THE BLOG
Topic
- Anxiety 2
- Beauty 1
- Bible 7
- Blessings 1
- Body of Christ 1
- Burden 1
- CEO 1
- Christian Living 198
- Christlikeness 6
- Christmas 14
- Commandments 1
- Community 2
- 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 2
- 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
Just Be F….
What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word “faithful”? A person? A product? A pet? The sunrise or sunset? Rain in Washington? Why is it we remember so little about the hand-picked tribal leaders of Israel: Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, or Geuel and remember so much about Joshua and Caleb? In a nutshell, the first ten were faithless and the last two were faithful.
My Top Ten Life Centering Truths
What truths center and guide your life the most? For me, there are many, but if I had to reduce it to the ten most dynamic passages of scriptural truths, it would be these. They keep me motivated and focused.
O Lord, Revive Us
Everybody is talking about what has been taking place at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, ever since a normally scheduled chapel service on the morning of February 8th turned into a special move of the Spirit in prayer, repentance, and worship. It continues to grow in number and has been spreading around to other schools and attracting the attention of the news media. So, what should we think? How should we respond?
7 Things Everyday
A few years ago, I read this great tweet by Dustin Benge (Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality and Historical Theology and Vice President of Communications at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, where he also serves as a senior fellow of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies).
Satan Is Alive and Well
This last Sunday night, 12.4 million viewers were exposed to a shocking presentation during the 65th annual Grammy Awards for the music industry—devil worship. Of course, all the normal superficiality and lewdness were displayed at the Grammy’s, but what happened on stage with artists Sam Smith and Kim Petras was unprecedented.
Vital Questions to Ask
Recently, I had someone ask me how they could communicate the gospel truth to a few people who had misunderstandings about Christianity yet showed an interest in knowing more.
I suggested sending them the following questions that are designed to prompt a search for ultimate answers about the truth of the gospel. Maybe you know someone who is showing interest and needs to do some more digging and consider the answers to these questions.
Be Humble
The Scriptures are chock-full of warnings about the ugliness of pride and the blessing of humility. Ouch: “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; assuredly, he will not be unpunished” (Proverbs 16:5). WOW: “But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2b).
Keep Pressing On
An interesting title caught my eye this week: “19 Mind-Blowing New Year’s Resolution Statistics (2023).” The opening line said this: “The New Year’s resolution statistics don’t lie…” Here are a few of the highlights or lowlights. You can read the whole analysis if you care to.
Watch Out for the Money Trap
It seems like everything these days comes with some kind of warning. I guess it keeps the liability attorneys well-fed and corporations well-protected and consumers well-notified. On the wrapper of a Fruit Roll-Up snack: “Remove before eating.” (Thanks for the heads up.) On a remote control for a TV: “Not dishwasher safe.” (So glad for this, since that would have been my first thought.) On a pack of Breath Savers: “Not for weight control.” (Hmmm, maybe their taste makes you feel like you’re losing weight??) On a container of underarm deodorant: “Caution: Do not spray in eyes.” (Oh my, such a critical warning.) So much for the warning label industry that keeps us well-informed and…safe.