THE BLOG
Topic
- Anxiety 2
- Beauty 1
- Bible 7
- Blessings 1
- Body of Christ 1
- Burden 1
- CEO 1
- Christian Living 192
- Christlikeness 6
- Christmas 14
- Commandments 1
- Community 1
- Conflict 1
- Cults 1
- Culture 1
- DDM 1
- Death 2
- Discipleship 5
- Emotions 6
- Eternity 2
- Evangelism 7
- Faith 2
- Forgive 4
- Freedom 1
- Fusion 1
- Gambling 1
- Gather 1
- God 2
- Gospel 3
- Gratitude 2
- Hebrews 11 1
- Holiness 1
- Holy Spirit 1
- Homosexuality 1
- Humility 1
- Israel 2
- Jesus 9
- Joy 2
- King of Glory 1
- Lying 1
- Missions 3
- Outreach 1
- Pastor Jeff 1
- Perspective 2
- Prayer 8
- Psalm 119 3
- Reading 1
- Salvation 13
- Sanctification 1
- Satan 1
How Long Should I Pray?
I have been taught all my life to pray—to keep prayer lists and to assume that the longer I pray, the more committed I must be. Prayer is a precious gift God has given us, a sacred means by which we express our utter dependence upon Him. In prayer we exalt His attributes, celebrate His works, confess and repent of our sins, and plead for His gracious intervention in our lives and in the lives of others.
Don’t Bet on It
Last week, I listened to an eye-opening episode of The Briefing by Al Mohler on The Crisis of Sports Gambling. The Briefing is a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian perspective. Each episode is between 22–25 minutes and worth listening to. I highly recommend you give this episode a listen and be aware of this growing and perilous crisis, especially among our teenage boys and young men.
A Victory That Never Expires
What a great victory all the 12s had this past Sunday as we watched and celebrated our Seahawks who received the Vince Lombardi trophy and now stand atop the football world for one unforgettable year. The victory was real (what a defense), loud (nobody’s louder than the 12s), and convincing (now we can lay to rest the ugly 2015 Super Bowl final play…we love you Marshawn)…but it was only a temporary win.
The Crisis Beneath the Crisis
Recently I was doing some research on what is often called “mental health” in the United States. I don’t love that term, mostly because it’s so broad that it can mean almost anything, but the data behind it is difficult to ignore.
The Dual Power of the Tongue
I heard someone once say, “life and death are often only a word apart.” Scripture does not treat our speech as neutral. The Bible presents the tongue as a small instrument with enormous influence and capable of healing hearts or wounding souls, of proclaiming truth or spreading destruction. In a world full of words, God calls His people to speak with reverence, restraint, wisdom, and love.
Work On Your Hate Life
I’m sure the title of this note sounds a bit odd, if not outrageous. But I would submit to you that God commands us to hate and we don’t often think about it. He said, “Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9).
To state the obvious about how most human minds and emotions work, it is easy to hate the evil that others do, but it is much harder to hate the evil we do. In fact, we often play it down and call our evil a weak moment or just a mistake, or worst of all, “I’m only human.”
Pray for Your Country
n light of the growing animosity and frustration we see boiling over in our streets these days, I was reminded of how important it is for us to pray. As you know, God has instructed us in 1 Timothy 2:1–2 to do the following: “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Do Your Best
Mediocrity seems to be the norm these days. Let’s do enough just to get by at home, at work, in relationships, and even in our walk with God. But while mediocrity may suffice for those living only for the moment, it is totally incompatible with a life devoted to the eternal.