acoustic) Purchase 11. Children of God (Acoustic) Purchase 12. Doxology / Amen (Acoustic) 13. Wide Awake (Acoustic) 14. Body Mind & Soul (Acoustic) 15. Stand in Awe (Acoustic) Continue reading→
Getting Stronger by Philip Hamrick
Track Listing 01. Bigger 02. Born Again 03. Getting Stronger 04. Will Not Let Me Go 05. The War 06. Calling Us By Name 07. Fire 08. Love Is On the Line 09. Rivers 10. By Your Love Continue reading→
Loss by Seeker
Track Listing 01. Without 02. Throat 03. Void 04. Rot 05. Swallowed 06. Welcome Death 07. Empty Vessel 08. Submit 09. Self Harm 10. Loss Continue reading→
Heart On My Sleeve by B.Reith
Track Listing 01. Winning Feeling (f/ Christon Gray) 02. Start Over 03. Can't Stop Lovin' You 04. Roll With the Punches 05. On My Own 06. Deep End Continue reading→
Beauty For Ashes by Heesun Lee
HeeSun Lee's 3rd full length album, "Beauty for Ashes," which is set to drop on October 14th, 2016 on all digital outlets, is further enhancing her credibility as an emcee. She named this album "Beauty for Ashes," quoting the Bible verse Isaiah 61:3, where it talks about how we were made out of ashes until God transformed us into beautiful. "A garment of praise instead of despair," which she mentions in one of her songs, in hopes to let the listener know how much they are worth. The album discusses topics on motherhood, the lack of "humble" artists, anxiety, being[...]Continue reading→
L’s by Puntin
New single by Puntin. Anthem type song for athletes, dream chasers, and whoever needs a little hype music to get pumped! This one is sure to be the soundtrack to a lot of highlight videos, and dance videos! Dab, whip, and jig away! Written Produced by Puntin of Puntanious Ent. Engineered by Dennis Thomas of TrynaTellEm. Follow Puntin: www.instagram.com/puntanious www.facebook.com/puntanious www.twitter.com/puntanious Buy this track here www.yaboypuntin.com[...]Continue reading→
Essential Music Publishing Celebrates Four GMA Dove Award Wins
It was announced during Tuesday's 47th Annual GMA Dove Awards that Essential Music Publishing received a total of four Dove Award wins, thanks to two of their most well-known producer/writers, Jason Ingram and Paul Mabury. Ingram was awarded as Songwriter of the Year (non-artist), while Paul Mabury won for "Trust In You" as Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year. Together, Mabury and Ingram received Dove wins as producers for both the Inspirational Album of the Year (Brave New World by Amanda Co..Continue reading→
Compassion International Announces 2017 Rock & Worship Roadshow Lineup
The 9th annual Rock & Worship Roadshow, presented by Compassion International, has announced its official 2017 tour lineup. Award-winning and chart-topping artists Steven Curtis Chapman, Francesca Battistelli, Rend Collective, Passion, Family Force 5, Jordan Feliz, along with Derek Minor and Urban Rescue, will join together for Christian music's most uplifting and entertaining concert experience for the whole family. Author and comedian, Tony Wolf, will be the guest speaker and Carlos Whitt..Continue reading→
Followers by Tenth Avenue North
"This album is about following Jesus wherever He calls us," explains frontman Mike Donehey. "Everyone says let's follow Jesus let's do all these extravagant things but what we're saying is not to follow Jesus in what we do but to follow Jesus in the WHY we do it." With numerous No. 1 radio singles, multiple Dove Awards including New Artist of the Year and touring accolades that include Casting Crowns, MercyMe and Chris Tomlin, it would be easy for Tenth Avenue North to get caught up in the success of being an artist. However, since their last album Cathedrals (2014),[...]Continue reading→