Dig Deep

Being Childlike in a Childish World

Dr. Gary Hewins
8 Oct 2018
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Imagine a humble, little first-century home existing within the New Testament era. Picture a dinner being prepared in a small, humble kitchen in first-century Palestine. A family is about to have a meal together. Out in the courtyard—outside the home—children are playing, running about and laughing. Just outside of the kitchen in the common area, there is a chair. In the chair is the head of the household, and he is sitting down after a long, hard day’s work, listening and peering out the window at his children as they play. His little girl in the front yard hears her […]

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Jesus Christ: One Way or The Only Way to Heaven?

Dr. Tommy Boland
1 Oct 2018
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One of the most common concerns that people raise with me is the exclusivity of the Christian faith. Many people in our postmodern, relativistic society want to believe that all roads lead to heaven. In 2016 Lifeway Research conducted a poll and found that 60 percent of all Americans believe that “Heaven is a place where all people will ultimately be reunited with their loved ones.” Only 40 percent of those surveyed agreed with the statement that “Hell is an eternal place of judgment where God sends all people who do not personally trust in Jesus Christ.”(1) Heaven or Hell? […]

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The Power of Prophecy

Dr. Tommy Boland
1 Aug 2018
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prophecy

(Scroll down to leave a comment on the power of prophecy.) As a pastor, I am often asked how we can know for sure that the Bible is truly the Word of God.  When confronted with this question, many Christians frequently respond by quoting 2 Timothy 3:15 — “All Scripture is God-breathed . . .” That is certainly a glorious, God-breathed truth, but when you use that verse to prove the reliability of Scripture to the serious skeptic, that unbeliever will often reply, “That’s circular reasoning! You’re telling me that the Bible is the Word of God because the Bible […]

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Underwhelmed

Elizabeth Mitchell
25 Jul 2018
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“But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love…” (Nehemiah 9:17) They each blundered big under a varying set of circumstances. Eve reached for the fruit, Sarah handed over her maid, Moses slammed the rock, David hatched a deadly plot, and the children of Israel rebelled at the edge of the Promised Land. How might their stories have been different if their belief in the character of God was greater than their view of themselves? What might have occurred if they had elevated God’s righteousness above their own selfish rights […]

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Limitless

Stephan Tchividjian
9 Jul 2018
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limitless

Limitless Creation! I was recently reflecting on how I was created. Have you done that? I obviously know that about 55 years ago a sperm and an egg came together. The necessary ingredients belonged to my dad and mom, which is a bit too much information for my old mind to dwell on, but it happened and I am grateful for that. However, I was actually talking about something bigger, more majestic and more cosmic. I am a follower of Jesus. I don’t always know what that means, but it does imply a significant amount of faith. A follower of […]

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The Prayer of Prayers

Jeremy McKeen
8 Feb 2018
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Prayer is difficult. Prayer doesn’t come easy. Thankfully, Jesus knows this, and like any good friend or mentor, Jesus steps in to help. When his disciples were finding prayer hard, Jesus taught them a way to pray that has become known as “The Lord’s Prayer,” not because Jesus prayed it himself, but because it’s the prayer he taught his disciples to pray. It’s a prayer that has been loved and memorized and studied and recited and prayed by thousands of people throughout the years. Thomas Watson called it, “the prayer of prayers.” Here’s several reasons why: The simple prayer The […]

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City Changers Empowers the Church to Impact Communities

Alan Platt
1 Feb 2018
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 Alan Platt, chief architect of Church United in South Florida, and leader of the global Doxa Deo Church and the City Changers Movement begun in South Africa, has authored a brand new book, released by David C. Cook publishers, entitled City Changers. What follows are Alan’s thoughts and an excerpt from the book.   Because of the conviction that we are called to be the presence of Christ in our cities and communities, I felt compelled to put pen to paper, trusting that this book would be a contribution to empower both leaders and disciples in the Christian community to […]

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New Beginnings

Dr. Tommy Boland
1 Jan 2018
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I think you would agree, there is something quite special about the gift of new beginnings God gives to us. Of course, each day is a new beginning where God gives to us the opportunity to live life in a way that brings greater glory to Him than we did the day before. God also gives us a variety of new beginnings contained within each new day: A new goal A new vision A new calling A new address A new friendship A new relationship A new opportunity A new possibility A new year We are standing at the threshold […]

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Dense Fog

Stephan Tchividjian
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fog

A number of years ago I remember going through a drought. I define a drought as a struggle to find meaning and purpose in what I was doing. The days seemed to drag into each other and everything in my life appeared to be laborious. I had lost energy for anything. A simple telephone call took tremendous effort and was often pushed off to the next day. Do you every feel like this? I was able to hide this situation well, and you would never have known how I was feeling if you simply were talking to me. I was […]

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Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication

Penni Bulten
5 Dec 2017
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Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday celebrated in close proximity with Christmas, is a festival celebrated from December 12- 20 this year. The festival is older than Christmas as it has been celebrated since the times of the Maccabees about 200 years before Jesus’ birth. Hanukkah is celebrated all over the world by Jews from all countries, including by Messianic Jews and some Christians. A nine-candle menorah, dreidels and fried treats such as latkes (fried potato cakes) and jelly donuts are all a part of the celebration, each for their own reason. Fried treats are eaten in remembrance of the oil that […]

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