1. Live your life as if there is no God.The greatest mistake you could ever make in your life would be to live as if there is no God. Some people choose to believe that there is no God. Big mistake. Others claim to believe in God, but they still seem to live their lives as if he does not exist. Another big mistake.Proverbs 9:10 is the beginning of

Daniel has several unique features among Old Testament books. The first half of the book deals with historical matters; the second half of the book deals with prophetic matters. The central theme of Daniel is that God is sovereign over the nations. God can cause one nation to rise and another nation to fall. Both the world and world events are in G

Much more encouraging is the advice found in another early text. The Apostolic Constitutions is a document that was probably compiled in the late fourth century. Regardless of its exact origin, this document provides insight into how some early Christians celebrated the resurrection of Christ:Break your fast when it is daybreak of the first day of

a. It helps you remember to pray for them.b. It helps you to watch as God answers. We get more answers than we realize if we only ask.Hezekiah’s prayer was honoring, humble, and respectful of who God is. Hezekiah knew his place as king—and he knew God’s place in the Kingdom. Hezekiah was king of a nation and that is an important job, yet Hezekiah w

Kids Grieve Differently From Adults Children tend to grieve in spurts, acting fine in one moment and grieving intensely in the next.  According to social worker Susan Thomas, “adults have one foot in grief and one foot on the outside, but kids jump in and out of grief,” quoted in “How Children Grieve.”When a child has jumped into grief for a moment

God did not disqualify Jeremiah on the basis of his youth and inexperience. In fact, he treated him the same way he treated Moses. He did not deny the basis for the prophet’s objection. He did not argue with Jeremiah about his speaking credentials or quibble with him about his age. Jeremiah may have had reasonable doubts. But God exposed his false

Notes1. Hans Urs Von Balthasar (1905-1988), the remarkable Swiss theologian said as much in his parish notes on the phrases of the Apostles Creed, collected into the book, Credo. I am indebted for his insights on the mystical nexus between revelation and mystery. This preeminent Roman Catholic priest and doctor of the Church reminds us of the reali

First, we must not present ourselves to sin. To present ourselves to sin is to say, “Here sin, use my eyes for a while. Use me to sin. Come on in to my thoughts and ruminate around.” To not present ourselves to sin is to flee temptation. Get out of there. Turn off the TV.When I was single, an attractive girl I worked with invited me to come to her

Find a specific time and place for solitude. Turn off any distracting noise in the background. Take the time to experience God’s presence.2. Silence internal distractions.Second, besides removing outside distractions, it is essential to silence our inner being. That is, banish all the thoughts within us that pull our attention away. If something ne

Praising God for the Wonder of PregnancyIsaiah 46:3-4 - Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, all you who remain in Israel. I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and sa

1. Seeking Answers It’s easy to come to church on Sunday and unload our week’s worth of anxiety in expectation of directly applicable solutions. Teachers give a part of themselves to pay forward what God has illuminated to them. He also places people in our lives for a reason. When we sit in class on Sunday, or in a family room with our small group

"Secondly, a serving with fear and a rejoicing with trembling; these are peculiar to the righteous who do righteousnesses at all times, and always rightly attempt both; never being without judgments, on the one hand, by which they are terrified and brought to despair of themselves and of all their own works; nor without that righteousness on the ot

Reading Scripture Through the Right GridJohn 5 shows the folly of fixing on the Scriptures while ignoring the God of grace. Jesus crossed paths with a troop who liked to think of themselves as soaked in the Scriptures, but they were getting them all wrong, taking them in through the wrong grid. What an epic tragedy: they had God himself in the fles

To his disciples (and it applies to us today), Jesus reinforced the importance of connection to him: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, throw

Preparing Our HeartsAs a family, we’ve looked for ways to celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection in tangible, hands-on ways. To prepare our hearts during the busy organizing of Easter baskets and planning of a Sunday dinner. Ways that build up to Easter morning, so that we have a clear idea as to why we celebrate. And it all starts with rememberin

1. Image Bearing “So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.” – Genesis 1:27What does it mean to be created in the image of God? The answers are too many to list or explain, so let’s just focus on one: created. We were created in the image of a creator. To use the active voice, the Crea

1. The First Noel “Noel” derives from the Latin verb “nasci,” to be born, and eventually trickled down into the French reference to the Christmas holiday. Defined, it literally means, “a Christmas carol” (Merriam Webster). The very world “Noel” is synonymous with Christmas. It’s quite possible that the tune of this song has been played since the 12

1. Some say babies have never sinned.Others have appealed to 1 Corinthians 7:14-16 to argue that the infants or children of a believing parent or parents are, for that reason, granted special salvific privilege in the kingdom of God. Again, this view is only as cogent as is that particular interpretation of 1 Corinthians 7. A related perspective ad

1. Slow down Life is rushing past us faster than we can catch it. And when unexpected struggles hit you out of nowhere, you might find yourself feeling like you are running on a hamster wheel, faster and faster but getting nowhere. So I’m giving you permission to slow down. Sometimes we need someone else to remind us that it is ok to rest. Jesus ev

More Than a Love Story From a historical point of view, Ruth is a crucial hinge in the story of Israel, marking the transition from the age of the judges to the age of the kings (which the writer highlights by starting the book with “in the days when the judges ruled,” and finishing it with the word “David.”).[1] From a Christian point of view, the