Evangelism is the responsibility and privilege of every Christian. Though this is true, evangelism will fail if souls won fall away from the faith... including ours. As outward trials and inward troubles fell upon the church, what final charges did Peter give them, and what can we learn?   Read More

You've probably heard of hypervigilance and helicopter parenting, and maybe even met (or been) someone guilty of it. Parents really do want their children to be safe. The question is: do they want enough to work for it when it really matters?  Read More

Paul said, "None of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself" (Romans 14:7). Sometimes we pray like we do though. How could our prayer life be improved by thinking of a bigger picture than the one right in front of us?   Read More

When asked, most people who claim to be Christians will also claim that they don't believe in salvation through good works. However, a closer examination of their beliefs may tell a different story.  Read More

Jesus calls his followers to be as different to those in the world as light is to darkness or as salt is to a palate. Congregationally, how can we be different during holiday seasons in a way that makes a difference?  Read More

When the Israelites took the ark of the covenant with them into a battle against the Philistines, they demonstrated that they thought God dwelled in a box. Are we guilty of trying to put God in boxes today?   Read More

A great ice fishing trip wasn't so great for my 8-year-old son, who had to watch on while everyone caught something but him. Teaching him to be happy for others meant reminding both him and myself of the One who watches over all fishing trips, including one on the sea of Galilee almost 2000 years ago.   Read More

Job somehow knew that he would come through the fires that tested him "as gold" (Job 23:10). As great as Job was, he knew less about God and His eternal plan than even a babe in Christ knows. Does what you know change what you see when you are tested?   Read More

While we may find that time grants us perspective regarding certain challenges, there are certain things in life for which we may never be grateful. God’s will is not for us to give thanks for everything that happens, but to maintain a grateful disposition in and sometimes in spite of what happens. How can we?  Read More

1 Peter can at first appear to be a handbook for survival in the face of trials. Closer examination though reveals frequent allusions to the church being not just an institution of transformed people but an institution that exists to transform people.  Read More

Students today are taught to avoid plagiarism by properly citing the sources that influence their work. New Testament authors used citation to a degree, but sometimes their efforts in doing so leave modern readers with more questions than answers. Let's attempt to answer some of these questions by considering a couple of New Testament examples.   Read More

"Man of sorrows" (Isaiah 53:3): I agree with Isaac Watts who added, "what a name / for the Son of God, who came." But it wasn't just a name; Jesus became a Man of Sorrows by being "acquainted with grief." What can we learn from the One who came not merely to grieve alongside of but to relieve and save the brokenhearted?   Read More