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
Was Christ’s Death A Sacrifice?
The blood-curdling scream signaled that she had not yet given up. Hours of pushing, and the baby had still not descended. The OB was weighing her options, while dad wiped mom’s forehead and encouraged her on. She screamed again, pushing and puffing and praying that this agony might soon draw to a close. The pain was so… intense, so utterly mind-numbing that she wondered, for the thousandth time, why she had wanted to have another child… This is a scene that plays out day after day in hospitals ..Continue reading→
Why Christians Venerate the Cross
For many people, an obstacle to faith in Jesus is the seemingly gory nature of the core tenets of Christian history. Jesus suffered a horribly violent end, yet Christians revere the cross that was the instrument of that torturous death. And they celebrate His victory over death by partaking of His “body” – honoring His last injunction to “take and eat” and “take and drink” of His body and blood. One challenger asked why Christians venerate the cross. If a friend were gunned down, he asked, woul..Continue reading→
Music
Campfire II: Simplicity by Rend Collective
Irish worship band Rend Collective has announced Campfire II: Simplicity, set to release this November. The album will feature brand new tracks, a cover of Hillsong UNITED's hit "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)", along with favorites from The Art Of Celebration and chart-topping As Family We Go. "The vision behind this project is so near to our hearts," the band shared. "We long to see outsiders invited in, hope restored to the hopeless, rest for the cynics and revival for God's people. We can't wait to share these songs with you. We're praying they encourage, equip and speak life to all[...]Continue reading→
Your Mercy by Paul Baloche
Track Listing 01. Psalm 92 (It Is Good) 02. Once For All 03. Found In You 04. I Will Worship You 05. Your Mercy 06. Songs of the People 07. We Come to You Jesus 08. God Evermore 09. Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (We Turn) 10. To The Cross I Come 11. More Than I Deserve 12. Peace On Earth Continue reading→
Death Grip by Fit For A King
Track Listing 01. The End's Beginning 02. Pissed Off 03. Dead Memory 04. Cold Room 05. Disease 06. Shadows and Echoes 07. More Than Nameless 08. We Are All Lost 09. Unclaimed, Unloved 10. Stacking Bodies 11. Deathgrip Continue reading→
Matthew Parker Launches ‘Adventure’ Pre-Order
The Adventure begins for Matthew Parker as he begins his pre-order on iTunes via DREAM Records. The album was produced by Parker, who brings a refreshingly crisp sound. Matthew first gained notoriety from the guys in Dude Perfect when they featured his song, "We Go" on their Dizzie Sports Battle featuring Paul Rudd. That followed quickly with a feature on ESPN and EDM.com calling him "one of the faces of the growing genre." The album features various guest vocalists ranging from Spencer Kane to ..Continue reading→
Jesus Culture’s Chris Quilala Announces Debut Solo Album
Jesus Culture Music announces the release of the debut solo project from worship leader Chris Quilala. Titled Split the Sky, the album will release on November 11 (Jesus Culture Music/Capitol CMG). Earlier this week Quilala shared the video for "Because of Your Love," the first track released from this indie-pop inspired album. Download the song by clicking here. Quilala has been a vital part of Jesus Culture, both as a worshi..Continue reading→
Selah’s Landmark ‘Rose Of Bethlehem’ Reissued Today
Multi Dove Award-winning Curb recording artist Selah revisits their 2002 landmark Christmas recording, Rose of Bethlehem, with the release of today's Deluxe Edition. The updated collection showcases five bonus tracks alongside the classic project's 10 selections. Highlighted by the modern Christmas hymn "Dance In The Dawn," produced by Ed Cash (Chris Tomlin, Crowder), Rose of Bethlehem Deluxe Edition's new recordings also include an Afri..Continue reading→
Sho Baraka Hits On Hot Topics On ‘The Narrative’ Set To Drop October 21
It has been three years since critically acclaimed hip hop artist Sho Baraka released new music, but on October 21, the Humble Beast artist will reveal his highly anticipated fourth studio album The Narrative on digital platforms with physical CDs available starting November 11. The Narrative is the follow up album to the chart topping record The Talented Tenth and features guest appearances by Lecrae, Vanessa Hill, Jamie Portee, Courtney Orlando, Jackie Hill-Perry and Adan Bean & C. Lacy. Start..Continue reading→
Alex Faith Intrudes The Industry With CHH Heavyweights
Collision Records Atlanta native is set to release a new EP on Friday, October 7. Alex Faith's Intruder EP will feature Tedashii, Ki'Shon Furlow, Dre Murray and others throughout the 6-track package. The EP is available for preorder on iTunes now. Check out the first single off this project, "Real Ones", in visual form by checking out the video below.[...]Continue reading→
Andy Mineo Opens for Atlantic Records’ Fetty Wap
On October 23, Andy Mineo will be one of the opening acts for 2016 Billboard Music's Top New Artist winner, Fetty Wap. Andy will join other known popular acts Monty, Lil' Skies and DJ RL at Shippensburg University located in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Andy is no stranger teaming with mainstream acts to establish new relationships and share the light of Christ. His 2015 Uncomfortable album featured Jon Bellion and production from !llMin..Continue reading→
American
Heartbreaking Video Shows You What 58 Million Babies Killed in Abortion Looks Like
Pro-lifers are nothing if not creative. Over the decades, they have produced thousands upon thousands of “visual aids,” from the simplest black and white one-sheeter to full-blown movies—and everything in-between. The common denominator is—to adapt a cliché—to help the public get its collective head around both the humanity we share with the unborn child and the sheer magnitude of the loss of lives since January 22, 1973. Although I scribble for a living, I really do believe a picture–or in th..
Good Deed of the Month
Kim Norvell: JOHNSTON, Iowa — An anonymous donor has paid off lunch debts for 148 Johnston elementary school students whose accounts were in the red by $10 or more. The donation, totaling $13,250, was made Jan. 9. It benefited students in kindergarten through fifth grade in all five Johnston elementary schools, said Laura Sprague, director of communications. “This donation is quite critical for families who need some extra help,” she said. ” … When the belly is full, the kids can have a much bet..
World Vision Letter to President Trump
Dear President Trump and Vice President Pence, As evangelical Christians, we are guided by the Bible to be particularly concerned for the plight of refugees, individuals who have been forced to flee their countries because of the threat of persecution. Evangelical churches and ministries have long played a key role in welcoming, resettling, and assisting in the integration of refugees from various parts of the world. As such, we are troubled by the recent executive order temporarily halting refu..
Why Be Anglican: Prayers of the People
No question about it, but in many churches there is not a designated time for the people to pray. Some churches are just too big for that, and even too big for a pastoral prayer. Others are so focused on the sermon that there is not time left for what we Anglicans call the “prayers of the people.” In our liturgy, every Sunday, we have a time where we are led by a lay person in prayer. It’s called “intercession” or “intercessory prayers” when we pray for others, and when we do it in public it nee..
Entertainment
Watch the Trailer for ‘When The Game Stands Tall’
When the Game Stands Tall opens in theaters everywhere Friday.
Zach Bates Is Engaged!
Man, has it been a busy fall for relationships with kids from huge reality TV families! Jessa Duggar is the first Duggar daughter to enter courtship, which means she should be getting engaged fairly soon unless something major happens, and Erin Bates and Chad Paine are getting hitched in November. But Erin isn’t the only Bates kid settling down – her brother Zach Bates just proposed to his girlfriend Whitney. As is typical with the Bates clan, mom Kelly Bates announced the big news on the family..
US
Gift ideas: Reading Romans with Luther
Let’s start a series of posts on ideas for Christmas presents! Here is a good one: Reading Romans with Luther. It’s by R. J. Grunewald, a sometime commenter here at the Cranach blog. Luther’s greatest theological works are his commentaries on Scripture, such was his concern to adhere closely to the text of God’s Word. One of his greatest works is his commentary on Romans, the epistle in which St. Paul explores the Gospel of salvation through the work of Christ in its depths. Here is the Law & Go..
Problems with the EXXON CEO as Secretary of State
(3) The appearance of plutocracy. There are people on both the left and the right who say that our democracy is a sham because our country is really run by the big corporations. Trump’s packing his cabinet with billionaires, Wall Street tycoons, and corporation CEOs plays right into that.Trump hammered Hillary Clinton for giving speeches to Goldman-Sachs. But he has appointed three Goldman-Sachs executives to his administration. He owes his election to blue-collar workers the Democrats have igno..
Update on Ohio’s anti-abortion bills
The Ohio state legislature has passed two abortion bills that Gov. John Kasich has now acted on. He refused to sign the “heartbeat bill,” which would have banned abortion after the developing child’s heart begins to beat. That can be as early as six weeks, which is before many women even realize they are pregnant. Kasich said that bill would certainly have been struck down by the courts. That’s probably right, but that the child develops such a universal sign of life so early should surely tell ..
Hotels without Gideon Bibles
The Gideons do great work in distributing Bibles. For many decades, virtually every hotel room had a Gideon Bible on the nightstand or in a drawer. But today, less than half do. A survey has found that only 46% of American hotel rooms include religious material. Ten years ago, nearly three-quarters did. Of course, what the Christian Gideons did, representatives of other religions did. Hotels that have Bibles in the rooms often also have Books of Mormon. I suspect that the decline of hotel Bibles..