“Mysterious Being Creates the World in 7 Days, You Won’t Believe What Happens Next!” That’s what I imagine the headline for Genesis, the first book of the Bible, would be if it was written in the digital age. In the Beginning God Created All good stories have a great hook, which sets the tone or […]
HOW A ROMAN BISHOP CHANGED THE WAY I READ THE BIBLE
On reading the Bible to enjoy God
When I became a Christian as a sophomore in high school, it was clear that, as a Christian, reading the Bible was going to be a big part of my life. Every week my Sunday School teacher would ask us how many times we had read the Bible in the previous seven days. At youth […]
HEARING FROM GOD FOR OTHERS
Understanding the spiritual gift of prophecy
I’m an equal-opportunity coffee drinker and pretty much enjoy all things coffee, so I’m often found working in coffee shops. I love the culture found in coffee shops. There always seems to be a nice buzz, and you can easily watch people if that happens to be one of your hobbies. And yes, that does […]
THE GIFT OF ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE GREAT ENCOURAGER
On the spiritual gift of encouragement
A couple years ago I was invited to receive some training to become a certified coach for the family of churches I belong to. I was informed that the training would help me coach people who were planting churches, and it would also help me be a much better leader in the local church I […]
HEALING AS THE KINGDOM COMES SLOW
On the spiritual gift of healing
A few years ago I was in Kenya, a beautiful country in eastern Africa. As a group of my friends, both Africans and Americans, were sharing the good news about Jesus, we approached two ladies with the hopes of building a friendship and sharing Jesus with them. As we began talking, we learned that due […]
TO MAKE HIM KNOWN
The Law, the Mission, and the Christian
What is your view of the Law of the Old Testament? Do’s and Don’ts? Strict adherence to the Ten Commandments? An overbearing family member? If it is, then you might find the notion of Christian obligation to be a burden. This Law is crushing down upon you, and you might feel the need to work […]
TASTE AND SEE
The Art of Discernment
Imagine a group of dwarves huddled together in a stable. They are cold, hungry and scared. Their greatest fear is to be “taken in” by the notion that a lion exists who is the great king of their country. In an instance, the lion appears in their midst. With a shake of his mane, a […]
MY ENEMY, THE DEVIL
Why Satan is our enemy
There are friends I would rather no one know I have. In the past, I’ve introduced you to two of these friends, World and Flesh. One surrounds me; the other is part of me. These should be my enemies. They distance me from God and dampen my love for Christ. However, I find myself drawing […]
MY ENEMY IS ME
On why our flesh is our enemy
There is an enemy of mine, living closer to me than any other. He comes with me wherever I go. He lives with me. No matter how fast I run, he is there. He remains with me because he is Flesh, the desires I have as a human being. As in, “the spirit is willing, […]
ENEMIES OF US: THE WORLD
Changing our view of the world as we come to know Christ
Most days, I live with my enemies. You might even mistake them for my friends, because at times I live to close to them. They are hard to avoid. They are older than me, more experienced, and able to make me fit into their circle. Let me introduce them and a three-part series where I’ll let […]