Don’t Be Merely Human Paul reprimands the church in Corinth for many things. One time he points out that they envy one another and argue a lot. There is jealousy and quarreling in their church. It happened then and it’s still happening now. We want what others have. Although this often relates to money, possessions, […]
Not Everything That’s Spiritual is Good Here’s the situation. The prophet Samuel is dead. God has abandoned King Saul, and the once-promising ruler is losing his grip on power. Saul prays, but God doesn’t respond. None of the ways Saul has heard from God in the past are working now. In desperation, he seeks a […]
We know nothing about this minority church besides their name, location, and service time. When the service begins, words are displayed overhead while we sing along with recorded music. Many people raise their arms in praise to God. The worship occurs organically, so naturally that I don’t realize there isn’t a song leader. As we […]
It seems that I’ve recently heard a lot of complaints about this “younger generation,” known as the Millennial Generation or Generation Y (those born after 1984—or between 1980 and 2000—depending who’s doing the explaining). Employers moan that Millennials don’t want to work: they arrive late, lack motivation, and do not make good employees. Customers complain […]
I recently read a series of movie reviews in a conservative magazine. With three pages of critiques to consider, all but two movies earned advisory warnings. With no R-rated movies covered, several cautions were for PG and even G-rated movies. Their items of concern struck me as overly critical. One obscure line from an animated […]
In further contemplating last week’s post about being spiritually militant—of fighting evil in the spiritual realm—the word jihad comes to mind. Jihad, originating from Islam, has some specific meanings and one that is more general: In a literal sense, the idea of a holy war repels me. The various inquisitions and crusades, primarily during the […]
We Are on the Winning Side and Can Tell the Devil Where to Go This is my second and likely last post about music from my past. First, I blogged about “I Scream Sunday” and today my topic is Stryper’s “To Hell with the Devil.” This heavy metal tune stirs up a passion inside of […]
Question: What Is a Spiritual Discipline? Answer: A spiritual discipline draws us closer to God, deepens our understanding of who he is, and helps make us into the men and women he desires us to become. Spiritual disciplines are practices that we willingly pursue in response to the God who created us, saved us, and […]
One of the disservices of the modern era was dividing life into secular and spiritual, of splitting our existence, behavior, and reality into separate realms of activity. Premodern man had no such illusions; neither did ancient man before that. To them, everything was spiritual. If you don’t believe me, consider all the spiritual lessons and […]
In addition to enjoying a dalliance with God, Margery Kempe’s intimate prayer time with the almighty God sometimes resulted in imagining herself participating in Biblical events. I do not know if this was a Holy Spirit inspired meditation or more akin to a vision. As one blessed with a vivid imagination, I can certainly understand […]