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
2 Samuel 7:22
““How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.”Continue reading→
Deuteronomy 10:14 (10-14-16)
To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.— Deuteronomy 10:14 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... It all belongs to God! The multifaceted and creative side of our heavenly Father's nature is revealed in the astounding beauty and variety in our universe. This is not our world, but our Father has chosen to share it with us as one of his many gifts to us. Our Creator chose to provide us with the changing seasons in each year a..Continue reading→
A Spiritual Implant
I tell you the truth, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. John 3:5, NIV The only people who go to heaven are those who are born of water. But those who go to heaven must also be born of the Spirit. Just as the virgin Mary conceived the physical life of the Son of God, you and I conceive the spiritual life of the Son of God when we are “born again.” From that moment on, we are essentially two people on the inside. We have the mind, emotions, and will ..Continue reading→
Romans 12:2
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”Continue reading→
1 Corinthians 10:13 (10-13-16)
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.— 1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... In the face of temptation, God has promised us two things: (1) a way out, and (2) the power to stand up under trial. Can we truly believe this? Yes, of course, because Jesus demonstrated this pow..Continue reading→
Daily Wisdom
1 Timothy 2:1-2
“[Instructions on Worship] I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”Continue reading→
Hebrews 11:6 (11-06-16)
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.— Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... And just why do we serve God? ... Fear? ... Sense of obligation? ... Because our parents did? How about because we want to please God and bring the Father joy? How about because of we believe in what God has done and will do for us? We believe that God sent his Son Jesus to di..Continue reading→
Forgiveness for ALL Our Sins
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9, NIV The blood of Jesus is sufficient for the forgiveness of any and all sins because the Cross was two thousand years ago and all of our sins were still to come. Therefore, all of our sins, whether we committed them yesterday or today or have yet to commit them tomorrow, are covered by His blood – past sins, present sins, future sins, big sins, small sins, or medium-si..Continue reading→
Ephesians 1:9-10
“he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”Continue reading→
Prayers
Exhortations
Passage: Hebrews 13:1-5 Prayer: Dear Father, hospitable king,Fill me with brotherly love. Make me a generous provider of hospitality to strangers. Let angels find provision under my roof, even when I don't know who they really are.Help me remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since I am also in the body.Help me hold marriage in honor. May my own marriage bed remain forever undefiled.Keep me from the love of money. Help me be content with..Continue reading→
Daily Prayer for October 2
In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Psalm 31:1–2, NIV Lord our God, give us your Spirit, we beseech you, that we may find your paths on earth and live in the hope and certainty that everything is in your hands, even when we see much that is unjust and evil. May we remain under your protection, living by your commandments and in your Sp..Continue reading→
Light that Burns Away Sin
Passage: Hebrews 12:29 Prayer: Dear Father, who dwells in indescribable light,Living God, consuming fire, burn the sin from my life. Purify my heart's desire in the smelter of your holiness.I want to do your will, Father, so that whatever I do, in word or deed, it will be done in the name of the Lord Jesus.I give thanks to you, God, my Father, always for everything.In Jesus' name. Amen. Devotional provided by Heartlight® © 1996-2016. All rights reserved.Continue reading→
Daily Prayer for October 1
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer...Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:12,15, NIV Lord our God, we thank you for your gospel, the great, good tidings we may carry in our hearts to give us joy in this present time, even though on all sides people are in anguish and agony. We thank you that your gospel fills our hearts with compassion, enabling us to help carry what many have to suffer. Show us our need of you so that we can receive you..Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
Bishop: Church Must Keep Hard Line On Gay Relationships Even If It Risks Institutional Status
A conservative bishop has accused the Church of England of "being oblivious to the obvious" over the links between theology and growth.Continue reading→
Pope Francis Ends Holy Year Of Mercy Amid Rifts And Division
Pope Francis ended the Roman Catholic Church's 'Holy Year of Mercy' on Sunday but closing the 'Door of Mercy' in the Vatican.Continue reading→
Pope’s Horror At Prostitute Tortured And Forced To Work Until She Gave Birth
Pope Francis has spoken of his horror at the stories of prostitutes he met during a visit to a rescue centre as part of the Church's Year of Mercy.Continue reading→
10 Characteristics Of An Amazing Leadership Team
Last night I walked out of the room shaking my head. God, I don’t know how you pulled this off, but this team is simply amazing. Unified. Visionary. Encouraging. Fun. Passionate. Gifted. Transparent. Gracious. These are just a few of the words I’d use to describe the people who faithfully serve on CCV’s Leadership Team. Your church may use a different name – Leadership Council, Governing Board, etc. – we simply use the phrase “Leadership Team” to describe the group of people called to serve t..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
Feelings Are Real, But Are They Always the Truth?
As believers we live by faith, not by sight. Our circumstances may appear to indicate that God is not for us or that he is giving us too much to handle. Yet we live by faith in God’s word which says despite our circumstances God is for us and is not giving us too much to handle. So it is with our feelings. We live by faith in God’s word not what our feelings tell us. We may feel hopeless. We may feel like we can’t go on another day. Anybody remember James Brown, or his hit song called I Got Yo..Continue reading→
Despair at Work
Despair, in other words, is only remedied through faith in Jesus Christ, “through whom we have now received reconciliation” with God (Rom 5:11). Even those united to Christ through faith continue to struggle with despair–to live and act as though the grace of God is not enough–insofar as their faith remains imperfect in this life. For this reason, despair is as universal as sin and not to be reduced to or confused with mere consciousness of despair, since the consciousness of despair may be abse..Continue reading→
WCF 15: Repentance Unto Life
Concerning how we understand repentance, Bible-believing Christians should be wary of at least three major errors. First, the Roman Catholic Church has turned repentance into a sacrament, where in the sacrament of penance, it is believed that penance is actually a meritorious work by which sinners make real satisfaction for their sin (add to the work of Christ). Second, and similarly, Arminianism believes that repentance is a work on the part of the individual that is a necessary precursor to re..Continue reading→
A Tale of Two Sexual Assaults on Jennifer Lawrence
When it comes to violations of conscience, however, our hypersexualized culture is not so quick to respond. We’ve become acclimated to sex as an entertainment tool, not realizing that mainstream actors are routinely coerced and manipulated into performing sex and/or nude scenes. In the face of overwhelming societal pressure, they often submit to things they otherwise wouldn’t do. The first assault against Jennifer Lawrence was heavily discussed in the news and on social media. The second has re..Continue reading→
Movies
My favorite films of 2016
Conventional wisdom holds that 2016 was, to use the technical term, a dumpster fire. I’m not going to argue against that; it was a year in which American culture finally curdled and icons were taken from us at an alarming rate. But bad times make for great art, and 2016 was another wonderful year of cinema. Unlike other years, in which the majority of great releases were clustered around the fall months, my list for favorite films of 2016 includes films that were released throughout the calendar..Continue reading→
Happy Christmas Eve
Photo via Vlickr, Jori Samonen. CC Licensing. Ever since I was a child, Christmas Eve has meant more to me than Christmas Day. As a child, it was because Christmas Eve was when we would load up the car, go to my grandparents and open gifts with my cousins. It was that night — and the lead into Christmas morning — that embodied the holiday for me the most. Treats on the counter. One grandfather excitedly playing Santa. The other calmly reading Luke’s account of the Christmas story. A fire roaring..Continue reading→
The Best Films of 2016: Empathy in Action
What animated the most enduring films of 2016? While our nation suffered from our inability to empathize with the Other, thankfully the finest filmmakers reminded us how compelling compassion remains. Empathy turned a ‘small’ film like Moonlight into an immediate masterpiece. Not a shot, gesture, or line is wasted in Barry Jenkins’ gorgeous triptych. The evolution of Chiron across the mean streets of Miami communicated with such clarity why Black Lives Matter. The West Texas plains of Toby and ..Continue reading→
Short film submissions wanted $10,000 for films on fatherhood
Short film submissions wanted $10,000 for films on fatherhood December 21st, 2016 The Fatherhood CoMission and the Christian Worldview Film Festival have partnered to hold the second annual HONOR YOUR FATHER short film contest. The two groups urge filmmakers to use inspiration, humor, or drama in short film to promote a Biblical perspective of fatherhood, sharable on social media and appropriate to play in churches leading up to Father’s Day. Filmmakers of all ages and backgrounds are ..Continue reading→
My favorite (non-movie) pop culture of 2016!
Photo by Dafne Cholet, Flickr. CC Licensing. 2016 is coming to a close. And while there are a lot of reasons to be happy that we’re saying goodbye to this year, let’s not forget that this wasn’t a terrible year in every area. True, we might be skipping toward the apocalypse. But at least there were some fun diversions along the way. My post for the best movies of 2016 will be coming later. I hope to have it up before the new year, but the fall has been so busy that I’m behind on movies. There ar..Continue reading→
Pureflix joining forces with ClearPlay to deliver clean(er) content to families
Pureflix joining forces with ClearPlay to deliver clean(er) content to families December 20th, 2016 PureFlix, a leader in the faith and family streaming video space, is partnering with ClearPlay Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah. To provide consumers original content, movies, TV shows and more completely free from any offensive language. ClearPlay’s innovative playback filtering technology is designed to work with the PureFlix.com existing library of more than 5,000 titles. It also opens the do..Continue reading→
“It’s My Favorite” Talks Christmas!
Photo by Antonio Castagna, Flickr. CC Licensing So, Christmas is coming and I know there’s been a bit of a lull the past few months in blogging as I’ve finished my first semester of grad school. It’s been a busy, challenging few months, but as of about 24 hours ago, I’m done with class. Starting Friday, I’ll be off work for two days. In addition to enjoying the holidays with my family, I’m also looking forward to catching up on some movies and tending to this neglected site. In the coming days a..Continue reading→
Sony Animation’s The Star — a Nativity film coming out next year — warms up its online marketing campaign
Is it too early to think about next year’s Christmas movies? The folks at Sony apparently hope it isn’t. Today their “faith-based” division, Affirm Films, sent out an e-mail letting people know that the upcoming animated film The Star — about a donkey, a sheep, and some other animals who participate in the first Christmas — now has a website. The film also has a few social-media accounts, but so far — apart from the brand-new banner above — there are no photos, no casting news and no details abo..Continue reading→
Watch: Jack Huston and Timur Bekmambetov sing Morgan Freeman’s praises in a clip from a Ben-Hur bonus feature
Ben-Hur was one of the year’s biggest flops, and director Timur Bekmambetov thinks he knows why: he recently told a Russian news agency that the film failed at the box office because audiences prefer stories of revenge to stories about forgiveness. That could be one of the reasons the film didn’t do so well, but I can think of a few others, too: the late-August release date, the lousy reviews, the perception that it was a niche “faith-based” film, and the utter lack of movie stars, to name just ..Continue reading→
Music
All Is Not Lost by The Brilliance
In a world faced with suffering, division and hate, liturgical band The Brilliance is declaring that even still All Is Not Lost, the title of their inspiring sophomore album, set to release January 27, 2017. The New York-based duo, comprised of David Gungor and John Arndt. writes songs for both the church and those feeling spiritually homeless. Their goal is to create music that gives voice to the pain and pleasure of the human experience, providing a sonic invitation that welcomes all people to live fully. Colored through with intricate string arrangements, All Is Not Lost contains tracks[...]Continue reading→
Red Sea Road by Ellie Holcomb
This record celebrates the Hope we have in Jesus, and the powerful personal ways Ellie has seen Him make Red Sea Roads through some of the most heartbreaking times of her life. "The past two years for our community have been heavy, full of suffering and loss," shares Ellie Holcomb. "Red Sea Road is a record full of songs about how I've seen God show up in the middle of all the pain. I know now more than I did two years ago that He is faithful, no matter what we are facing, I've seen Him continue to draw[...]Continue reading→
Vertical Church Band Announces The Vertical Nights Tour Featuring Pastor James MacDonald
Essential Worship's Vertical Church Band and Premier Productions have partnered and are proud to announce the upcoming dates for their Vertical Nights Tour. Kicking off March 8 in South Bend, Indiana, the tour is scheduled to hit 14 markets across the U.S. Tickets are on sale now by visiting here. RELATED Vertical Church Band Releases 'Frontiers' At each tour stop, concertgoers will get to enjoy a message from Pastor James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel, along with music from..Continue reading→
Aaron Shust Releases Performance Video For ‘You Redeem’
This week Aaron Shust released the performance video, featuring former Sanctus Real lead singer and co-writer Matt Hammitt, for his new single "You Redeem." The song is the first single from the live worship album Love Made A Way, releasing March 10th. RELATED Aaron Shust's 'Ever Be' Top 5 on Billboard's NCA Chart "When God performs miracles, when he heals what cannot be cured, it can be overwhelming to know that He is mindful of us. I can clearly recall every moment I'..Continue reading→
Meredith Andrews’ Husband Helps Save A Life
Last week Meredith Andrews and her husband, songwriter and producer Jacob Sooter, got to have a part in something truly incredible helping save someone's life. RELATED Meredith Andrews Releases Video Series With Kay Warren Meredith posted a photo from the Nashville Airport last Friday evening telling the amazing story of how a simple tire iron played a vital role in saving a life. "On our way to the airport we came up on a car stopped at an intersection. Most cars were driving around, but..Continue reading→
Joel Vaughn Releases New EP
Joel Vaughn releases his second EP, Surrender, today. Leading up to the album's release, Joel pre-released his album on iTunes and via his IndieGoGo profile which awarded fans the opportunity to getting their names in the album's credits, a chance to write a song with him and an exclusive acoustic show. RELATED Joel Vaughn Launches Indiegogo to Fund Full Length Album "What if we could let go of our fear and truly trust God even when it's hard to? What could He accomplish through..Continue reading→
Hollyn Set To Release First Full-Length Album ‘One-Way Conversations’
Gotee Records' HOLLYN announced this week that she will be releasing her debut LP album, One-Way Conversations, next month on February 10. This album is the follow-up to her acclaimed self-titled EP that produced the No. 1 single "Alone (feat. TRU)" and the Top 5 single "Nothin' On You." The upcoming release already touts a No. 1 radio single with the track "Love with Your Life." The pre-order for One-Way Conversations is live now, click here to preorder digitally as well as preorder t..Continue reading→
We Love Christian Music Awards To Hold First-Ever Event Feb. 2
The WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS have had a fifth year for the record books, and its unprecedented momentum continues with the announcement of its first-ever live awards event, to be held Thursday, Feb. 2 at the JUCE TV studios in the Nashville area. RELATED Voting Now Open In 5th Annual We Love Christian Music Awards Made possible by the awards' partnership between industry leading Christian music website NewReleaseToday (http//www.newreleasetoday.com) and Trinity Broadcasting Network&..Continue reading→
Atlantic Announces ‘The Shack Music From And Inspired By The Original Motion Picture’
Atlantic Records has announced its release of "THE SHACK MUSIC FROM AND INSPIRED BY THE ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE," due everywhere on Friday, February 24th to coincide with the nationwide release of the film from Lionsgate's Summit Entertainment label on March 3. RELATED 'The Shack' Set To Hit Theaters March 2017 "THE SHACK MUSIC FROM AND INSPIRED BY THE ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE" is available now for pre-order here and accompanied by two instant grat downloads "Keep Your Eyes On M..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..