Pursuing a holistic expression of Christian faith that is true to the Bible and applicable for today’s world.
The Apocrypha is a group of Old Testament books that are not in all versions of the Bible, such as the modern Protestant and Hebrew Bibles. They are, however, part of the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox versions of the Bible. Since much of Christianity deems these writings as holy and inspired, I […]
The major credit card data breach that occurred in December is still making news, with more than 100 million people possibly affected. With the heightened attention to the vulnerability of financial data, it’s a good reminder to periodically check our credit reports for errors and fraudulent activity. Errors can lower our credit score, which might […]
In the post How to Hear from God I shared the five steps I followed when I first learned how to hear from God. This affirmed some people, encouraged a few more, and frustrated others. I won’t assert that hearing from God is normative or required. Doing so would only cause division in the church […]
For most of my life I was taught that God speaks to us through the Bible, and we speak to him through prayer. Together, these two one-way communication channels can result in a dialogue of sorts. While this is correct, it’s only part of the story. I more recently learned that God can also speak […]
Two weeks ago I encouraged you to have a Bible reading plan for the new year—and I felt a bit guilty for saying it. This wasn’t because I gave bad advice, but because I hadn’t yet figured out my own plan. I try to never tell someone to do something that I won’t or don’t […]
A guy who ponders deep theological thoughts recently shared two concepts with me: intentional Protestantism and accidental Protestantism. Both relate to the Reformation of the Christian church, some five hundred years ago. What about accidental Christianity or intentional Christianity? Back then, a group of people saw problems in the church and broke from it, forming […]
Last year, my church encouraged us to read the entire Bible as a congregation. I’m pleased to report that not only did I complete that goal, but I also finished early. I celebrate my accomplishment and all that I learned about God in the process, but I’m also glad to put the task behind me. […]
For people who follow Jesus, Christmas is a time to celebrate his birth. Yet Christmas is under attack. Some want to turn it into Xmas, others try to band its mention, and others say it doesn’t matter because we’ve already sufficiently removed Jesus from it. The reaction from Christ-followers is understandable, but the battle is […]
Pray it Forward For my first ten years as a parent, I struggled to pray for my children. Oh, I did pray for them but not regularly, not every day. This changed when someone gave me a list of twenty-three traits to pray for my children. The items included that they would fall in love […]
The Hornet’s Sting I thought my son had left for work, so he surprised me when he bopped into my office. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’m all right, but…” He went on to say that hornets stung him as he opened his car door. He showed me the top of his head to prove the severity […]