Last spring I had the privilege of speaking at a conference for NFL players put on by Pro Athletes Outreach (PAO), a group which exists to unite a community of pro athletes and couples to grow as disciples of Jesus and positively impact their spheres of influence. They have a fantastic outreach to professional football and baseball athletes and their wives. I’ve seen firsthand the amazing difference they’re making. In the off-season I exchanged emails and texts with dozens of NFL players and cha..Continue reading→
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Thoughts
Motherhood Is a Marathon
I wanted to do great things for God. In the spring of my senior year of college, on the brink of embarking upon my own journey into adulthood, my future was undecided and that was simultaneously terrifying and thrilling. As a philosophy major, my path was narrower than I had realized, but I was sure it would take me on some grand and glorious adventure. I knew the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. “Glorify” sounds like such a grand term. It evokes images of battlefie..Continue reading→
1 Peter 5:7–8: How Not to Battle Anxiety
Anxieties attack our faith and torment our peace. The question with anxiety is not whether it will come, but rather, how can I fight it when it does? Watch NowContinue reading→
Is Love of Money Really the Root of All Evils?
Is the love of money the “root of all evils” or only the “root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10)? “All evils” is the formal English equivalent of the original Greek (pantōn tōn kakōn). It is remarkable that all older versions of the Bible translate 1 Timothy 6:10 in the more literal way: “The love of money is the root of all evils” (or all evil). This includes the Wycliffe Bible, Luther Bibel, Geneva Bible, King James Version, Douay-Rheims, Darby Bible, and Revised Standard Version. Bu..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
The Federal Vision and the Magical Efficacy of Sacraments
It is a fatal flaw of the proponents of the Federal Vision that they hold to a view that replaces the work of the Holy Spirit with the magical working of the sacraments, a relic of paganism. It is beside the point that they define efficacy in such a vague way,… that it can be increased or decreased whenever necessary. By teaching that the sacraments, particularly baptism, have the power to convey new life, justification, forgiveness of sins and other graces temporarily, they have chosen a pagan ..Continue reading→
White Christian America Is Dying
I begin the book with an obituary for White Christian America, and I conclude the book with a eulogy. This construction is consistent with the book’s stark title. My argument in the book is that we have already experienced the passing of White Christian America. While this claim is grounded in demographic changes, it is also supported by the fading power of major institutions, such as the National Council of Churches or the Christian Coalition of America. There are no indicators that the country..Continue reading→
Confessions Of A Former Charismatic
This is what I found: there were many conversations among the church leaders, or with “discerning members,” who were concerned that there was a diminishing of the prophetic on Sunday or in prayer gatherings. The absence of such words was a sign of sickness. Rather than being glad at the faithful ministry of the Word in preaching, we were concerned with the absence of the prophetic. Though denied on paper, in practice, such words were given more weight than preaching — but not as much weight as S..Continue reading→
He Holds Out His Hands
There is Good News; God has also blessed you with his Gospel. You are hearing it right now. Despite the fact that you have spurned his counsel, rebelled against him, and have earned his eternal wrath, he has not stopped loving you. He promised his Son. He sent his Son. And now through the Word of God he stretches out his hands to you. A substitutionary law-keeper and a substitutionary righteousness are available for you. He is the Savior of all who give up and beg for pardon and rescue. Paul’s ..Continue reading→
Music
Phil Wickham Unveils ‘Children Of God Acoustic Sessions’
With his spring release of Children Of God called "Phil Wickham at his best" (Worship Leader) and "a welcome truth for all of us" (CCM) by critics, Phil Wickham is releasing Children Of God Acoustic Sessions today. In response to a high demand from fans, Wickham has created a stripped down version of Children Of God, including three additional bonus tracks "Foot Of The Cross," "Here With Me" and "Divine/Sailing/Time/Hymn" that showcase the power of his voice and the heart of the songs. Continue reading→
Disciple Releases ‘Long Live The Rebels’
After a massively successful Kickstarter campaign, DISCIPLE is releasing its13th studio album LONG LIVE THE REBELS today, October 14. In a partnership with Tooth & Nail BEC Recordings, LONG LIVE THE REBELS is already being lauded as the band's strongest album to date. Early reviews are all in agreement "Designed to be cranked to 11 and passionately sung along to, Long Live The Rebels is jam-packed with searing guitar licks, thou..Continue reading→
DeDe Wedekind Wins Album of the Year For Dream Of You At IMEA Awards
On Saturday, October 8th, singer-songwriter DeDe Wedekind took home her 3rd consecutive IMEA Award for "Adult Contemporary Album of the Year," this time for her latest album Dream Of You (Feb. 2016). The IMEA Awards (International Music and Entertainment Association) were held at the Tucker Theatre at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN, just outside of Nashville. In recent weeks, Wedekind has been receiving a tremendous amount of attention for her patriotic new single releas..Continue reading→
Stryper Kicks Off 30th Anniversary ‘To Hell with the Devil’ Tour
Multi-platinum rock band Stryper kicked off their 30th Anniversary To Hell with the Devil Tour in late September, with record crowds in attendance for the first eight shows. With 28 cities to go before the band takes an indefinite hiatus from the road, tickets and VIP Meet & Greet packages are selling out fast. "We're only eight shows in and it's incredible," said frontman Michael Sweet. "The fan response has been ..Continue reading→
Hip-Hop Veterans D.O.C. Return As Nimisilla Park
Twenty-six years ago after GRAMMY and Dove Award nominees D.O.C. (Disciples of Christ) first burst onto the Contemporary Christian Music scene, the hip-hop veterans are back with a new album and a new name. Rebranded as Nimisilla Park, D.O.C.'s founding members Alton Hood and Michael Brown have created a new sound that is bold, unapologetic and melodically infectious. Produced by David Oswald Cox (Nicole C. Mullen, Stacie Orrico, Pettidee), their new EP Welcome to Nimisilla Park (Coal Mine ..Continue reading→
Jordan Feliz Wins His First Dove Award for New Artist of the Year
It was an exciting night at the 47th annual Dove Awards for Jordan Feliz, as he was honored with the trophy for New Artist of the Year. The moment was made even more special when the audience erupted with applause and a standing ovation when his name was announced. It was also touching when Lauren Daigle, last year's New Artist of the Year winner, gave the award to her labelmate. Music fans will be able to view the entire Dove Awards program when it airs on the Trinity Broadcasting Network ..Continue reading→
Jonathan David & Melissa Helser Receive First Dove Award As ‘Beautiful Surrender’ Tops Retail Charts
Worship leaders, songwriters and husband/wife Jonathan David and Melissa Helser internationally released their eighth recording and first new album in four years, Beautiful Surrender, Sept. 30 from Bethel Music and through Provident Distribution. In its first week at retail, the acclaimed project went to No. 1 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart, held the No. 1 position on the iTunes® Christian & Gospel Albums chart all week and launched all the way to No. 2 for a time on the iTunes over..Continue reading→
Satellites & Sirens Releases ‘TANKS’ To Media Praise
Satellites & Sirens has released their sophomore release on DREAM Records, TANKS. Two years after the group's debut on DREAM, One Noise which included their smash hit, "Jump Start My Heart", the band comes back with a veracity of love, hope and joy in their new album. This 12 song album has a musical plethora of sounds and features one track with DREAM Records artist, Joel Vaughn. The theme of the album is "Love Is The New Fight".Continue reading→
Tenth Avenue North Releases ‘Followers’ Today
Tenth Avenue North releases their fifth studio project, Followers, today. This project has already produced the No. 1 song at CHR radio with the debut single "What You Want." Leading up to this album release, the group has posted multiple lyric videos, each accompanied by a video journal from lead singer Mike Donehey sharing the meaning behind the songs. Click here to check out the video journals. Media have already been tout..Continue reading→
American
CW Show “Jane the Virgin” Runs Ad Promoting Planned Parenthood Abortion Corporation
The night before Valentine’s Day, the CW’s Jane the Virgin aired a pro-Planned Parenthood message in favor of fighting “overpopulation.” One of the main characters, Petra Solano (Yael Grobglas), asks Chuck Jesser (Johnny Messner) to sign an easement for her kids’ beach club – which happens to cross into the property of his adults-only hotel next door. Chuck, who dislikes children, refused mid-show. “No can do,” he responded, “You know how I feel about that kids’ club. Screeching rodents gonna..
United Nations Hearing Will Slam Ireland for Not Killing Unborn Babies in Abortions
This week, the Irish Government will appear before the UN Committee for the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women. The hearing takes place in Geneva and while it focuses on many areas of life affecting women such as equal pay, the issue of abortion is also on the table for discussion. As expected, prochoice NGOs based in Ireland are seizing on the opportunity to push their case for the removal of the Eighth Amendment, despite the fact that there is no right ..
Witches Come Out to Support Planned Parenthood as Pro-Life People Protest
This weekend, there were pro-life #ProtestPP rallies scheduled at more than a quarter, over 200, of Planned Parenthoods across our nation. And the violence and hatred that our team saw at multiple locations was not only frightening but it was a clear warning sign to you and me. In Portland, where our Northwest Coordinator (Katie) spoke, the abortion supporters where already at the Planned Parenthood by the time the pro-lifers arrived for their rally. They immediately starting yelling obscenitie..
Amazing Time-Lapse Video Shows Birth to 12-Years-Old in Under 3 Minutes
This encouraging item for Monday’s edition of National Right to Life News Today will take under three minutes of your life and leave you smiling from ear to ear. The title of the video is “Lotte from birth to 12 years in 2 min. 45 sec,” and it appears at mercatornet.com. According to the brief accompanying text, “Dutch filmmaker Frans Hofmeester filmed his daughter every week, from birth up until she turned 12 years old and then made this time lapse edit. Fascinating.” If you are a parent, you..
Law & Government
U.S. Supreme Court Lets Ruling Stand Requiring Christian Pharmacy to Stock Morning-After Pill
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed a ruling to stand that requires the owner of a Washington pharmacy, along with two of his pharmacists, to stock the morning-after pill despite their religious convictions regarding abortifacients. As previously reported, in 2006, Ralph’s Thriftway owner, Kevin Stormans, received a call inquiring whether the location sold the morning-after pill. After replying that the pharmacy did not carry it, he began to receive anonymous complaints via phone an..
Hillary Clinton Marches in New York City Homosexual Pride Parade
NEW YORK — Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton marched in New York City’s homosexual pride parade on Sunday, waving a rainbow flag. According to reports, Clinton marched for two blocks in the area of the Stonewall Inn, a tavern that the Obama administration has sought to have dedicated as a monument to homosexual rights. She was joined by Al Sharpton, a controversial ordained Baptist minister, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Actress Cyn..
U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down Texas Abortion Law as Creating ‘Undue Burden on Abortion Access’
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to abortion rights advocates, striking down a Texas law imposing strict regulations on abortion doctors and facilities that its critics contended were specifically designed to shut down clinics. The 5-3 ruling held that the Republican-backed 2013 law placed an undue burden on women exercising their constitutional right to end a pregnancy established in the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The normally nine-justice court..
Entertainment
The Heavenly Comedy of NBC’s The Good Place
Ancient Egyptians thought that life went on after death, as long as you knew the right passwords, their bodies were nicely salted and their hearts were sufficiently weighty. Vikings believed that Valhalla awaited the mightiest among them, where they could fight all day and drink all night. And some Christians figure that St. Peter will be waiting for the dearly departed in front of heaven’s pearly gate, pen in hand. But no afterlife is quite like what we see in The Good Place—a plac..
Catholics in Media to award ‘Ben -Hur’ ‘Ray Donovan’ ‘The Story of God’ October 9th in Los Angeles
Culver City, CA – Catholics in Media Associates has announced its honorees for the 2016 CIMA Awards to be presented at the organization’s 23rd annual event on October 9, 2016. All the CIMA Awardees were chosen for their ability to tell stories that transcend daily life in compelling ways and to communicate the true, the good, and the beautiful in compelling ways. Following the 10:00AM Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Ang..
How Sully and Captain America Have a Lot in Common
It’s been a year of superheroes. Deadpool kicked the party off in February with its snide, R-rated take on heroism. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice thundered into theaters a month later. Captain America: Civil War opened the summer movie season with a $179.1 million opening weekend, and Suicide Squad continues to collect cash at box-office turnstyles across America. Four superhero movies, each one having grossed more than $300 million in North America. With all that superhero act..
‘Sully’ the man and the miracle
Everyone knows the story of US Airways Flight 1549. On January 15, 2009 Captain Sully “Sullenberger” (Tom Hanks) and his co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) took off from La Guardia airport in a plane with 155 souls on board, including passengers and crew. They collided with a flock of Canadian geese just a couple of minutes later. They were over Manhattan and radioed they were banking left, turning back to La Guardia. In 207 seconds, with both engines out Captain Sully and Skiles brought the p..
US
“The last honest liberal” dies
Nat Hentoff, 91, has died. The jazz critic for the Village Voice, Hentoff described himself as a left-wing Jewish atheist. But he became a pro-life crusader, alienating his fellow liberals for his strong opposition to abortion. Hentoff was a civil libertarian, fiercely devoted to the Constitution, who quit the ACLU because of its support of speech codes. Hentoff had been called “the last honest liberal” for his consistency in extending the left’s concern for the poor and marginalized to the most..
Spiritual anguish
Contrary to the “prosperity gospel” and other theologies of glory, negative experiences can also have a positive spiritual significance. Many of us go through depression, blue moods, black moods, and other sufferings, whether physical or emotional. These are not signs that you have lost your faith or that God has abandoned you. Luther, who knew these states of mind well, considered them important for the Christian life. In fact, he considered them necessary for anyone who presumed to be a theolo..
Empire of Desire
I have long said that we shouldn’t look for analogies between our cultural problems and the fall of the Roman empire. We should look for parallels with the fall of the Roman Republic. Carl Trueman says that while the position of Christianity is changing, secular society itself is changing too. He sees the rise of what he calls an “empire of desire” (a concept also treated by R. R. Reno, whom he links to). He calls for new Ciceroes who have the integrity, the wisdom, and the eloquence to defend o..
Democrats hope to come back by going left
Democrats strategizing over how to overcome their recent defeats now have a plan: go left. They are reasoning that they can get back those working class voters who chose Trump. After all, Trump’s populist economics promises–including protectionism, job protection, and more jobs–goes along with what Democrats used to stand for, before the party embraced globalism and Wall Street. The Democrats believe that the cultural issues are still to their advantage, so they are going to emphasize their soci..
Church & Theology
How Is a Biblical Christian to Respond in This Election?
This has been an incredibly difficult election season. In fact, recent polls indicate that 82 percent of Americans are disgusted with it. Sometimes as Christians, we wonder how we can make a difference in a time like this. How do we respond to the vitriol and rhetoric with clear thinking and Christ-like decisions? 1. Remember your dual citizenship. Our first loyalty is not to America but to our King. Patriotic as we may be, we have an eternal homeland: For our conversation is in heaven; from..
What Following Jesus Looks Like on a Weekday
When Jesus called His disciples, it wasn’t a Sundays-only proposition. He had something more in mind—something 24/7. Likewise, when the disciples responded to His call, they “left all, rose up, and followed Him” (Luke 5:28). In a day when Christians feel good about themselves if they go to church on Sunday and pastors are tempted to measure their success by how Sunday’s services went, it’s good to be reminded that Christ’s call “Follow Me,” is a call for every day of the week. Think of it thi..
5 Things to Pray for When You’re Overwhelmed
Four weeks ago, I spent Monday night at gate 76 of Detroit International Airport, fervently praying for my three-year-old grandson, Chandler, who was undergoing an emergency surgery. A CT scan had revealed a fractured skull and bleeding near the brain, but beyond that, I really didn’t know or have the medical understanding of exactly what was going on. In an email I sent the next day to some praying friends, I wrote, “I don’t have all the technical info. I just know we need to pray fervently.” ..
4 Areas I Expect Our Leadership Team to Build
One of the things I look forward to when I hire staff is the opportunity to invest into their lives. Between praying for and pastoring their family, weekly staff meetings, and other times of training, I want to do all I can to help build them up in service and as spiritual leaders. At the same time, I don’t hire staff solely to invest in them. In fact, I hire them primarily to help me build the work of the ministry God has entrusted us with here at Lancaster Baptist Church. If you serve on a c..