What Kind Of God Do They Think You Serve?

Tommy Boland
2 Mar 2011
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god

Henry Drummond once remarked, “How many prodigals are kept out of the kingdom of God by the unlovely characters of those who profess to be inside!” To be sure, the statement is not theologically precise, but the point rings out loud and clear. The way we live our lives, our behaviors, our language, our kindness, our patience, our forgiveness, our acceptance, our critical spirit and so much more, paints a portrait of the God whom we profess to have faith in, to love, and to serve. So based on the confession of your life today, what kind of God do […]

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Are you still hiding behind fig leaves?

Tommy Boland
2 Feb 2011
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(Scroll down to leave a comment on the gospel has freed you from your fig leaves.) We are heading into the second month of a New Year.  How are you doing?  Are you on track or off track in the pursuit of all that God is calling you to this year?  One of the great stumbling blocks to living the life God has called us to live is our tendency to continue hiding behind fig leaves.  Let’s take a look. Go back with me to the Garden of Eden, and with the eyes of faith, picture our first two parents […]

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fig

In the beginning

Tommy Boland
14 Jan 2011
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beginning

There is nothing like new beginnings.  A new job.  A new address.  A new friendship.  A new possibility.  A new opportunity.  A new vision.  A new goal.  A new year.  And that is exactly where this month’s message finds each one of us: Standing at the threshold of yet another new year.  An old year has run its course and a brand new year is calling us forward.  Are you ready to make this year your best year ever? For far too many, disappointments from the past year carry over into the new year, casting a shadow over all that […]

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The Message of the Manger

Tommy Boland
9 Dec 2010
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During the Christmas season, one of our favorite things to do as a family is drive around different neighborhoods to look at all the Christmas decorations.  This is one of the highlights of our year.  It is always a special treat when we come across a lawn manger scene, which, sadly, are too few in number.  It never ceases to amaze me that the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords would condescend to be born in a stable at Bethlehem, a place where the animals were fed. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him […]

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manger

Life’s roller coaster of peaks and valleys

Tommy Boland
30 Sep 2010
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life

Have you ever heard the term, “The rhythm of life”?  It is a phrase that sums up life on this side of the grave since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden.  The Bible puts it this way: For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and […]

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Kicking against the goads?: The meaning and message

Tommy Boland
5 Aug 2010
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“It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” What exactly does that phrase mean? “Kicking against the goads” is not something we hear often in our day-to-day conversation! And yet, in Acts 26:14, the master Teacher delivers a powerful life lesson in His exquisite, parabolic style, which is simple, straightforward, self-explanatory, and is designed to sanctify every blood-bought saint. Let’s examine this verse with the goal of gleaning two powerful truths: the meaning and the message of the oxgoad. Truth #1 – The meaning of the oxgoad First, the oxgoad is a long pole or stick with a […]

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goad

What’s your treasure?

Tommy Boland
3 Jul 2010
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treasure

The adventure film National Treasure has been a favorite of mine since I first saw it in 2004.  It is loosely based on the myth of a secret code inscribed on the back of the Declaration of Independence by its signers.  The deciphering of this secret code would lead the treasure hunters, led by Ben Gates (Nicholas Cage), to the discovery of a fantastic collection of treasure that, for centuries, had been protected and passed down by the Knights Templar and Freemasons.  I am convinced that films like National Treasure and the hugely successful Indiana Jones series are so popular […]

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Living by F.A.I.T.H.

Tommy Boland
28 May 2010
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“The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17) is the Scripture that many historians say was the pivotal verse in the life of Martin Luther, whom God used to launch the Protestant Reformation. This is a verse that packs some punch! But what exactly does it mean? I periodically ask audiences what it means to live by faith; here are a few of the typical responses : To trust To believe To not walk by sight To have faith in God These thoughts attempt to capture what Paul meant when he said Christians are to live by faith, yet they […]

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by

Jesus owns you!

Tommy Boland
30 Apr 2010
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jesus

“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” was a #1 pop hit in the late 1980s.  And why not?  Everyone wants to be happy!  Those who are not happy do everything within their power to stifle their feelings of discontent.  Many go the way of materialism.  Some pour themselves into climbing the career ladder.  Others numb their senses and emotions with alcohol or drugs.  Still others step outside the boundary of marriage and misuse and abuse God’s gift of sexual intimacy.  Sadly, it is not only unbelievers who engage in these activities, but also the blood-bought members of the body of Christ.  Such […]

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The true towering tomb

Tommy Boland
14 Apr 2010
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(Scroll down to leave a comment on what Christ’s tomb means to you) The oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramid of Giza, has amazed and astonished experts to this day.  Rising over 450 feet into the air and constructed on a base whose area is more than 750 square feet, the pyramid covers an area of over 12 acres with nearly 2 ½ million blocks of stone, each weighing over 2 ½ tons.  The total mass of the pyramid is estimated at 5.9 million tons.  Based on these estimates, building this structure in 20 […]

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tomb