This year as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it’s vital that we remember not only the moment of our founding but also the spiritual movement that preceded it. Long before July 4, 1776, there was a stirring of hearts and a revival of faith. The Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s swept across the American colonies, laying the spiritual groundwork for the principled liberty that would follow. Contrary to modern revisionist claims, Christianity did not suppress liberty; it birthed it. The liberty our founders envisioned was deeply rooted in biblical truth. The Declaration of […]

I can imagine that if you had met one of the interns of Jesus before they were officially following Him and asked, “What is the purpose of your life?” they might have answered, “Sell fish.” Many people living 2,000 years ago made their living growing crops, raising livestock, building and repairing structures or selling fish. I imagine the vocation of selling fish — especially along the shore of a lake — was fairly stable and even lucrative. Like any profession, it carried its share of hardship, competition and long hours. Then one day, Jesus comes walking along the shoreline and […]