Bible Translations: KJV vs. NIV (pt2)
Is the NIV “a Bible that has blasphemed the Son of God”? As a pastor, I often get questions about the Bible. This is a good thing, of course, not only because people need a place to go with questions, but also because it gives me the chance to study topics and ideas I may […]
All Who Are Oppressed
Was it only Jesus who was sent to “set the captives free”? I had a conversation once with a man who argued that it is the Church’s responsibility to help only those who are believers. He pointed out what the Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 6:10, “as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, […]
Victorious Vulnerability
What if “standing strong” was your greatest weakness? For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn–fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort […]
When the world tells you what you lack…
We live in a world that tells us to compare. Compare ourselves with our friends. Compare ourselves with what we see on TV and in the movies. Compare ourselves with “statistics” to find out whether we’re “normal” or not. But that’s not the path to freedom, and that’s not the way of Jesus. “Not that […]
Effective Worship
Some “e-mail updates” I just delete. Then others, I take time to read because I know there’s something special inside. “Notes from Terry” is one of the ones I read, because in his role as “Team Strategist” for Music and Worship Ministries office of the Florida Baptist Convention, Terry Williams always has some great stuff […]
Bible Translations: KJV vs. NIV (pt1)
Is the NIV truly “Apostasy in print”? As a pastor, I often get questions about the Bible. This is a good thing, of course, not only because people need a place to go with questions, but also because it gives me the chance to study topics and ideas I may not normally have the occasion […]
Hope in the Hurting
What do you do when it just hurts? All throughout history the people of God have struggled with hurt, with pain and uncertainty. It’s never easy to walk through the valley of the shadow, especially because we never DO know how long it will last. And yet, it is in these times of suffering that […]
Trust and Hardened Hearts
It’s hard to love someone you don’t trust. “Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.” -Psalm 95:8-9 The foundation of every relationship is trust, especially […]
From Head to Foot
Jesus has victory over all things, but do you? And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. -Ephesians 1:22-23 As the Church of Jesus Christ, we certainly tend to do a […]
The Joy of Judgement (pt2)
When God judges me, I’ll celebrate. Will you? “For the Lord comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.” -Psalm 96:13b To be reminded of the righteous judgement of God is a joyful thing for the believer. The promise that He will judge with equity […]