Pursuing a holistic expression of Christian faith that is true to the Bible and applicable for today’s world.
A few weeks ago, the church service kicked off with a discussion question: “What is church?” We broke into small groups with those sitting around us. After exchanging introductions (why hadn’t we already done this?), we stared in silence. As a visitor, I didn’t want to go first, but the silence invited me. “I’ve thought […]
I’m not sure how widespread this is, but in our corner of Michigan, there’s an annual event in several cities called the Parade of Homes. It’s like a progressive dinner, but instead of eating at each stop, you look at the house. This is an occasion for builders to showcase their work, in hopes of […]
Confessions About Fasting Last Sunday’s post about sharing our spiritual struggles was really the introduction for this week’s post, my groaning to reach what I strive for: a 24-hour fast. My confession is that my normal joy of fasting has been mired in a season of misery. For most of the past ten years, I’ve […]
Don’t Celebrate Your Successes and Hide Your Shortcomings A friend once told how he gave his TV away; he didn’t want one anymore. It was a spiritual act, a voluntary fast from television and the distractions it provided, in order to give him more time for God and family. He reveled in his decision and […]
God Hears Us When We Pray Many years ago my dad gave me his twelve-year-old riding lawnmower. “If you’re careful,” he advised, “you might get a couple more years out of it. The first time I used it, I prayed. I thanked God for his provision and for my parents’ generosity. I asked God to […]
Don’t Rush Your Time with God I cringe whenever someone says, “Let’s just say a quick prayer.” Prayer is holy communication with the Almighty. It is a hallowed honor that we, as mere human beings, are granted the privilege to experience with the Divine. I’ve never comprehended why God bothers to listen to us or […]
Good and Bad Habits My wife and I have our house for sale. Our realtor advised us to turn on all the lights throughout the house prior to a showing. The theory is this makes the house more inviting and keeps potential buyers from searching for light switches, possibly in the dark. Though this makes […]
Examine Your Reasons for Staying Home on Sunday Last Sunday I asked the question, Why do you go to church? Today, I ask the opposite question to everyone else: Why don’t you go to church? Though I’m not in this group, I’ve talked to many who are. They have multiple reasons, some of them good, […]
Reasons People Give for Going to Church I often wonder why I go to church. Seldom do I come up with a good answer, that is, the real reason why I show up on Sundays. I’m not even sure if I know the theologically correct response. Here are some reasons I’ve heard over the years: […]
Take Time to Show Your Appreciation Everyone has a dad. Some know their dads and respect them, whereas others don’t. Too many are estranged from their dads, and a few don’t even know who their dads are. Yet we all have dads. As a result, some people celebrate Father’s Day, others tolerate it, and a […]