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→
Daily Verses
Matthew 11:5 (11-05-16)
The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.— Matthew 11:5 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... The clear sign of the Messiah's presence was a time of true blessedness for all who know and follow him. Just think how glorious it will be and all the blessings we will share when he comes again! My Prayer... Lord God Almighty, I praise you for the tim..Continue reading→
The Gardener
"Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." John 15:2, NIV You and I can trust the Gardener to skillfully, personally, lovingly, and effectively prune the “vines” of our lives. Isaiah described the gentle skillfulness of His touch when he revealed, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out” (Isa. 42:3, NIV). In other words, God will not cut you back so much that you are broken beyond the ability to grow, nor will He qu..Continue reading→
Romans 13:6
“This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.”Continue reading→
Proverbs 11:4 (11-04-16)
Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.— Proverbs 11:4 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... What is your primary investment? Only righteousness offers a truly long-term benefit! My Prayer... Holy God, thank you for valuing what is good, holy, and righteous. I praise you for empowering me to develop those qualities in my character. In Jesus' name. Amen.Continue reading→
God’s Power to Change
His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. 2 Peter 1:3, NKJV Do you know someone who is desperate for change? Someone who is: bound by anger? isolated by pride? depressed by worry? consumed by jealousy? panicked by fear? God’s Word has not lost its power since the beginning of time! The same power that transformed Planet Earth from that which was void, dark, without form, and in a fluid con..Continue reading→
Daily Wisdom
Acts 11:24 (11-24-16)
For he [Barnabas] was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.— Acts 11:24 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Barnabas was a good man! Why? For many reasons. But, the key reason was that he was full of faith and the Holy Spirit. This shouldn't surprise us. When the Holy Spirit lives in us, he is at work producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and conforming us to the character of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). No ..Continue reading→
Facing Death
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. Revelation 21:4, NKJVIn the beginning, we were never intended to die. Death was not a part of God’s original plan. He created you and me for Himself. He intended us to live with Him and enjoy Him forever in an uninterrupted, permanent, personal, love relationship. But sin came into our lives and broke the very relationship with God for which we were created. When your loved one dies and your gri..Continue reading→
Colossians 2:6-7
“[Spiritual Fullness in Christ] So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”Continue reading→
1 Corinthians 11:23-24 (11-23-16)
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.— 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Remember Jesus! Remember his great sacrifice. Remember his incomparable love for you! Remember him through his Supper! Remember Jesus! My Pr..Continue reading→
Prayers
Daily Prayer for October 28
Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me. Psalm 50:14–15, NIV Dear Father in heaven, we want to praise you together and to thank you with all our hearts for your goodness and your deliverance from our many needs. Accept our thanks, and help us go on our way with ever joyful hearts. Make us ready for whatever you have prepared for us, your children. Bless us in our individual lives and ble..Continue reading→
My Old Nature Put to Death
Passage: Ephesians 4:22-24 Prayer: Dear Father, righteous and holy God,Enable me to put away completely my old human nature - the former lifestyle corrupted by deceitful desires.Help me to be renewed in the spirit of my mind, to put on a new nature, created in your likeness in true righteousness and holiness.Father, make me holy like Jesus, righteous with his righteousness!In the name of the holy Jesus I pray for true holiness within me. Amen. Devotional provided by Heartlight® © 1996-2016. All righ..Continue reading→
Daily Prayer for October 27
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 2 Corinthians 4:8–10, NIV Lord God, we thank you for your voice even when it is stern and we must go through hardship and suffering. Your voice speaks to us, and in your voice we can be glad and victorious in our life on earth. Come into o..Continue reading→
My New Nature Made Alive
Passage: Ephesians 4:17-21 Prayer: Dear Father, righteous and holy God,Help me never to be tempted to live as worldly people live: futile in their thinking - darkened in their understanding - alienated from you because of the ignorance within them - hard-hearted and calloused -given over to licentiousness - greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness.I did not learn of a Christ like this! I learned of a righteous and holy Christ.Help me ever to aspire to live as your holy people live: clear and dec..Continue reading→
Christian Quotes
Schaeffer: bringing healing
Thursday, June 16, 2016 Feast of Richard of Chichester, Bishop, 1253 Commemoration of Joseph Butler, Bishop of Durham, Moral Philosopher, 1752 Meditation: We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. —Romans 15:1 (ESV) Quotation: Only the one who has been hurt can bring healing. The other person cannot. It is the one who has been hurt who has to be willing to be hurt again to show love, if there is to be hope that healing will come...Continue reading→
Questions & Answers
7 Great Bible Verses For The First Day Of School
Here are seven great Bible verses that can help during that first day of school. Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” There is nothing more important for a student to know than the fear of the Lord is the very beginning of wisdom. It begins there and stays there. Students will be under a lot of influence in school and be exposed to a lot of different philosophies and theories. The student must guard their mind by staying firml..Continue reading→
7 Children’s Songs About Jesus
Here are seven great children’s songs about Jesus. 1. Jesus Loves Me The lyrics are soundly biblical because Jesus loved the little children and when the disciples once tried to prevent them from coming to Him, He rebuke them and said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 19:14) because “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Luke 18:17). That’s why this song is so special. The words f..Continue reading→
The Disciples Were Not Afraid to Worship Jesus (Even Though They Should Have Been)
The disciples of Jesus were raised in a first century Jewish culture and faith system, so they understood the universally accepted notion that God alone is worthy of our worship. This concept was central to the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20:3-6) and was repeatedly taught throughout the Jewish scripture (see Deuteronomy 4:35, 6:4, 6:13-16, and 32:39, 2 Samuel 7:22, Isaiah 8:13, and Isaiah 43:10-11). The Old Testament was clear about this truth; Yahweh was the only God the Jews were to love, fea..Continue reading→
Yankee Reliever Adam Warren Commits to Jesus at a Concert
Life can be a roller coaster, at times, in the baseball world. Adam Warren, relief pitcher for the New York Yankees, was traded December, 2015, to the Chicago Cubs. Then recently, here in July ,2016, Warren was traded back to the Yankees, and that does not even count the number of times going up and down from major league to the minor league and back. However, Adam Warren is not on a roller coaster when it comes to his faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ. That is rock solid. “I grew up in a Christi..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
An Open Letter to You in 2017: The Same Old Message for a Brand New Year
As we anticipate the challenges and opportunities of 2017, I want to repost an open letter that focuses on the most important realities in the world. And the addressee of my open letter is you. No matter who you are—whether young in the faith, a seasoned saint, or not a believer in Jesus at all; whether we’re good friends, have only spoken a few times, or if I don’t know you from Adam—I can think of nothing more profitable that I’d like to say directly to you. And perhaps the most interesting di..Continue reading→
Spiritual Depression is Coming for You
Spiritual depression is a part of the Christian life. Lloyd-Jones puts it this way: “You cannot isolate the spiritual from the physical for we are body, mind and spirit. The greatest and the best Christians when they are physically weak are more prone to an attack of spiritual depression than at any other time and there are great illustrations of this in the Scriptures.” If you’ve been a Christian believer for any amount of time, you’re familiar with the feeling: It’s like you’re . . . off. Fo..Continue reading→
Saying No to Church = Divorcing Christ from His Bride (Murray)
“We cannot think of Christ properly apart from the church. All the offices he exercises as head over all things, he exercises on behalf of the church. If we think of the church apart from Christ, or transfer to the church prerogatives that belong only to Christ, then we are guilty of idolatry. But if we think of Christ apart from the church, then we are guilty of a dismemberment that severs what God has joined together. We are divorcing Christ from his only bride.” Some people today believe the..Continue reading→
Are You Imagining Precious Moments Jesus or Warrior Jesus?
Jesus’ strength as a warrior was displayed in taking all the blows we could not. He went to the cross and won our salvation. And further, Jesus didn’t fully complete his mission either. Jesus came once but he promises that he will come again. And when he comes again he will destroy every enemy that he left undestroyed. He is both the infant in the manger and the rider on the white horse armed for battle in Revelation. There’s a version of Jesus we spend a lot of time with at Christmas, but ther..Continue reading→
Movies
“Doctor Strange:” Marvel goes magic
When “Iron Man” debuted in 2008, some wondered just how much leeway the public would give Marvel before things got too weird. Sure, Iron Man, Hulk and Captain America weren’t that hard to see as possible hits; despite their bizarre origins, they were basically just action heroes with a comic book gloss. But at that time, audiences wanted things grounded and gritty, and the farther one delves into the Marvel universe, the deeper they go into a mythology that includes intergalactic adventures, mys..Continue reading→
Our first look at the modern-day Jesus in The Shack
There have been quite a few movies about Jesus this year, and the genre shows no signs of letting up. Next year will bring us The Star and Mary Magdalene, both of which are set in the first century — but first it will bring us The Shack, an adaptation of William P. Young’s novel, set in the present day, about a grief-stricken father who is met by all three persons of the Trinity, including God the Son, i.e. Jesus. One of the noteworthy things about this film is that the actor playing Jesus, Aviv..Continue reading→
Mel Gibson says The Resurrection will be “like an acid trip”
Mel Gibson is still talking about The Resurrection, his proposed sequel to The Passion of the Christ. Two months ago, he said it will have flashbacks to the Old Testament, and earlier this week, he said it might follow Jesus into Hades. Now he’s made a few more comments about the film, in a public interview with Raymond Arroyo. Commenting on the fact that his film won’t simply be a chronological retelling of the events described in the gospels, Gibson said: It’s not the Burnett version, you know..Continue reading→
Will there be demons in Mel Gibson’s Resurrection movie?
Mel Gibson has been making the rounds this week to promote Hacksaw Ridge, and last night Stephen Colbert asked him about his rumoured sequel to The Passion of the Christ. Gibson replied that the film, currently titled The Resurrection, is “probably about three years off,” and he dropped a few other hints about it as well. Colbert, who is Catholic, noted that there’s less “action” in the biblical version of the story — meaning not that there is less violence of the sort that one often finds in Gi..Continue reading→
Box office: Tyler Perry says Boo! to Tom Hanks’s Inferno
Last week Tyler Perry beat Tom Cruise. This week he beat Tom Hanks. Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween earned an estimated $16.7 million in its second week at the North American box office. That represents a drop of 41.5% since last week, but the film — to many people’s surprise — was still #1 at the box office, thanks to the fact that Inferno was a much bigger flop than anyone expected. Inferno was the only new wide release this week, and it was a follow-up to two big hits, so it arguably sho..Continue reading→
Watch: Mel Gibson dedicates Hacksaw Ridge to the veterans
Hacksaw Ridge is, among other things, a comeback film for Mel Gibson, an Oscar-winning director who also used to be one of the world’s biggest movie stars. It’s the first film he has directed in ten years — a hiatus that began with a couple of scandals that made him persona non grata in Hollywood — and when the poster and trailer came out in July, you could sense that the distributor wasn’t quite sure how prominent Gibson should be in the film’s ad campaign; as many people noted at the time, bot..Continue reading→
Newsbites: Methuselah! Samson and Delilah!
Two quick new items via Deadline, both of which happen to concern Oscar-nominated foreign-film makers who are now going to direct films with a biblical element. 1. Joachim Rønning, who co-directed Kon-Tiki (nominated in 2013; it lost to Amour) and is currently in post-production on the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, has signed on to direct Tom Cruise in Methuselah, a “biblical epic” being produced by David Heyman of Harry Potter fame. I last wrote about this film two years ago, before Cru..Continue reading→
Prophet Joseph — episodes forty-three to forty-five
Synopsis. The sons of Jacob prepare to go to Egypt. Jacob dictates a letter to the Egyptian governor, who unbeknownst to him is his son Joseph. Meanwhile, in Egypt, Akhenaten visits Joseph’s house and decrees that Zuleikha must marry Joseph. Joseph speaks to a crowd — many of whom have become technically enslaved to the Pharaoh in exchange for wheat — and declares that everyone in Egypt is free now, except for those who owned slaves and exploited the poor before the famine. Joseph’s brothers arr..Continue reading→
“The Case for Christ” Lee Strobel drama announced for Spring 2017 theatrical release
An atheist reporter’s surprising road to faith comes to life on film In 1980, Lee Strobel’s award-winning investigative reporting earned him a promotion to legal editor at the Chicago Tribune. Things at home weren’t going nearly as well. His wife Leslie’s newfound faith in Christ compels Lee to utilize his journalistic and legal training to disprove the claims of Christianity—pitting his ..Continue reading→
Music
Guy Penrod To Be Featured At Inaugural Celebration
GRAMMY® and Dove Award-winning vocalist Guy Penrod will be a featured performer at the Faith Freedom & Future Inaugural Ball Friday evening, following the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump, it has been announced. Presented by Family Research Council, the black-tie gala will also include performances from best-selling comedian Chonda Pierce and acclaimed husband/wife duo Aaron & Amanda Crabb, among other special guests. RELATED Aaron & Amanda Crabb To Join Inaugural Festivities "Every p..Continue reading→
JUCE TV’s Premiere To Feature Emcees Davis Absolute and Lawren
Davis Absolute and Lawren are set to appear on JUCE TV's JUCELIVE season two premiere afterparty on Friday, January 27. A Christian youth network designed for the 12-30 age group demographic, JUCE TV is a weekly one-hour live program featuring musical performances, interviews, spoken word and more. The network desires to give back into the lives of its viewers by giving them programming that is not only entertaining, but also builds up the viewer both individually and together as a communi..Continue reading→
CANON Releases New Single
The 8-year CHH veteran CANON released his latest single, titled "Fighters," on Friday, January 13. RELATED Canon Returns to the Stage After Accident The way CANON takes his art seriously is quite evident throughout the self-produced single. The talented wordsmith has his label, Reflection Music Group (RMG), always in his corner as one of his most vocal supporters. Released from the trap music trend, the "boom-bap" vibe is pleasing to the listener's ears as 2017 begins. CANON had this to ..Continue reading→
Former Flyleaf Guitarist Teams Up With Wife To Release New EP
Formerly of platinum selling rock band Flyleaf, founding member/songwriter/guitarist Jared Hartmann has teamed up with his wife Kat to create their first EP, "Kat&Jared." The couple that spent the first eight years of their marriage on the road traveling with Flyleaf describes their new project as a collection of worship songs that "chronicle the journey they have been on over the years" and invite listeners "into the presence of Christ to discover what life is really about." The Hartmann..Continue reading→
Still: Volume 1 by Rivers & Robots
Integrity Music announces the January 13 release of Still: Volume 1, the debut album in a new instrumental series that will feature guest "artist-producers," giving each project its own unique aesthetic. Guest producers for Still: Volume 1, which was recorded in various locations in the UK and mastered at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, are the acclaimed Manchester, UK-based independent band Rivers Robots. Still is emotive and reminiscent of a film score, combining strings, brass elements and electronic instrumentation, making it an ideal backdrop for moments of prayer and meditation for individuals and churches. The tracklist includes new interpretations[...]Continue reading→
Only The Lonely by Colony House
Colony House's second studio album, Only The Lonely, is set to be released on January 13, 2017. The two singles released off the album are titled "You Know It" and "You I."[...]Continue reading→
Walk by Grayson Reed
Besides the amazing talents of Mike Grayson (Mikeschair) and Molly Reed (City Harbor), numerous producers took part in creating this project including Justin Ebach, Ben Glover, Jeff Pardo and Seth Mosley. Grayson|Reed co-wrote all the original material, including their new single, "Fight For You," that is already No. 14 on Billboard's Soft AC chart. The song honestly faces the issues of being married, and how leaning on God helps couples get through the rough parts. I'm gonna fight for you/Nothing's ever gonna burn this down/I'm gonna fight for you/Til the breath in my lungs runs out/Our love is something I[...]Continue reading→
American
NFL Player Ben Watson Tells March for Life: “We Must End the Unthinkable Practice of Abortion”
Joining hundreds of thousands of people at the March for Life today is NFL star Ben Watson. The Baltimore Ravens tight end has been using his fame not to speak for himself but to speak up for the most vulnerable lives in America – babies in the womb. “Abortion will not end until men stand up” for women and babies in the womb, Watson challenged the crowd during the 44th annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. “We must end the unthinkable practice of abortion in the United States of America.” ..
March for Life President: The Only Number I Care About Is The 58 Million Babies Killed By Abortion
While the theme of this year’s March for Life was “The Power of One,” March President Jeanne Mancini seemed keen to take the focus off of crowd numbers and overall statistics and focus on the big picture: 58 million babies have been aborted in the United States since 1973. Mancini immediately dismissed any comparison to last week’s Women’s March on Washington, saying that the organizers were not concerned with crowd size or likes on social networks. Instead, Mancini said that the only number th..
Trump Advisor Kellyanne Conway Tells March for Life: President Donald Trump “Stands With You”
Kellyanne Conway, a top adviser to President Donald Trump, told hundreds of thousands of people at the March for Life that the president stands with them in their battle against abortion. “Steps away from here in the White House, a president and a vice president sit at their desks and make decisions for the nation,” Conway told the crowd. “As they sit there, they stand here with you.” “Their impassioned defense of life as presidential candidates showed a nation that courage and commitment can ..
Kingdom Roots with Dennis Venema, Genomist
Please listen to this to hear Dennis Venema’s story about changing toward evolution.
US
The Christmas wars throughout history
A new book by Gerry Bowler entitled Christmas in the Crosshairs: Two Thousand Years of Denouncing and Defending the World’s Most Celebrated Holiday points out that the “Christmas wars”–the conflict between secular and religious observances of Christmas–have been going on throughout the history of Christianity. The Bishop of Amasea complained in 400 A.D. about how Christmas presents make children greedy. St. Augustine complained about the commercialization of Christmas. And Christians have long c..
Person of the Year
Time Magazine’s Person of the Year is Donald Trump. Of course it was. Who else could it be? One of our end-of-the-year customs here at the Cranach blog–along with making predictions and checking last year’s predictions–is to make our own proposals for Person of the Year. Trump is clearly, in the words of Time’s criteria, “the person who had the greatest influence, for better or worse, on the events of the year.” Feel free to comment on whether you think his influence will be “for better or worse..
Ancient scientists helping modern scientists
Contrary to the stereotypes about ancient and medieval knowledge and totally contradicting Mark Twain’s depiction in Connecticut Yankee of King Arthur’s court panicking over an eclipse, the scientists of yore were keen observers of the heavens. They kept meticulous records of things like eclipses and analyzed them mathematically. Now astronomers from 2016 A.D. are using data recorded by the Babylonians in 136 B.C. to determine that the earth’s rate of rotation has slowed down. They are also maki..
From “the most humiliating year in our history” to victory
Today is the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Daily Oklahoman has a fascinating and moving feature looking not only at the coverage of that event but of its anniversary through the war years and beyond. We often forget that the first year of the war we were losing. The editorial for December 7, 1942, called it “the bitterest and most humiliating year in our history.” The next year’s paper was sober but more upbeat. Then we see optimism. In 1945 we see the exuberance–and relief..