Do you ever feel like you have to “perform” in the Christian life? I’ve noticed lately that when I write my personal Scripture reflections, they are often more cautionary than encouraging. (“Be careful about this; don’t do that; watch out over here!”) Why not more hopeful? Why do I reflexively …
TOPICS: encouragement, grace, legalism, performance
Ever feel like you’re in a fight you can’t win? “Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is He who will tread down our foes.” – Psalm 108:12-13 I don’t know about you, but I’m amazed …
TOPICS: battle, protection, Psalm 108, struggle, trouble
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: bible translations, controversy, King James, KJV, New International Version, NIV, theology, versions
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, …
TOPICS: calling, church, deliverance, justice, mercy, oppression, Psalm 103, service
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 …
TOPICS: 2 Corinthians 7, church, community, strength, weakness
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 …
TOPICS: 2 Corinthians 10, art, comparison, graphics, lack, pins, provision
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 …
TOPICS: books, florida baptist convention, music, response. terry williams, worship
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 …
TOPICS: bible, controversy, inerrancy, King James Bible, King James Version, KJV, New International Version, NIV, questions, scripture, theology, translations
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 …
TOPICS: cross, hope, Jesus, joy, pain, perspective, suffering
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 …
TOPICS: faith, freedom, hard heartedness, love, Psalm 95, trust
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