The power that lies in forgiveness and in unforgiveness is immense. It is also something that is universal to the human experience. Because we live in a world that is fallen and sin abounds, all of us in some form or another have to go through periods of needing to forgive and needing to be …
Words mean things
This week I have been really focusing on the sections of the Face to Face book that deal with cultivating my character. Maybe it is because I am reading the book of Proverbs along with the book. On Day 22 this one struck me: “What is desirable in a person is kindness, And it is …
Do we really take at His word?
This week, as I was reading through my devotional material, I was looking for a theme to be thinking about. To be honest, that theme did not come until Sunday’s sermon. Pastor Paul had one line that just struck me, wrapping up all that I was thinking and reading about this week. He was reading …
I hate journaling…
Let’s just get out of the way up front, I don’t like journaling. It’s not that I don’t think that it is beneficial or helpful. Nor do I think that it is a waste of time. It is that journaling seems “unnatural” to me. I have tried many times to undertake the discipline of journaling, …
Standing in the Fire: Courageous Christians Living in Frightening Times
Standing in the Fire: Courageous Christians Living in Frightening Times by Tom Doyle My rating: 4 of 5 stars What a treat this book was! I heard Tom Doyle on the Voice of the Martyrs podcast (vomradio.com) and his stories so enchanted me I had to get the book. I was not disappointed. I actually …
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On withdrawing form the culture…
This concept of spiritual growth is faulty for several reasons. First, it neglects the second of the most important commandments, to love others as we love ourselves. Loving is a doing verb – it implies, in fact, necessitates action. Loving others requires us to go outside of our spiritual bunker. By loving others, we can …
Suffering as a discipline
This threw me at first. Aren’t disciplines something we should seek to do? Aren’t they actions that we do to develop our spiritual lives? Well, yeah, they are. And when I have read that suffering is a spiritual discipline, it took me a while to think and ponder on it, but it made sense. Disciplines help to …
On Consumer Christianity…
“Consumer Christianity” does not offer deep answers to deep problems. Fast food offers a quick fill up of the belly with little to no nutritional value. In fact, eat fast food with regularity and you will find that your health will fail. The same is true with our spiritual life. Having a life of transformation …
Philosophical Foundation for Theism
Hi all, Here is a great video I stumbled across that give a positive argument - an apologia - for theism. Take an hour and watch: