We must be as eager to hear the Scripture as to hear the sermon, and we must be as expectant that God will speak to us through the Word as through the message. Rightly do many churches preface their Bible reading with words like, “Listen as I read God’s holy Word.”
It is good to pray that God would save the ones we love. As Christians, we believe that God loves to save the lost and that it gives him special pleasure to do so in response to the prayers of his people. It is good to pray, but sometimes also difficult, especially when we have…
On October 7-8, Amazon is hosting Big Deal Days for people who have a Prime membership. They have a huge number of items on sale, covering most product categories. Of course, my interest is in books and Bibles and, thankfully, there are lots of great deals to be had (in printed, not Kindle editions). Most are discounted by…
Here is the kind of question I sometimes enjoy pondering: How much money is God not really concerned about? I guess I’d better explain what I mean by that. If someone told me a wealthy neighbor was handing out $100 bills to anyone who dropped by, no strings attached, I would immediately go over and…
Many of us live in contexts and cultures in which there is fierce competition among churches, each advertising itself as more interesting, more appealing, more entertaining than the others. It sometimes seems that no gimmick is too crass and no strategy too absurd for these churches as they attempt to one-up the others and fill…
I am a long way from retirement—from pulling back from the full-time day-to-day responsibilities of my vocation to instead begin winding down and preparing to step away. I am a long way from retirement, but not so far away that I can neglect planning for it. So, like most of my peers …
Do you remember when the New Atheism was at its peak? Do you remember when the so-called “Four Horsemen” of the movement were writing book after book that proclaimed and celebrated the death of Christianity and, indeed, the death of religion?
Every Christian knows it is both our duty and our delight to gather with God’s people on each Lord’s Day. But we may have less clarity on why we do this. Why is it so important that we gather specifically to worship?
There is really no book in the Bible, or in all the world, that is like Romans. And while much of Romans is advanced reading that requires a good grasp of language, logic, and Old Testament history, it also teaches some of the most fundamental and foundational truths of the Christian faith. In that way,…
I was recently part of a panel discussion when a question came up that I have heard various times and in various forms. It goes something like this: How much time should I spend reading the Bible compared to the time I spend reading?
My daughters both tried hard not to see Charlie Kirk die. But both saw him die anyway. They saw the bullet strike, they saw his body jerk, they saw the torrent of blood that proved the shot had been fatal. Though they didn’t want to see any of it, it was all but inevitable that…
It is good to worship God in secret, where no one can see us except the Lord. In fact, the most effective secret worship is the most secret of secret worship, those times when we are truly alone with the Lord.
It is something you see often in the world of Christian publishing and no doubt beyond as well—a book that proves especially helpful for adults will often be adapted into a book for teens. That usually requires condensing the book and adapting its style of writing. It sometimes requires reformatting the content to suit a…
I did not know Charlie Kirk, and, in fact, barely knew of him until his death. Like so many others, I was horrified by his murder and have been attempting to understand its significance. As a committed curator of distinctly Christian content, I have had many articles come through my app, and each of them…
You have probably had the experience of going from a very bright room into a very dark room. Maybe you arrive home late, and after you get ready for bed, you have to tiptoe into a bedroom where someone else is already fast asleep. You find that when you go from the brightness of the…
It is for good reason that so many Christians commit Psalm 23 to memory, for as it tells of the love of the Shepherd for his sheep, and as it describes the tender protection of his flock, it assures us that God is leading and guiding us through the dark valleys of our lives. “Even…
I find few of life’s experiences more exasperating and less rewarding than buying a new car. Among the different brands, there are competing models that vary from one another in only the subtlest ways.
They say you should never bring a knife to a gunfight. It’s a colorful little proverb that emphasizes the value of proper preparation, yet I’m not sure it’s a proverb God cares much for.
It has often been said that any church would be perfect if it weren’t for all the people! And it is true that wherever there are people, there will be struggles and there will be conflicts.
It is a tremendous joy to tell you about a new song I have had the pleasure of creating with my friends from CityAlight—a song that wonderfully complements From the Rising of the Sun: A Journey of Worship Around the World.