Dig Deep

What’s So Great About Heaven? 3 Things To Consider

Daniel Ebert
3 Jan 2017
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A few months after my older sister died, I found my mother crying uncontrollably. The tears where not only for my sister, but they were also about heaven and Dad. Mom blurted out, “Will your father still be my husband in heaven?” She could not imagine a life without him. Like Mom, most of us have heartfelt questions about heaven. While we do not have all the answers, we do know that it will be inexpressibly beautiful and joyous. It will be so great that the deepest and best longings of its residents will be wonderfully satisfied. Throughout church history, […]

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Finding the Star of Bethlehem

Tom DeRosa
9 Dec 2016
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Was there an actual “Star” of Bethlehem or was it an apparition that God miraculously set in the skies that led three Magi (Kings or Wise men) to the Savior of the world? Could the star actually be an unusual pattern of heavenly bodies aligned over Bethlehem? Some think it was an angel that appeared as a star. The mystery of the Christmas star has always been subject to much discussion by scholars and followers of Christ. The Star of Bethlehem appears in Matthew 2:3-11 where we are told that there was a sign in the heavens that lead the […]

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A Christmas Fantasy

John Hawkins, Sr
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Two thousand years ago on a Judean hillside an angel appeared to a group of shepherds keeping watch over their sheep by night. He announced good news that would bring great joy to all people. A savior – Christ the Lord was born. Then suddenly the sky was ablaze while an angelic choir proclaimed peace on earth and good-will toward men. The shepherds were given instructions on how to find this new baby in the village of Bethlehem. They went there and worshipped the baby Jesus. What a wonderful story. It tells us the real meaning of Christmas. There are […]

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Nothing but God

John Hawkins, Sr
9 Nov 2016
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Imagine your whole life has just fallen apart in the span of one month. Your business has failed. All your children and grandkids were killed in a terrorist attack. Your wife is so distraught with grief that she blames you for everything and turns against you in anger. You have been falsely accused by the federal government for tax evasion in regard to your bankrupt company, and the media has used this story to trash your once impeccable reputation in the community. And to top it off, your best friends whom you thought you could count on for support, believe […]

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Misconceptions about the Protestant Reformation

Bob Woods
8 Oct 2016
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When we think of the Protestant Reformation, we normally think about Martin Luther, a German monk, and his act of nailing his Ninety-five Theses to the Wittenberg Door on October 31, 1517, as the catalyst that sparked the movement that eventually resulted in the Protestants breaking away from the established Roman Catholic Church and its doctrines and practices. But there are two misconceptions that many have about the historical Reformation, which is commemorated on Reformation Day on the last Sunday in October.   Martin Luther One misconception is that Martin Luther was the only or the primary reformer of that […]

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God’s Wisdom in Christ: The Way of the Cross

Daniel Ebert
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Without wisdom human flourishing is impossible. Today culture is bewitched by scientific knowledge and technical skill. This is seen, for example, in education’s emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). While these are amazingly productive disciplines, our world is left hungry for wisdom. There are problems that the hard sciences cannot solve. We have ATM cards and online banking, but our society struggles with an unprecedented debt problem. Quantum leaps forward in our knowledge of disease and new medical technologies have increased life expectancy, but where is the wisdom for heart-rending end of life decisions? The Internet and globalization […]

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Is the Bible the Infallible Word of God?

Bob Woods
15 Sep 2016
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  Is the Bible infallible? What is biblical infallibility? The word infallible means “incapable of error.” If something is infallible, it is never wrong and thus absolutely trustworthy. Similarly, the word inerrant, also applied to Scripture, means “free from error.” Simply put, the Bible never fails. The Bible claims to be infallible in 2 Peter 1:19: “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable” (NIV). Peter continues with a description of how Scripture came to be: “No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human […]

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Regret the Unchangeable Past

John Hawkins, Sr
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Regret haunts some people for a lifetime. Regret is about the unchangeable consequences of actions done or undone. It is about the “what if’s” of decisions that could have been made differently. The emotions of sorrow, self anger and a deep torturing sense of guilt often surrounds the regret. How do you move on from something you can’t change or repair?   List your regrets Start by making a list of your regrets. Get them out of your head and onto paper. Things are always less overwhelming when pulled from inner ruminations and looked at objectively on paper. This allows […]

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The Soul and the City

Steve Jeck
8 Sep 2016
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It’s hard not to think about politics these days. Odds are also pretty good that regardless of which side of the “aisle” you tend to favor, you’re probably not chomping at the bit for the arrival of Election Day. Such is the malaise, confusion and outright discontent expressed by the majority of Americans while reflecting upon the current events and headlines that have been surfacing from the 2016 presidential election campaign. Of course, none of this would have caught Plato by surprise. In fact, you might be astounded to learn just how relevant Plato’s take on politics actually is, especially […]

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A Biblical View of our Escalating Culture of Violence

Rob Hoskins
2 Aug 2016
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Violence is familiar to me, having grown up in Beirut, Lebanon and spent most of my life traveling to the neediest places on earth. Many times I have experienced the scourge of deadly warfare. Yet recent shootings in Michigan, Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas and recent terror attack in my adopted country of France hit closer to home. While the circumstances are different, the underlying causes that perpetuate a culture of distrust and hysteria, that escalates and threatens to shove society into the oncoming traffic of anger and hate remains the same.   Othering It’s what philosopher Michael Foucault referred to […]

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