God

Appreciate Your Pastor This Month

Penni Bulten
14 Oct 2014
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Scripture exhorts us to regard pastors and elders who rule well as worthy of double honor, especially those communicating God’s word every week. “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17 NIV). The pastor doesn’t just give the message every week; he often is the first to visit if a congregation member is in the hospital. He calls congregants who have been absent to see if everything is fine. He has a vital role not just in preaching and teaching God’s word […]

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The Successful Christian Life

Jeremy McKeen
9 Oct 2014
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How do you live a successful Christian life? What does that even mean? One of the most common metaphors for the Christian life is running a race. This metaphor is an important reminder that true Christianity is not an easy stroll free of any difficulties; it’s a hard race filled with many obstacles. This metaphor is also a useful tool in identifying what success looks like by asking two simple questions: What hinders you in the race? And what helps you in the race? What hinders you in the race? Isolation — One of the things that can hinder Christians […]

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Halloween: Innocent Family Fun or Celebration of Occult Holiday?

Brody Howell
2 Oct 2014
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If you’re like me, this is the time of year in which you are faced with the “haunting” task of deciding what to do with your children on October 31. The “trick” is to make some “monstrous” decisions as to whether or not you will “treat” your children to the newest and most talked about costumes at Wal-Mart, choose the right candy that the neighborhood kids will praise for weeks after it’s over and determine which party you will let your teenager attend. But have you ever really stopped to think about what this night is really about? Where did […]

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Graham on Leadership: Be a follower of Jesus Christ and Let God Lead

Shelly Pond
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Gigi Graham, the eldest daughter of Evangelist Billy Graham, shared her impressions of what a true leader looks like during this season’s first Christian Women in Leadership Luncheon hosted by the National Christian Foundation at First Baptist Fort Lauderdale in September. Witnessing her father’s life as a counselor to presidents and heads of state, Gigi said she realized “People are either leaders or followers. Daddy made a decision early on to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and it was a very strategic choice to be a follower first and let God lead.” Speaking of her paternal grandfather, Gigi said, […]

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Loving The Local Church

Jeremy McKeen
18 Sep 2014
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What’s so great about the local church? Why should you bother to go into the four walls of a church and risk being hurt or misunderstood? What would compel you to “strive to excel in building up the church” (1 Corinthians 14:12)? Here are five reasons to love the local church and be an integral part in it. They’re not exhaustive, but they’re a start. The church is the picture of God’s ultimate plan. Wouldn’t it be nice to know where the world is heading? You can. God’s ultimate plan is to unite all things under the rule and reign […]

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Clean in Spite of Dirt

Dr. Tommy Boland
10 Sep 2014
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In an old Dennis the Menace cartoon, Dennis is holding a handful of beautiful flowers and he asks Mr. Wilson, “How can something so pretty and clean come out of the dirt?” When you think about it, that question applies to every Christian. I have a word of encouragement for you taken from these magnificent words from John, the beloved apostle: “. . . the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7 NLV). Cleansed Notice that John did not say that Jesus’ blood “will cleanse us from all sin” or “shall cleanse us from […]

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clean

Grace and Identity

Tullian Tchividjian
9 Sep 2014
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A few years back I was driving one of my sons home from his basketball game and he was crying. He’s a great basketball player but had a less than stellar performance and he was, as a result, crushed. After doing my best to comfort him by listening to him and reminding him that his game was not nearly as bad as he thought it was, and that even the best basketball players in the world have an off game here and there, I asked him why he was so upset. He told me plainly, “Dad, I played terrible.” I […]

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Goldilocks Planets Myth: BUSTED

Bob Woods
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For well over 2,000 years, since before the Apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Romans, mankind has been trying to find ways to deny the divine creation of the world and to worship the creation rather than the Creator. One manifestation of this presupposition is the research done by scientists seeking to show that the Earth and the intelligent life therein are not unique in the universe and are, therefore, a product of natural forces and random chance. On December 5, 2011, Science Daily reported that a team of researchers, including Carnegie’s Alan Boss, had discovered what could be […]

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Noise Addiction: Unplug

John Hawkins, Sr
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Anxiety, stress, depression and anger are major problems today. They are at the root of many physical illnesses and relational conflicts. One major cause of these mood disorders in our culture is “noise addiction.” We are a plugged-in generation that requires constant background noise in our daily life. For many it is too hard to be alone with just the sounds of silence. Be still and know Most people are not willing to live without their modern technology. However, it is worthwhile to unplug from the noise of technology and run silent for a while. This can be a very […]

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